28th Annual James P. Taylor Outdoor Adventure Series
For more than a hundred years the Long Trail has inspired Vermonters to seek adventure in the Green Mountains and beyond. The James P. Taylor Outdoor Adventure Series, named after the man who first envisioned the Long Trail, brings such adventures to you through stories, photographs, and videos. Join us for inspiring presentations that will transport you to mountains and waterways near and far as we celebrate twenty-eight years of the Taylor Series—a great way to spend an evening!
Admission is $5 for members and $8 for nonmembers; kids under 12 are free. Tickets are available at the door only. Proceeds support local sections and the GMC Education Program. Coffee is provided at all presentations at GMC Headquarters by Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Co and baked goods are provided by Woodstock Farmers’ Market.
Upcoming 2020 Talks
APRIL 12 UPDATE – We are now offering some virtual speaker presentations in the style of the Taylor Series. Check out the schedule here.
Previous Talks
MARCH 13 UPDATE – All remaining Taylor Series talks in March and April are canceled. We will invite any canceled Taylor Series presenters to participate in next year’s program.
CANCELED Climbing Denali: Today and Half a Century Ago
Heinz Trebitz & Mike DeBonis
Thursday, April 23, 6:30 P.M.
Montshire Museum, Norwich
Hosted by the Upper Valley Ottauquechee Section
Heinz Trebitz of the Upper Valley Ottauquechee Section and GMC Executive Director Mike DeBonis will present stories and photos of their 1972 and 2019 climbs of Denali, North America’s highest peak. Come hear of two attempts with very different experiences and outcomes, demonstrating how luck and 47 years of technological advancement can affect the odds of summiting this 20,310-foot mountain. The presentation will be free of charge.
CANCELED Day Hiking and Other Adventures in Newfoundland, Canada
Rich and Sheri Larsen
Thursday, April 2nd, 2020, 7 P.M. Rescheduled from February 27th due to weather.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Newfoundland has a lot to offer: great hiking, beautiful scenery, unusual geology, interesting history, good birding, and more. Rich and Sheri Larsen traveled to Newfoundland last summer and spent two and a half weeks day hiking and exploring the island. Join them to learn more about visiting Newfoundland and see photos from their trip.
CANCELED 50 years of Caretaking on Stratton Mountain
Hugh and Jeanne Joudry
Saturday, March 21st, 2020, 7 P.M.
Manchester Community Library, Manchester Center, VT
Hosted by the Manchester Section
Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a small cabin on top of a mountain for a summer? How about 50 summers… Sit back, relax, and enjoy a presentation from GMC caretakers Hugh and Jean Joudry about their half-century of fire watching, caretaking, and interreacting with thousands of hikers on Stratton Mountain.
CANCELED Outdoor Adventure Storytelling Night
Thursday, March 19th, 2020, 7:30 P.M.
Outdoor Gear Exchange, Burlington, VT
Participate in this year’s Taylor Series with stories told by YOU! Come throw your name in the hat for a chance to get up and share your 5-6 minute adventure-related story at this Moth-like storytelling night. All stories should be true, first-person accounts with a good story arc, including a beginning, a middle, and an end. Planning to throw your name in the hat? Check out these storytelling tips! Citizen Cider will be there pouring samples and Lizz Lach will be our storytelling host.
CANCELED Walking the GR5: From the Cold North Sea to the Warm Mediterranean
Kathy & Jim Elkind
Thursday, March 12th, 2020, 7 P.M.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
The Grand Randonnee 5 (GR5) is a 1,400-mile walking route that traverses four countries, three mountain ranges, and innumerable historic and cultural landmarks. Nightly indoor accommodations distinguish this route from most long North American hiking journeys. The GR5 starts at the North Sea in The Netherlands and travels through Belgium, Luxembourg, and the whole length of France to Nice on the Mediterranean Sea. Kathy and Jim Elkind spent over 3 months in 2018 walking the changing landscape from the flat Delta region, through Ardennes, Moselle and Lorraine Valleys, finally Vosges, Jura and the Alps. They will share slides of the magnificent landscape and humorous stories of their trials and tribulations of walking together as a couple for 98 days.
Creating a Four-Season Hut Network in the Green Mountains
R.J. Thompson
Friday, March 6th, 2020, 7 P.M.
Richmond Free Library, Richmond, VT
Hosted by the Burlington Section
The Vermont Huts Association in Stowe is working to create a statewide hut network throughout the Green Mountains. While many private camps and cabins exist, few are connected to any established trail network, and even less are open to the public. Join VT Huts Executive Director RJ Thompson as he discusses the organization’s plans to create a backcountry hut network for year-round public access. Ann Gotham will also be there to discuss Edward Sohier Bryant and the unique history of his namesake, Bryant Camp. Ann is a champion of preservation at the Friends of Bolton Valley Nordic and Backcountry.
Hiking Abroad
Kevin Hudnell & Elisabeth Fenn
Thursday, March 5th, 2020, 6 P.M.
Rock Art Brewery, Morrisville, VT
Hosted by the Sterling Section
Thinking about hiking a long-distance trail in another country? Kevin Hudnell and Elisabeth Fenn will share their (sometimes hard-earned) knowledge from their time spent hiking in Europe and the Middle East on a budget. Take advantage of their experiences and learn how to avoid some of the pitfalls of hiking abroad, while making the most out of enjoying your trip.
Biking the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Ferdinand Lauffer
Saturday, February 29th, 2020, 7 P.M.
St. Matthews Episcopal Church, Enosburg Falls, VT
Hosted by the Northern Frontier Section
Ferdinand Lauffer shares his pictures and stories from his summer bike ride along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route for 2,850 km from Banff, Alberta, to Frisco, Colorado. As a bonus, he will tell the highlights of last year’s 1,500 km cross Germany ride from Germany’s border with Switzerland and France to the Polish city of Świnoujście at the shores of the Baltic Sea.
The Natural (and Unnatural) History of the Common Loon
Eric Hanson
Thursday, February 20, 7 P.M.
Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Craftsbury Common, VT
Hosted by the Northeast Kingdom Section
Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) biologist Eric Hanson will discuss the amazing recovery of loons in Vermont over the past 30 years, the threats that they face, and the conservation actions that have brought them back, including capture and rescue stories. We’ll also explore their fascinating behaviors and natural history, including new research on how loons find a territory, what is being conveyed in the yodel call, and new findings on their migration pathways. The Vermont Loon Conservation Project (VLCP) is a program of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Searching for White Blazes: Hiking the Long Trail in Winter
Mary Lou Recor
Thursday, February 20th, 2020, 7 P.M.
Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, Middlebury, VT
Hosted by the Bread Loaf Section
The Long Trail Guide rightly states that the Long Trail is “not designed for winter use”: white blazes, dense woods, deep snow, remote trail, short days. Mary Lou will recount her trail-breaking, route-losing adventures over fourteen years of winter day hikes to reach that magic 270 miles.
Backcountry Skiing All 110 Mountains in Vermont Above 3000′
Spencer Crispe
Thursday, February 13th, 2020, 7 PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Over the course of 4 winters, Spencer became the first person to climb and ski down every major mountain in Vermont – all 110 of them. Not even sure it could be done, this proved to be a strenuous experience filled with ludicrous obstacles and technical challenges. 60% of these major Vermont mountains have no official trail, at times requiring thick, nearly impenetrable bushwhacking through outrageous snow depths to reach the summit. Spencer comes to share stories and answer questions from surmounting this profound challenge and one-of-a-kind unforgettable adventure.
The Spirit in the Mountains
Melody Walker
Saturday, February 8th, 2020, 7 P.M.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Join us for an interactive lecture on understanding the Abenaki perspective of power, place, and the spirit in all things. Melody Walker will discuss concepts within the Abenaki worldview and the understanding of what a homeland means to indigenous people.
A Long Trail Hiker’s Climb of Denali
Michael DeBonis
Thursday, January 30th, 2020, 7 P.M.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Last June, after a winter of training on the Long Trail system, GMC’s executive director Mike DeBonis spent two weeks attempting a climb of Denali “the Great One” in Alaska. Mike will share photos and stories from his trip and compare the experience of spending two weeks on Denali and the Long Trail.
Hiking the John Muir Trail
Steven Hurd
Thursday, January 23rd, 2020, 7 P.M.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
What sparked Steve’s interest in the John Muir Trail was this quote from a 2014 article in Backpacker magazine: “Hike the John Muir Trail. Get this on your life list: It’s the #1 trail our readers think every hiker should do.” Join Steve as he shares photos and experiences and answers questions about the planning and preparation it took to transform from a day hiker doing the 67 New England 4,000 footers to completion of his solo JMT thru-hike from Yosemite to the summit of 14,505 foot Mount Whitney.
Moving Earth: Cotton Brook and Other Landslides in Vermont
Marjorie Gale
Thursday, January 9th, 2020, 7 P.M.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Last May, Waterbury experienced a major landslide on Cotton Brook. Over 12 acres, or 200,000 cubic meters, of material slid off the side of the hill, destroyed recreational trails, created a small pond upstream, and transported thousands of cubic meters of sand, silt, and debris downstream. The Vermont Geological Survey has been assessing and monitoring the site since early June. Unlike slow change over time which resulted in Vermont’s bedrock and today’s landscape, this was a catastrophic event which impacted the landscape, habitat, and water resources. Marjorie will share some images and videos which show the spectacular features associated with this and other mass failures and discuss landslides in Vermont.
Rugged Happiness: Setting the Unsupported Female Record on the Long Trail
Nika Meyers
Friday, December 20th, 2019, 7 P.M.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
This past fall Nika “Early Bird” Meyers returned to the Long Trail for the second time, however, this time she ended up setting the Unsupported Female Record by finishing the trail in 6 days, 11 hours, and 40 minutes. Through photos, videos, and stories, she will share moments from the journey of deep strength, unexpected fear, sleep-deprived silliness, abundant discomfort, and overwhelming happiness. The Long Trail is where her love for long-distance hiking started and she is excited to share her story with the community that has helped give her the confidence to dream big!
The Taylor Series is sponsored by GMC’s fourteen sections, local businesses, and other friends of the club.
$1,000+ Corporate Sponsors
$500 – $999 Business Members
