Speaker Series

29th Annual James P. Taylor Outdoor Adventure Speaker 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, held virtually for it’s 29th year. Join us from the comfort of your couch, regardless of time zone or pajamas, for an evening of entertainment and inspiration—a great way to spend an evening!

Admission is free with an optional donation. Proceeds support local sections and the GMC Education Program. All programs are conducted through Zoom Webinar. View “joining and participating in a webinar” if this is your first time using Zoom. When you register for a presentation you’ll receive a confirmation e-mail with instructions on how to join the presentation.

Recordings of previous Taylor Series are at the bottom of this page and on the Green Mountain Club’s YouTube Page.

Upcoming 2021 Taylor Series Presentations

The Vermont African American Heritage Trail
Curtiss Reed, Jr.

Thursday, March 4, 7:00 P.M.

Curtiss Reed, Jr, founder of the Vermont African Heritage Trail, will discuss the creation of this initiative to expand Vermont’s economy through attracting tourists from the rapidly growing multicultural marketplace; and to teach Vermont students about the important role and contributions of Vermonters of African heritage since before the founding of the state through more contemporary times.
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Curtiss Reed, Jr. is executive director of Vermont Partnership for Fairness & Diversity. Curtiss fell in love with the Green Mountains while on a cross country ski trip in picture postcard perfect Vermont during the Nor’easter of 1978. Prior to working with Vermont Partnership Curtiss spent 18 consecutive years as an expatriate mostly in Africa with travels to over 45 countries. An avid cyclist, Curtiss has ridden his bicycle across the United States and Europe. He lives in Brattleboro.

50 Years of Caretaking on Stratton Mountain
Hugh & Jeanne Joudry

Thursday, March 25, 7:00 P.M.

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.

Recorded 2021 Taylor Series Presentations

Trekking in the Mt. Everest Region
Rick Hubbard and Sally Howe

Thursday, February 25, 7:00 P.M.

In October of 2019 Rick Hubbard and Sally Howe enjoyed a sixteen-day trek with a veteran Sherpa guide who led them through Sherpa lands near Mt. Everest. In addition to great exercise and outstanding mountain views, Rick and Sally interacted with the local community and learned about nonprofit partnerships set up by mountain climbers from many different countries to support Sherpa communities. They visited remote village schools, hospitals, libraries and a recently constructed center to teach current and future technical mountain climbing to Sherpa guides. The Sherpa provide, at huge personal and community risk, many climbing guides and support teams to foreign climbers attempting Everest and other high peaks. Join Rick and Sally for a glimpse of their trek and to discuss what they saw and learned.

The Climate Fight, A Report from the Front
Bill McKibben

Thursday, February 18, 7:00 P.M.

An author, environmentalist, and activist, Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College. In 1988 he wrote The End of Nature, the first book for a common audience about global warming. His most recent book is Falter, Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? He is a co-founder and Senior Advisor at 350.org, an international climate campaign that works in 188 countries around the world.

Day Hiking and Other Adventures in Newfoundland, Canada
Rich & Sheri Larsen

Thursday, February 11, 7:00 P.M.

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.

Sailing and Hiking in Patagonia, Chile
Bill Kallock

Thursday, January 28, 7:00 P.M.

Join us for stories from the boat and trail, as Bill Kallock shares stories and photos from his 2018 sailing and hiking trip to Patagonia, Chile. Bill and a group of friends sailed an aluminum hulled 47’ expedition boat 1,000 miles from Puerto Montt, Chile to the Straits of Magellan. They spent 4 weeks sailing in one of the most beautiful and remote parts of the world, dodging low-pressure systems, visiting glaciers and appreciating the amazing wildlife. This sailing adventure was followed by a week of trekking in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, one of the Wonders of the World, with his wife, Emily. They spent a week with an REI group hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and being awed by the incredible scenery.

Paddling the Mississippi
Maya Dizack

Thursday, January 21, 7:00 P.M.

Inspired by a daydream in a boring lecture, UVM graduate Maya Dizack (’20) spun a summer adventure into an academic project. In the summer of 2019, Dizack kayaked the Mississippi River and sampled for microplastic abundance alongside fellow student Michael McGuire (’20) who served as a documentarian and support. Over 2,152 miles, they navigated an unprecedented flooding season, experienced countless acts of kindness, and worked towards a scientific objective. Since completing the trip, Dizack has been analyzing samples as the youngest documented woman to have paddled the Mississippi River solo. On the other hand, McGuire has been creating a film to disseminate scientific findings to people of all different educational backgrounds, especially those that inhabit the Mississippi River Basin. Dizack will be discussing her time on the river, sampling design, and how this research plays a greater role in understanding the state of our environment and society.

Awe, Community & the Outdoors: A Perfect Trifecta
Mirna Valerio

Thursday, January 7, 7:00 P.M.

Spending time in the outdoors and having awe-filled experiences increases a sense of community, resilience, joy and offers people the opportunity to find common (literal) ground.
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Mirna Valerio is a native of Brooklyn, NY, a former educator, cross-country coach, ultramarathoner, and author of the bestselling memoir, A Beautiful Work in Progress. Although she began running in high school, she recommitted to the sport after a health scare in 2008 and started her blog Fatgirlrunning—about her experiences as a larger woman in a world of thinner endurance athletes— while training for her first marathon. Mirna’s athletic story has been featured in the WSJ, Runner’s World, on NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in the viral REI-produced documentary short, The Mirnavator. Her writing has been featured in Women’s Running Magazine, Self Magazine Online, Outside Online, and Runner’s World Magazine. In 2018 she was chosen as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and most recently appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show, Access Hollywood, and the LLBean short, Running Through Barriers.

Stonewalls & Cellar Holes
Samantha Ford

Thursday, December 17, 7:00 P.M.

Discover how to “read” old forested farmscapes and agricultural architecture to trace 300 years of land use history in Vermont. Stone walls, cellar holes, old roads, and other mysteries “lost” in the woods reveal stories of the families who shaped the landscape as we see it today.
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Sam’s passion for history extends back nearly three decades, when her parents found her watching the History Channel instead of Saturday morning cartoons. She discovered her interest in genealogy at 16, and has been within arm’s reach of a book ever since. When she graduated with her MSc. in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont in 2013, Sam headed west to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where a burgeoning career in field teaching first took hold. As the Director of Historical Research and Outreach at the Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum, a staff training for local wildlife guides became a jumping off point into interpreting history for self-identified “non-historians.” She returned home to Vermont in 2015, where the history is deeper and the woods greener. Sam prefers to learn and teach outside, replacing the book stacks of her youth with hardwood forests. Sam’s happiest when others are inspired to share their own personal history with her during a walk in the woods. Sam is the owner of Turn Stone Research.

The Taylor Series is sponsored by GMC’s fourteen sections, local businesses, and other friends of the club.