This article was written by Mollie Flanigan, GMC conservation manager, and previously appeared in the Summer 2020 Long Trail News. Vermont’s forested landscape provides the beauty and recreational opportunities that make the state a special place to live, work, and play. The ability of landowners to keep their land forested, however, often hinges on their […]
Can I throw it in the privy?
You’ve heard it’s harmful to litter. But when hiking it’s not clear what the best way to get rid of your trash actually is, especially once outhouses are involved. For example, when you are two miles into a hike, what do you do when you realize you forgot toilet paper, or that you need to […]
The Northeast Alpine Stewardship Gathering
This fall, Isaac (GMC Field Assistant), Lorne (GMC Volunteer & Education Coordinator), and I (GMC Field Supervisor) got to take the ferry over to New York to spend the weekend at the Waterman Fund’s 11th Annual Northeast Alpine Stewardship Gathering in Lake Placid. This heftily-named conference may not be one you’ve heard of, but if […]
Climate Change: Trail Management Strategies
This article previously appeared in the Spring 2019 Long Trail News. I don’t know how much Long Trail pioneers thought about climate or bad storms when designing and building the trail. But after more than a century of trail maintenance and management, the Green Mountain Club is definitely concerned about our changing climate and its effects […]
Increased Usage of the Long Trail
If you’ve spoken to a Green Mountain Club caretaker while they’re on a summit, you may have noticed them clicking a small hand-held counter. The “clickers,” as we call them, are used to count how many individuals come up to the summit while the caretaker is there. The count spans an entire day’s shift, and […]
