The Green Mountain Club hosts events, workshops, and occasional community outings. Check the upcoming schedule below for introduction to hiking workshops, panels from experienced thru-hikers, Wilderness First Aid training, trail maintenance training, and more. Check the calendar of events and outings to see what the volunteer sections have planned. We host both in-person and virtual events.
Find recorded sessions below, or on YouTube.
Backpacking 101
Saturday, April 19, 2025 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m
Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center
Are you interested in backpacking, but not sure where to start? With so much information about gear, food, trails and more, it can be easy to feel lost before you ever step outside. Come learn how to hit the trail safely from the Green Mountain Club! This in-person workshop, taught by GMC staff, is an introduction to backpacking – from gear selection and trip planning to first aid and nutrition, at the end of which you’ll be ready to hit the trail for 3 nights or 3 months.
Long Trail End-to-Ender’s Panel (virtual)
Friday, May 2, 2025 | 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Zoom
The Long Trail End-to-Ender Panel is an informative Q&A, show-and-tell style panel intended for folks to learn about backpacking in Vermont from experienced Long Trail Thru-Hikers. Wondering about the best lightweight tent or how to not get bored with PB&J’s? Sign up to learn the ins and outs of a long-distance hike and get answers to all your questions about food, equipment, and planning.
Long Trail End-to-Ender’s Panel and Long Trail Guide Book Launch
Saturday, May 10, 2025 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center
Join us for our first in-person End to Enders Panel since 2019, and celebrate the launch of the newest edition of the Long Trail Guide. The Long Trail End-to-Ender Panel is an informative Q&A, show-and-tell style panel for folks to learn about backpacking in Vermont from experienced Long Trail Thru-Hikers. After the panel, attendees will be able to chat with panelists one-on-one for more customized advice, see some of the gear and planning tools they used, and browse GMC resources. Before the panel, guidebook editor Chloe Miller will give a short overview of the Long Trail Guide, both historic and current, and books will be available to peruse or purchase after the panel concludes.
Wild Spring Edibles of the Northeast
Sunday, May 11, 2025 | 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center
Join Ari Rockland-Miller of The Mushroom Forager on a tour of spring’s wild tastes and tonics, beginning with a lesson on safely, ethically and fruitfully pursuing Vermont’s spring wild plants and mushrooms. Then, join a guided foray exploring the woods around club headquarters as we learn about the culinary and medicinal treasures of springtime. The foray will cover topics including safety, strategy, ethics and sustainability. Stick around for a tasting after the hunt.
Essentials of Map and Compass
Sunday, May 18, 2025 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center
Knowing how to use a map and compass are crucial skills for any hiker. This workshop will help you understand the information provided on a topographical map, the proper use of a compass, and how to put the two together. You’ll learn about magnetic north, true north, and magnetic declination, and pairing a compass to a map. You’ll then learn how to use a map and compass to find a bearing with a map and follow it in the field, and to take bearings on visible landmarks and use them to determine where you are. After covering these fundamentals, you’ll get an opportunity to practice orienteering skills in the woods around the Green Mountain Club campus. This interactive workshop is a great introduction to navigation and map reading which are essential skills for anyone hiking trails or heading into the woods off-trail (bushwhacking).
Wilderness First Responder Re-certification
Saturday, May 31 – Sunday, June 1, 2025 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center
This two-day course will recertify those with current WFR certification through SOLO. The course will be a mixture of traditional, classroom learning and outdoors, hands-on scenarios. This WFR Recertification is good for three years, and required CPR certification is good for only two years. An optional CPR course will be held the evening of the first day.
*Current WFRs who have completed a SOLO-approved WFR course from another program such as NOLS or WMI will only be able to recertify through SOLO by taking a SOLO Wilderness First Responder Recertification course.
Wilderness First Aid
Saturday, August 9 – Sunday, August 10, 2025 |9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center
This sixteen-hour, hands-on course will prepare you for backcountry medical emergencies. The focus is on the prevention, recognition, and treatment of injuries and illnesses. Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification or SOLO Wilderness First Responder (WFR) recertification is provided upon completion. CPR certification also available and will take place from 5-7pm on Saturday evening.
Recordings of Recent Events
Setting the Overall Speed Record on the Appalachian Trail
Thursday, March 13, 2025 | Zoom
No More Pits: A New Era of Waste Management on the Long Trail
Thursday, March 6, 2025 | Green Mountain Club Meeting Hall
48 by 4: Hiking New Hampshire’s Highest Peaks with a Toddler
Thursday, February 13, 2025 | Zoom
Paved Paradise: Highways, Wildlife Crossings and the Future of our Roaded Planet
Thursday, January 30, 2025 | Zoom
Wide, Open Spaces: Why Trails and the Outdoors are Vital Places for Processing our Hardest Emotions
Thursday, January 23, 2025 |Green Mountain Club Meeting Hall
The Triple Tiara: Thru-hiking the Long Trail, Colorado Trail, & Nüümü Poyo
Thursday, January 16, 2025 | Green Mountain Club Meeting Hall
The History of the VT Civilian Conservation Corps
Thursday, January 11, 2024 | Zoom
Long Trail End-to-Ender’s Panel
Friday, May 5, 2023 | 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Zoom
Hiking 101 (Online)
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 | 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.| Zoom
Airplane Crashes Along the Long Trail in Vermont
Thursday, March 2 | 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.| Zoom
The ‘American Alps’ in Washington’s North Cascades (Online)
Thursday, February 16 | 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.| Zoom
A Woman Alone in the Woods at Night (Online)
Thursday, January 26 | 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.| Zoom
Secrets of Aging Well: Why Hiking is the Closest Thing We Have To The Fountain of Youth (Online)
Thursday, January 19 | 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. | Zoom
Introduction to Winter Hiking
December 16, 2022 | 5:30pm – 6:30pm | Zoom
The Art of Race and Leadership with Melody Walker Mackin
June 10, 2022 | 7pm – 8 pm | Zoom
Long Trail End-to-Ender Panel
May 6, 2022 | 6pm | Zoom
The Long Trail End-to-Ender Panel is an informative Q&A, show-and-tell style panel intended for folks to learn about backpacking in Vermont from experienced Long Trail Thru-Hikers. Wondering about the best lightweight tent or how to not get bored with PB&J’s? Sign up to learn the ins and outs of a long-distance hike and get answers to all your questions about food, equipment, and planning.
Backpacking 101 Webinar
April 18, 2022 | 6pm | Zoom
“No Other Lake” Short Film – Sneak Preview
March 17, 2022 | Zoom
In Search of Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams
March 10, 2022 | Zoom
The Northeast Kingdom Meets the American Southwest
March 3, 2022 | Zoom
Breaking it down to build it back: A story of rediscovery in the outdoors
February 3, 2022 | Zoom
Moving Mountains: Overcoming obstacles in 2022 and beyond
January 27, 2022 | Zoom
Long Trail Family Thru-Hike
January 20, 2022 | Zoom
Join Matt Krebs and his three children, Charlie (16), Ruth (14) and Joe (8), as they share the challenges and joys of thru-hiking the Long Trail together.
This presentation is part of the 30th annual James P. Taylor Outdoor Adventure Series — bringing adventures to you through stories, photographs, and videos. It is sponsored by Sunset Lake CBD.
Arizona: Day Hikes and Other Adventures
January 13, 2022 | Zoom
Long time Green Mountain Club volunteers, Rich and Sheri Larsen share photos and stories from their adventures in Arizona. Enjoy this presentation and the beautiful imagery.
This presentation is part of the 30th annual James P. Taylor Outdoor Adventure Series — bringing adventures to you through stories, photographs, and videos. It is sponsored by 802 Cars.
Crosscut: A Trail Builder’s Memoir
January 6, 2022 | Zoom
Author, poet, trail builder, and professor Sean Prentiss shares stories and poems from his memoir Crosscut: Poems, inspired by his time leading trail crews for the Northwest Youth Corps.
This presentation is part of the 30th annual James P. Taylor Outdoor Adventure Series — bringing adventures to you through stories, photographs, and videos. It is sponsored by Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel.
