Thanks for stopping in! We invite you to browse our upcoming educational workshops, speaker events, and trainings. Our events are mostly virtual for your convenience, but we do host in-person events as well. Sign up below!
Our workshops and events could not happen without your support! If you value these learning opportunities and would like to support similar content, please donate here.
Can’t make the scheduled event? Register ahead to receive a link to the recorded session, or check back later. Find recorded sessions below, or on YouTube.
Long Trail End-to-Ender’s Panel
Friday, May 5 | 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.
Essentials of Map and Compass
Sunday, May 7 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Rd, Waterbury Center, VT, 05677
Knowing how to use a map and compass are crucial skills for any hiker. If you don’t know how to use a map and compass, then you are not only missing an essential skill when taking to the mountains, you could also be putting your life in danger.
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).
Spring Wildflowers on the Long Trail
Saturday, May 20 | 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Long Trail South, Duxbury Window
As warmth and sunshine (and mud) return to the woods of Vermont in the spring, so too do our spring ephemeral plants. As the name suggests , these plants don’t stick around too long, but their beautiful and showy flowers bring color to the forest. Please join Dr. Jordon Tourville on a guided hike on the Long Trail up to the Duxbury Window as he discusses the biology, ecology and diversity of this special group of plants.
Dr. Jordon Tourville is a forest, plant, and mycorrhizal ecologist working as postdoctoral research fellow with the Appalachian Mountain Club. His main research/study interests focus around how climate change will impact forest and plant communities, particularly on mountains in the Northeast.
Wild Spring Edibles of the Northeast
Sunday, May 21 | 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Green Mountain Club Headquarters, 4711 Waterbury Stowe Rd, Waterbury Center, VT
Are you intrigued by mushroom and plant foraging? Join Ari Rockland-Miller of The Mushroom Forager on a tour of spring’s wild tastes and tonics. In May, the woods burst with a profusion of tender new greens and mushrooms. This guided foray will explore the woods around Green Mountain Club 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!
Participants should dress for hiking in the woods and bring water. This program is fully outdoors and will be held rain or shine unless the weather presents a safety hazard such as t-storms.
Wilderness First Aid
Saturday – Sunday, June 3 – June 4 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Green Mountain Club Headquarters, 4711 Waterbury Stowe Rd, Waterbury Center, VT
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 Wilderness First Responder (WFR) recertification is provided upon completion.
Instructor: Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities(SOLO)
Fee: $202.50/GMC Member, $225 Non-Member. CPR available($45 CPR Certification). WFR re-cert may have an additional $15 administrative SOLO fee.
A WFA certification (2 year certification) is valid with or without current CPR certification.
A WFR certification (3 year certification) is not valid without current CPR certification.
A WFR re-certification can only be provided through this course for SOLO-WFR’s, not NOLS or WMI.
Trail Maintenance 101
Saturday, June 10, 2023| 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. OR Sunday, June 18, 2023| 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Long Trail
Join the Green Mountain Club for an introductory workshop on trail maintenance of hiking trails in New England. Whatever your interest and experience in trails, this workshop will impart the basics of maintenance techniques and best practices. Topics covered include: an overview of trail tools, safe handling and care; basic principles of digging, identifying and clearing drainage structures; using a handsaw to clear blowdowns; monitoring blazes and trail signage; brushing in user trails; repairing tread; identifying and assessing structures on the trail in need of repair. We’ll be learning on the ground using the trail as our classroom.
Come prepared with sturdy hiking footwear, backpack, layers appropriate for the weather, water and snacks. All participants should be comfortable hiking 6 miles, carrying tools in addition to their own gear, bending, kneeling and digging in the ground and managing whatever weather we encounter for the day.
Registration Required.
Location:
Saturday, 6/10, Long Trail Southbound from Forest Rd. 10 to Big Branch Shelter. This trailhead is 15 minutes off of Rt. 7 in Danby, VT.
Sunday, 6/18, Mt. Mansfield Area. Exact location to be Determined.
Register for Saturday, June 10
Register for Sunday, June 18
Recordings of Recent Events
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.
