26th Annual James P. Taylor Outdoor Adventure Series
For more than one 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-six 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.
The 2018 Taylor Series is over – thanks for a great year!
Previous Taylor Series Events
Summiting Kilimanjaro
Joshua Powers and Amy Daniels
Friday, April 20, 6:30 p.m.
Montshire Museum, Norwich
Hosted by the Upper Valley Ottauquechee Section
Join friends Joshua Powers and Amy Daniels for a slide show and talk about training, gear preparation, and climbing Tanzania’s 19,341′ dormant volcano, and Africa’s highest mountain, known as the mighty Kilimanjaro. No admission charge.
A Mountaineering Life in Deed and Word
Bob Hauptman
Friday, April 6, 7 p.m.
Manchester Community Library, Manchester
Hosted by the Manchester Section
Join author and mountaineer Bob Hauptman for a presentation of his climbing experiences and comments on the three books that he has written with his climbing partner. You’ll get to see some specialized mountaineering equipment too, all with a backdrop of images of lovely mountainous terrain. No admission charge, but donations towards to the Bromley Tower Fund will be welcomed.
From Lisbon to Oslo by Bike
Mary Lou Recor
Thursday, April 5, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
In June 2017 Mary Lou Recor rolled her bike out of the Lisbon airport armed with five Michelin maps and faith in the kindness of strangers. No GPS, no cell phone, no tour guide, no mace. Two months, three thousand miles and a hundred bakeries later she rolled into Oslo with the same five maps and faith in the kindness of strangers. She will entertain you with her stories and pictures from her unplanned route through the EU.
Finding Resilience on Scandinavia’s Arctic Trail
Pavel Cenkl
Thursday, March 29, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
Join Pavel as he shares photos, videos, and stories from his recent 360 km run along the Arctic Trail in northern Scandinavia. Pavel completed his 8-day run in August 2017 as part of an ongoing project to explore, record, and share evidence of a rapidly changing climate across northern regions and learn more about climate change’s effects on local communities and on mountain cultures and environments along the way. The Arctic Trail Run was a test of physical and mental limits as well as a chance to learn first-hand about the unique ecology and Sami cultural heritage in Norway and Sweden. An experienced ultramarathon runner, teacher, and writer, Pavel will share stories and insights from the northern landscapes he has been drawn to for many years, including a recent visit to Svalbard — which, at 80 degrees north latitude, is one of the northern-most archipelagos in the world.
Beyond Glamping: Hut-to-Hut Trekking in the High Tatras of Slovakia
Caitlin Cusack
Thursday, March 22, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
To truly embrace the experience of trekking in Slovakia you need to bookend your day with a beer and a healthy helping of sausages or dumplings. Join us as Caitlin recounts her recent adventure navigating the cuisine, culture, and breathtaking landscape of the High Tatra Mountains of Slovakia. Caitlin and her husband, Matt, spend six days hiking from hut-to-hut through the highest part of the Carpathian Mountain Range. There they found the endangered tatra chamois, turquoise mountain lakes, sawtooth ridges, and a land steeped in a rich cultural and natural history.
The Salkantay Trek: The Other Inca Trail
Michelle Cournoyer
Thursday, March 15, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
The Salkantay Inca Trail is a less-traveled trekking route to Machu Picchu that encompasses nine bio-zones including the Cordillera Vilcabamba, a spectacular Andean mountain range; forested canyons; and cloud forest. Michelle Cournoyer from Boundless Journeys will share her experience hiking this remote and largely unknown trail past towering peaks, glacial lakes, breathtaking Salkantay Mountain, and banana, avocado, and coffee plantations, while enjoying the comfortable mountain lodges, fireside pisco sours, and gourmet meals. She will discuss the itinerary, terrain, accommodations, altitude, and Quechua culture.
Out on a Limb: What Black Bears Have Taught Me about Intelligence and Intuition
Benjamin Kilham
Thursday, March 1, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
Ben Kilham is a wildlife biologist from Lyme, New Hampshire. His love of and devotion to black bears has enabled him to study their habits and interact with them for more than twenty years. Ben has been the focus of news articles and documentaries including National Geographic’s A Man Among Bears and Animal Planet’s Papa Bear. He is also co-author of the book Among the Bears: Raising Orphaned Cubs in the Wild.
Lessons from the Arctic
Susan Koch
Thursday, February 22, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
Join Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Susan Koch for an evening of Arctic exploration. Susan will share images, impressions, and lessons from an Arctic journey aboard the National Geographic Explorer to Svalbard, Norway. Come see images of polar ice, Arctic wildlife, and the impact of climate change on this remote and expansive part of our world. Susan is the 2016 Vermont Teacher of the Year, and teaches first grade in Montpelier Public Schools.
Walking the Coast to Coast Path
Deb Van Schaack & Nancy Custer Carroll
Wednesday, February 21, 7 p.m.
Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, Middlebury
Sponsored by the Bread Loaf Section
Deb Van Schaack and Nancy Custer Carroll will share images and stories of their fifteen-day self-guided walk on the 192-mile, unmarked and unofficial Coast to Coast Walk across England in September 2017. Through three national parks from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, Deb and Nancy encountered sun, wind, rain, magnificent countryside, thousands of sheep and some very fine folk with whom to walk and share a pint at the end of the day.
History of the 10th Mountain Division
Brian Lindner
Thursday, February 15, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
The famed 10th Mountain Division was America’s ski troops during World War II, and key to defeating German forces in Italy. Many know the returning veterans from the 10th formed the backbone of America’s ski industry, but fewer know that the division traces its roots to Vermont. Lindner’s talk will recount the history of the 10th Mountain Division from its conception through its final victory in the Italian Campaign of 1945.
Chasing Summits: In Pursuit of High Places and an Unconventional Life
Garry Harrington
Saturday, February 10, 7:30 p.m.
Richmond Free Library, Richmond
Hosted by the Burlington Section
Hear author and avid hiker Garry Harrington discuss his Appalachian Mountain Club Book Chasing Summits: In Pursuit of High Places and an Unconventional Life. This Vermont native and graduate of Saint Michael’s College will recount his hiking adventures in Vermont, New England and beyond, including having climbed all the 14ers and all the state highpoints in the Continental US, and high peaks around the world, such as the Matterhorn in Switzerland. GMC members will appreciate his deep experience hiking in Vermont, the Adirondacks, and New Hampshire, including literally thousands of hikes up Mount Monadnock (including a record 16 summits in a 24-hour period.)
Fourteen Days on the Walker’s Haute Route: From Chamonix to Zermatt
Kevin Craft
Thursday, February 1, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
What do you do when you receive a wedding invitation to Switzerland? You begin planning a hiking vacation–what else?! When Kevin and his wife, Guylaine, received an invitation to attend a wedding in Zermatt, it didn’t take much to convince these two enthusiastic hikers to embark on a fourteen-day excursion following the famed Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt. Join them as they recount their experience of hiking in the “tidy country.”
Day Hiking and Other Adventures in Iceland
Sheri and Rich Larsen
Thursday, January 25, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
Iceland has a lot to offer: great hiking, beautiful scenery, interesting geology, hot springs, good birding, lovely wildflowers, and lots of summer daylight. Rich and Sheri Larsen traveled to Iceland last summer and spent two weeks day hiking and sightseeing in the southwest part of the country. Join them to learn more about hiking and other activities in Iceland as well as enjoy photos from their trip.
Finding Traction and Vermont Trail Running Panel
Aliza LaPierre, Kasie Enman, Lindsay Simpson
Thursday, January 18, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
Finding Traction is the inspirational story of ultrarunner Nikki Kimball’s quest to become the fastest person to run America’s oldest long-distance hiking trail, the 273-mile Long Trail. Through Nikki’s incredible journey, racing towards a dream and against time, we gain a new perspective on what we all value in endurance and the human spirit. Join local ultrarunners Aliza LaPierre, Kasie Enman, and Lindsay Simpson for a panel discussion of Vermont trail and ultrarunning following the film.
Wool Knickers and White Blazes: A Retro Hike on the Long Trail
Mike DeBonis
Thursday, January 11, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
Have you ever wondered what it was like to hike the Long Trail a hundred years ago? GMC Executive Director Mike DeBonis will tell tales from his 2017 retro end-to end hike, celebrating one hundred years of the Long Trail Guidebook. You’ll enjoy the fun of hiking the trail in 1917 but without the wool, bugs, and canned fish.
Outdoor Adventure Storytelling Night – THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW
Attending storytellers
Thursday, January 4, 7 p.m.
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center
Let’s kick off this year’s Taylor Series with stories told by YOU! Throw your name in the hat for a chance to get up and share your five- to six-minute adventure-related story at this NPR 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. Contact us for more storytelling tips!
The Taylor Series is sponsored by GMC’s fourteen sections, local businesses, and other friends of the club.
$1,000+ Business Contributors
$500 – $999 Business Contributors
