The Green Mountain Club offers a variety of programs and workshops to help you or your group travel safely and confidently in Vermont’s backcountry and have fun while doing it. Most workshops are hosted at GMC’s Visitor Center in Waterbury Center, VT, but some are out in the field all over the state. We offer programming in Leave No Trace, Wilderness First Aid through SOLO Schools, Map and Compass, Winter Trekking, Vermont Ecology, Women’s Backpacking, Yoga and Hiking, Adirondack Pack Basket Making, Trail Maintenance, and more! Please contact us with any questions.
If you’re interested in a GMC educator hosting a program with your work, school, or volunteer group, please contact us. We can work with you to put on a great program that meets your needs!
Green Mountain Club’s 24th Annual
Winter Trails Day
Wildlife Tracking with Vermont
Fish & Wildlife
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2020, 10:45AM-12:00PM & 1:45PM-3:00PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Join Vermont Fish & Wildlife Biologist Noel Dodge for this wildlife tracking workshop. Learn about the animals in Vermont, the track they leave behind and how to recognize them in the future. The entirety of this workshop will occur on the Green Mountain Club’s property behind the Visitor’s Center and participants should be prepared for winter temperatures with appropriate clothing and gear.
This workshop is a part of the GMC’s Winter Trails Day, featuring guided hikes, free snowshoe rentals, a bonfire and plenty of smores! View the schedule for Winter Trails Day and join us for a wonderful day celebrating all that Vermont’s winter has to offer!
Instructor: Noel Dodge, Vermont Fish & Wildlife
Fee: Free!
Winter Hiking Preparedness
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2020, 9:30AM – 10:30 AM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
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, snowshoes, sweat, handwarmers, navigation, trail-finding, hydration, traction, Leave No Trace & more.
This workshop is a part of the GMC’s Winter Trails Day, featuring guided hikes, free snowshoe rentals, a bonfire and plenty of smores! View the schedule for Winter Trails Day and join us for a wonderful day celebrating all that Vermont’s winter has to offer!
Instructor: GMC Education Staff
Fee: Free!
SOLO Wilderness First Aid
Date: Saturday, April 4 – Sunday, April 5, 2020, 9AM-5:30PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Sign up early—this course fills fast! This sixteen-hour, hands-on course will prepare you for backcountry medical emergencies. Its 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: $190 Non-Member; $170 GMC Member. WFR re-certification and/or CPR available($40 CPR Certification)
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.
Age Limit: 14 and Up
Please register at least two weeks in advance.
Never Too Old: Senior Backpacking
Date: Thursday, April 16, 2020, 6PM-8PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
If a backpacking adventure is still on your bucket list, but you’re thinking you may be too old to carry the weight and go the miles, think again. GMC members Alan Paschell and Morgan Irons had never strapped on a pack until they were 60, but became Long Trail end-to-enders at 62 and 66, and lived to tell the tale. In this workshop “Pokey” and “Tag-Along” share what they’ve learned about senior hiking, including its humorous side, and some basic backpacking knowledge they’ve acquired through trial and error.
Instructors: Morgan Irons and Alan Paschell
Fee: $10 Non-member, $8 GMC Member
Please register at least one week in advance.
Adventuring with Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers
Wednesday, April 22, 6PM – 7:30PM
The Pacem School, 32 College St, Montpelier, VT
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.
Pizza will be provided courtesy of Positive Pie in Montpelier. Childcare will also be provided in an adjacent room.
Instructors: Zack Porter & Kassia Randzio
Fee: $5 per Adult
Please register at least 24 hours in advance.
Long Trail End-to-Ender’s Panel
Date: Friday, May 1, 2020, 7PM-9PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
(On-Site and Live Broadcast from ORCA Media)
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
Free.
Please register 24 hours in advance.
Wild Edibles of the Northeast
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2020, 10AM-1PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Are you intrigued by mushroom and plant foraging? Join Ari Rockland-Miller of The Mushroom Forager on a tour of late spring’s wild tastes and tonics. In May, the woods burst with a profusion of tender new greens and mushrooms. Our program begins with a colorful presentation introducing wildcrafting safety, strategy, and sustainability, along with highlight species of wild greens and mushrooms. Then, enjoy a guided foray around the Green Mountain Club Visitor Center as we learn about the the culinary and medicinal treasures of springtime. Stick around for a tasting after the hunt!
Instructor: Ari Rockland-Miller, The Mushroom Forager
Fee: $45; GMC members receive 20% off
Rain or shine. Please register one week in advance.
Trail Adopter Training
Date: Sunday, May 10, 2020, 9AM-4PM
Tucker Johnson Shelter to Brandon Gap
Learn the elements necessary for the care of a New England hiking trail by joining seasoned GMC field staff. In this day-long, field oriented workshop we will cover topics such as pruning and clipping, blazing, caring for drainages, and removing blow downs. No prior experience is necessary and tools will be provided.
Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for being outdoors for the entire workshop. Also please bring plenty of water, snacks and lunch.
Instructor: GMC Field Staff
Fee: Free for GMC member; $10 for nonmembers
Rain or shine. Please register one week in advance.
Maintenance of Trail Tools
Date: Sunday, May 17, 10AM-2PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Honest Abe said it right. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Come learn from the GMC’s Long Trail Patrol about tool use and maintenance. Picking the right tool for the job and having the know-how to maintain it is critical to an efficient, affordable and long-lasting career as a trail maintainer. All participants are welcome to bring their own tools for maintenance, but GMC has plenty of backstock to work on. Long pants, sturdy footwear and work gloves are required.
Instructor: GMC Field Staff
Fee: Free for GMC member; $10 for nonmembers
Rain or shine. Please register one week in advance.
iNaturalist and Northeast Alpine Flower Watch Citizen Science Training
Date: Thursday, May 28, 6PM – 8PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Join Emily with Vermont Center for Ecostudies and the Green Mountain Club’s Education Program as they explain the value of citizen science projects in conserving Vermont’s biodiversity and collecting data on alpine plant phenology. This training will walks participants through the basics of recording their first observation on iNaturalist. For established users, this will help answer your questions that have come up while out observing. While all workshops will contain a slideshow presentation to guide new users, VCE and GMC are also big believers in the power of hands-on learning and will incorporate outdoor exploration and learning into this training.
Instructors: Vermont Center for Ecostudies and Green Mountain Club
Fee: Free!
Rain or shine. Please register 24 hours in advance.
Shelter Adopter Training
Date: Sunday, May 31, 2020, 10AM – 4PM
Taylor Lodge, Stowe, VT
The Long Trail System is home to more than 70 overnight sites, designed and maintained to concentrate use and minimize impacts to the Long Trail’s natural resources. GMC’s Volunteer Shelter Adopters are critical to the smooth and efficient operation of these overnight sites, and this training is intended to provide shelter adopters or frequent visitors to shelters with information and tips and tricks for how to best maintain and support the overnight facilities of the Long Trail.
Instructor: GMC Field Staff
Fee: Free for GMC member; $10 for nonmembers
Rain or shine. Please register one week in advance.
SOLO Wilderness First Aid
Date: Saturday, June 20 – Sunday, June 21, 2020, 9AM – 5:30PM
GMC Visitor Center, Waterbury Center, VT
Sign up early—this course fills fast! This sixteen-hour, hands-on course will prepare you for backcountry medical emergencies. Its 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: $190 Non-Member; $170 GMC Member. WFR re-certification and/or CPR available($40 CPR Certification)
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.
Age Limit: 14 and Up
Please register at least two weeks in advance.
Cancellation Policy: Refunds will be provided for cancellations made at least a week before workshop start date. No refunds for reservations cancelled less than seven days before the workshop start date. Workshop dates and venues are subject to change. GMC reserves the right to cancel a program at any time, in which case the club will notify registrants via email and a full refund will be provided.
