Here you can find recordings of select virtual events. Make sure to check out all our upcoming workshops and events as well.
As we navigate the financial impact COVID-19 is having on the Green Mountain Club, we would appreciate any extra support you can give to ensure we can be prepared to hit the trail running when it is safe again. You can stay up to date with GMC’s COVID-19 response here.
Telling Vermont’s Story: Climate, Forests & Community
Friday, December 11, 4PM – 5PM
Presented by three University of Vermont students, this program will track changes in the history of forests in Vermont, their economic value, the expected impacts that climate change will have on them, and the ways we all currently value them as communities around the state. As one of GMC’s principles for strategic future planning and as an urgent imperative, climate has and will continue to change tree distribution, threaten certain species and affect outdoor recreation in Vermont. Meanwhile, amid calls for greater recognition of equity and intersectionality which was brought to the forefront by social movements of the summer, it’s also important to consider who has access to the Green Mountains and how to promote greater inclusion. Therefore, this event will hope to tie all these threads into one, creating a story for Vermont’s changing climate, forest resources and the communities that use them.
Presenters: Matt Voss; Molly Gress; Sarah Beyer
Artwork on the Long Trail
Thursday, December 10, 6PM – 7:30PM
Refill your art supplies and join Green Mountain Club Field Staff Kati Christoffel as she leads us in a watercolor painting of a wintery scene on the Long Trail. As a former art instructor and Stratton Pond Caretaker, Kati has created many pieces of Long Trail landscapes and is looking forward to sharing that skill with you. You’ll learn the basics of interpreting a landscape image and how to use watercolors, pen & ink, crayons or even finger-painting to create your own Long Trail piece of art. Invite your friends, invite your family and we’ll see you on December 10th for an evening of artistic merriment!
To learn more about Caretaker and Artist Kati Christoffel visit page 12 of the Spring 2020 Long Trail News and her Etsy Store Watercolor Wanderer.
Instructor: Kati Christoffel
Leave No Trace in Winter
Tuesday, December 8, 6PM – 7PM
Outdoor recreation doesn’t stop when the temperatures drop, and neither should Leave No Trace practices. Join this program to learn how to have a minimal impact on Vermont’s environment while continuing your favorite outdoor activities. Whether it’s dealing with poo in the snow or planning ahead for a safe and successful winter camping trip, this program will help you recreate lightly year-round throughout Vermont’s mountains.
Instructor: GMC Education Staff
Introduction to Winter Hiking
Tuesday, November 19, 6PM – 7PM
A thorough understanding of safe winter travel in the backcountry is essential to enjoying Vermont’s outdoors during our long winters. This workshop provides hands-on winter-specific information where you will learn what to wear, what to bring and what gear you need for a safe and successful winter trip. We will discuss clothing, layering, socks, footwear, traction, sweat, handwarmers, navigation, trail-finding, hydration, Leave No Trace & more. Vermont’s outdoor recreation offerings are exceptional, and this workshop will teach you how to safely get out and enjoy all there is.
Instructor: GMC Education Staff
Night Sky of the Long Trail
Tuesday, September 1, 7PM – 8PM
While most hikers and backpackers focus on the ground below their feet, there is a whole universe to explore if we look up. The night sky holds mythological stories, shooting stars, the international space station and billions of galaxies, to name a few. Join the Green Mountain Club and Jack St. Louis, President of the Vermont Astronomical Society, to learn more about celestial navigation, how to use a star finder and many more of the wonders of the night sky.
Instructor: Jack St. Louis, Vermont Astronomical Society
Leave No Trace for Day Hiking
Thursday, August 20, 7PM – 8PM
Are you new to hiking and want to learn how to accomplish your goals? Join GMC’s Leave No Trace Master Educators on August 20 at 7 pm to learn everything you need to know about Leave No Trace for day hiking. You’ll learn how to plan a hike, what to bring, and how to be successful once you’re out on the trail. We’ll share stories from the trail and explain how to be prepared for your next adventure on the Long Trail.
Instructors: GMC’s Education Staff
Vermont’s Alpine Plant Communities
Thursday, July 30, 4PM – 5PM
Vermont’s alpine plant communities are found only on the summits and ridgelines of Mt. Mansfield, Camel’s Hump and Mt. Abraham. The harsh conditions atop these mountains is hospitable to select fragile and rare plants which have adapted over millennia to the alpine environment.
The alpine summits in Vermont have had a model of resource protection since 1969, beginning with the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks & Recreation ranger-naturalist program and the Green Mountain Club’s backcountry caretaker program. For 51 years stewardship of the alpine resource has been a priority for the state of Vermont and the Green Mountain Club, encouraging hiker’s respect of the mountain environment.
Join the Green Mountain Club and Bob Popp, Botanist with VT Fish & Wildlife Department, to learn the history of Vermont’s alpine stewardship and gain an understanding of the natural communities and rare plants which exist at the top of Vermont.
Instructors: Bob Popp, VT Fish & Wildlife Department; GMC Staff
Artwork on the Long Trail
Wednesday, June 10th, 5:00PM – 6:30PM
Pull your art supplies out of the attic and join Green Mountain Club Field Staff member Kati Christoffel as she leads us in her third Zoom-delivered watercolor painting class. As a former art instructor, Stratton Pond Caretaker and current southern Vermont Caretaker, Kati has created many pieces of Long Trail landscapes and is looking forward to sharing that skill with you. You’ll learn the basics of interpreting a landscape image and how to use watercolors, pen & ink, crayons or even finger-painting to create your own Long Trail piece of art.
Instructor: Kati Christoffel
Hiking With Kids
Wednesday, May 27th, 4:00PM – 5:00PM
Join this workshop to learn the basics of taking kids out on a trail to explore and have fun. Alicia and Shay DiCocco have a 3 year-old and 5 year-old along with experience leading outdoor education and hiking programs, and a general interest in helping people enjoy nature as a family. They will guide you through planning a hike that will work for you and your kids, talk about what you should wear, and what you should pack for a day of fun and adventure.
Instructor: Alicia & Shay DiCocco
Artwork on the Long Trail
Tuesday, May 12, 5:00PM – 6:30PM
Pull your art supplies out of the attic and join Green Mountain Club Field Staff member Kati Christoffel as she leads us in a watercolor painting of Camel’s Hump. As a former art instructor and Stratton Pond Caretaker, Kati has created many pieces of Long Trail landscapes and is looking forward to sharing that skill with you. You’ll learn the basics of interpreting a landscape image and how to use watercolors, pen & ink, crayons, or even finger-painting to create your own Camel’s Hump work of art.
Instructors: Kati Christoffel
Hiking 101
Friday, May 8, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Whether you’re looking to summit your first mountain, thru-hike the Long Trail or just visit the park next door, you’ll do it by hiking. Join the Green Mountain Club for this back-to-the-basics online workshop to learn everything you need to get started, including but not limited to physical fitness, planning a hike, solo vs. group hiking, Leave No Trace and proper gear. The Green Mountain Club is Vermont’s go-to source for hiking information in Vermont, and you’ll leave this workshop a better prepared and equipped hiker.
Instructors: GMC Education Staff
Long Trail End-to-Ender’s Panel
Friday, May 1, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
The GMC End-to-Ender’s Panel is an informative Q&A, show-and-tell style panel intended to provide quality backpacking information to aspiring end-to-enders. Wondering about the best lightweight tent or how to not get bored with PB&Js? Sign up to learn the ins and outs of a long-distance hike and get answers to all your questions about food, equipment, or planning.
Panelists: Long Trail End-to-Enders
Adventuring with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
Wednesday, April 29, 5:30 PM – 6:30PM
Thinking of having a baby? Expecting a baby? Not sure how to start camping with your toddler? This is for you.
Celeste has spent more than 50 nights in a tent, skied in 20-below weather, kayaked with manatees, and traveled to seven countries. She’s 3. Hear from her parents, who are on a mission to help families discover the wonders of the great outdoors.
Part travelogue, part photo tour, and lots of tips and tricks to make sure the adventures never stop.
Instructors: Kassia Randzio & Zack Porter
Artwork on the Long Trail
Monday, April 27, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Pull your art supplies out of the attic and join Green Mountain Club Field Staff member Kati Christoffel as she leads us in a beginning art project using an image from the Long Trail. As a former art instructor and Stratton Pond Caretaker, Kati has created many pieces of Long Trail landscapes and is looking forward to sharing that skill with you. You’ll learn the basics of interpreting a landscape image and how to use watercolors, pen & ink, crayons or even finger-painting to make a beautiful piece of art.
Instructor: Kati Christoffel
Speaker Series
Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter
Tuesday, May 26th, 7:00PM – 8:00PM
In Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, award-winning environmental author Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern idea of a healthy landscape is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that trapped out millions of beavers from North America’s lakes and rivers. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from brook trout to trumpeter swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”―including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens―recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them. In his presentation, Goldfarb will describe beaver biology, ecology, and history; detail the many environmental benefits provided by beavers, including habitat creation, water storage, and pollution filtration; and explain how landowners and municipalities around the country are learning to coexist with these invaluable rodents.
Presenter: Ben Goldfarb, Author
Walking the GR5: From the Cold North Sea to the Warm Mediterranean
Wednesday, May 13, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
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.
Presenters: Kathy & Jim Elkind
Outdoor Adventure Storytelling Night
Tuesday, May 5, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Participate in GMC’s virtual speaker series with stories told by YOU! Come throw your name in the virtual hat for a chance to share your 5-6 minute outdoor 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.
Storytelling Host: Lizz Lach
Storytellers: YOU!
A Long Trail Hiker’s Climb of Denali
Wednesday, April 22, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
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 shares photos and stories from his trip and compares the experience of spending two weeks on Denali and the Long Trail.
Presenter: Michael DeBonis
The Natural (and Unnatural) History of the Common Loon
Tuesday, April 14, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) biologist Eric Hanson discusses 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 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.
Presenter: Eric Hanson, Vermont Center for Ecostudies Loon Biologist
Nature Story Time with GMC
Every Friday, 10:00 AM
Hosted on Facebook Live.
Join Green Mountain Club staff on Facebook Live for a kids’ storybook reading every Friday at 10 AM. We know it’s hard for parents who are suddenly homeschooling to have enough activities to keep the kids engaged so we hope this offering will help. The books will all be nature-focused.
Storybook Readers: GMC staff
