Green Mountain Club

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Open Areas on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont

August 24, 2017 by GMC Staff 2 Comments

This post was written by Mollie Flanigan, GMC’s Land Stewardship Coordinator.

“The Long Green Tunnel.” Anyone who has logged miles on the Long Trail or Appalachian Trail quickly understands this oft-used phrase from the extended stretches of footpath that wind through the shady, unbroken canopy. These stretches of forest provide a beauty and intimacy all their own, but breaking into a sunlit hillside meadow with a long valley view can be a special moment and one that many hikers find to be the reward for an uphill climb.

The land around the Long Trail (LT) and Appalachian Trail (AT) has evolved over the decades.  When first built, the trails threaded through stretches of active agricultural fields, affording hikers sweeping views and a connection with the local community.  As land use patterns changed in the late 20th century, many hill top agricultural fields were abandoned and the ever-eager northern hardwood forests began to retake the hilltops.  As a result, the character of the trails, especially the AT between Killington and Norwich, changed.  The hiking community realized what was being lost, and land managers at the Green Mountain Club (GMC), Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF), and stalwart volunteers worked off and on to keep a handful of fields open.

Today, these land managers work together to keep two dozen fields open with the goals of providing views for hikers, maintaining the agricultural character of the region, suppressing invasive species, and providing meadow environments for wildlife. Some fields are still hayed by local farmers who have Special Use Permits with the National Park Service, while others are mowed by GMC and GMNF.

Dupuis Hill before reclamation
Dupuis Hill after reclamation

This fall, GMC’s Long Trail Patrol will head out with an RTV, mower, and brush saws to reclaim the former agricultural field of Arms Hill in Pomfret and mow Upper Lewis Field in Woodstock and Merrill Hill in Pomfret. Armed with power tools, the crew will cut down woody invasive species, trim back saplings, and brush hog the fields, all to help keep remnants of the bucolic landscape in place.

The crew will be working the last week of September and the first week of October. Hike up to say “Hi” and marvel at the rich history of human and natural forces that have shaped the landscape in the Upper Valley of Vermont.

Filed Under: Stewardship, Trail

Trackbacks

  1. 2018 Field Notes - Green Mountain Club says:
    October 25, 2018 at 2:48 pm

    […] Appalachian Trail Open Areas near Woodstock. The crew mowed meadows reclaimed by LTP crews during previous field […]

    Reply
  2. Dupuis Hill: A Case Study in Maintaining Appalachian Trail Open Areas Views - Green Mountain Club says:
    December 9, 2021 at 8:59 am

    […] Hill is one of two dozen “open areas” along the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Vermont that are remnants of the rich agricultural history of […]

    Reply

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Leave No Trace, Then and Now: a Timeline of Trail Etiquette Language

March 1, 2023

This article previously appeared in the Winter 2022 Long Trail News, under the headline “Leave No Trace: Then and Now.” It was written by Sasha Weilbaker. To celebrate 100 years of the Long Trail News, we read back issues to learn what they said about trail stewardship and etiquette. The seven … Read more

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Mission

The Green Mountain Club is the founder and maintainer of the Long Trail - the oldest long distance hiking trail in America. Established in 1910 to build this trail stretching the length of Vermont, the club now also maintains the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and trails in the Northeast Kingdom in its mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people." Read more...

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