March is the month when we welcome Spring, get ready for the upcoming hiking season, and celebrate the Club’s birthday. Today, March 11, GMC turns 110! And for 103 years of that history, hikers on the Long Trail have been guided by the Long Trail Guidebook.
Following the spine of the Green Mountains from Massachusetts to Quebec, the 272-mile Long Trail is Vermont’s rugged, world-renowned hiking route. Whether you are an end-to-ender or a day hiker, the Long Trail Guide contains the information you’ll need to enjoy the scenery and solitude of Vermont’s highest peaks.
The Centennial Edition of the Long Trail Guidebook is a first-rate hiking guidebook, beautifully interwoven with photos and historic information form the past 100 years of the guide.
I used the centennial edition on my 2017 thru-hike and carry my now well-worn copy with me anytime I am out on the trail. Some of the things that I really like about the guide are:
- Up-to-date and easy-to-read full-color topographic maps and elevation profiles
- Shelter overview tables in each division providing quick reference information for shelters, camping, and water sources
- Detailed descriptions of the route including shelter and trail history
- Directions to trailheads and parking
- Mileage tables with estimated hiking times
If you don’t have a copy of the Long Trail Guide or are using an older edition, please consider picking up a new copy. Not only will you be hiking with the best possible information available on the Long Trail system, you will be helping to support the Green Mountain Club, a member-supported, nonprofit organization that has maintained and protected the Long Trail since 1910.
For you Long Trail and Vermont history fans out there, don’t miss A Century of Long Trail Guidebooks: A Retrospective by Reidun Nuquist. Reidun masterfully weaves the history of the twenty-eight Long Trail guidebook editions together, incorporating the characteristics of the Green Mountain Club’s finest editors, illustrators, cartographers, and trail builders.
Former Executive Director Ben Rose described the book best: “The history of the Long Trail Guide is a wonderful lens through which to view the history of the Long Trail itself. There is nobody better to bring that history to life than Reidun Nuquist. A Century of Long Trail Guidebooks is a book of good stories, and it is full of joy, beauty, and humor—just like its author.”
The hiking season will be in full swing before we know it. You can get ready for your next adventure on the Long Trail by picking up a copy of the Long Trail Guide. Copies of the Centennial Edition and retrospective can be purchased at our Visitor Center in Waterbury Center and online.
When GMC celebrated its 100th birthday, we had already been enjoying retirement in Vermont for three years. The Centennial edition of the LT Guide is a practical reference, and Reidun’s is an educational and fun retrospective for hikers of every age. Doug was gifted a Lifetime membership many years ago by his family in Connecticut, and his memories go “way back.” There are so many reasons to celebrate and financially support GMC to help keep the entire organization strong for generations to come. Happy Birthday, GMC. Wishing you many more!