This is a guest post by Tess “Storyteller” Rowan, LT Class of 2025, who has produced an audio documentary of her experience on the trail called “Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey.”
“I wish the world were more like the trail.” These words from a hiker on the Long Trail have stuck with me since we spoke about our love for the Green Mountains last June.
I set out on the Long Trail to capture the sounds and stories of America’s oldest long-distance hiking trail in an audio documentary project called Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey. While thru-hiking 272-miles across Vermont, I interviewed fellow hikers and community members, and recorded the rhythms of trail life.
I found out about the world of thru-hiking when I was 14 while writing a musical, Static. I was looking for a place to set my story and became inspired by the sounds of mountains and Morse code. So, I wrote a story about a teenage girl who had a radio and lived in the woods on the Appalachian Trail. Then, I discovered that before there was the Appalachian Trail, there was a historic footpath in Vermont: the Long Trail. I had no idea how to write a musical, much less how to play an instrument, and I definitely knew nothing about thru-hiking. But I became hooked, dreaming of telling stories and long-distance backpacking.
Six years later, in spring 2025, my college announced a summer theater grant opportunity. I reached out to the Green Mountain Club with the idea to create an immersive audio documentary about the Long Trail, sharing the power of community and conservation. With the support of the GMC and the project grant, I became a 20-year-old theater kid embarking on my first thru-hike.
On the Long Trail, I hiked through the mud and rain, became overwhelmed by the joy and kindness of the trail community, and was in awe of the natural beauty of the land protected by the Green Mountain Club. Along the way, I was given the trail name “Storyteller.”
After completing the Long Trail in 23 days, I came home with countless memories and hours of audio recordings to sift through. Some of my favorite recorded moments were a surprise encounter with a moose on Jay Peak, an uplifting conversation with a Mount Mansfield backcountry caretaker, and the infectious laughter of my trail family while hitching a ride for the first time. I wanted the final project to share an authentic trail experience, from brutal falls in the mud to reaching mountain summits.
In this 45-minute audio experience, audiences are encouraged to go on a walk and press play. Through sound and stories, listeners can explore the heart of the Green Mountains on the Long Trail end-to-end.
I’m releasing Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey into the world this Earth Day, April 22. I hope you listen and recall fond memories of your own time on the trail, or are inspired, like me, to take a long hike of your own.
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