Mud Season is here, and we ask that you stay off muddy, high-elevation trails until hiking season kicks off in late May. Looking for things to do during mud season? There’s so much to do on your own or in the community. Here’s GMC’s round-up of great community events and things to do during Vermont’s fifth season. This list will be updated throughout mud season. Have an event you want us to add? Email [email protected].
Anytime
- A guide to early spring wildflowers
- Leave No Trace Activity Sheet
- Spring is here! Can you find it?
- Citizen Scientist Projects in Vermont and Beyond
- Try birding with Fish & Wildlife’s birding basics and biweekly bird reports.
- Junior Ranger programs from Vermont State Parks and the National Parks Service
- Check out GMC Sections volunteer-led outings for season-appropriate hikes and other activities
- Try these mud season alternatives to popular peaks
- Catch up on the latest Long Trail News or past GMC events and workshops!
April 2022
Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge
April 15-October 15 | via Vermont State Parks
Complete fun outdoor activities from the Venture Vermont score sheet — while taking photos as you go. When you reach 250 points — remember, it has to be between mid-April and mid-October — then submit your photos and win free state park entry for the rest of the year and all of next year! Learn more here.
View more programs from Vermont State Parks, or browse its online events calendar.
Gear Makers Festival and Gravel Grinder
April 24 | Ranch Camp, Stowe
This event celebrates Vermont local gear makers and teaches gear repair skills to recreationists of all kinds! There’s also a 32-mile guided gravel bike ride, free gear repair station, and food and drink. The event is a collaboration with Sterling College students. More information here.
Tracking Flowers Along the Appalachian Trail Corridor
April 26, 12 p.m. | Appalachian Mountain Club (virtual)
Learn more about citizen science efforts along the AT! Contribute your photos of wildflowers along the LT/AT to iNaturalist. Scientists will use their observations to track how flowering stages of New England plants, specifically those along the Appalachian Trail corridor, are affected by changing seasons.
Wild & Scenic Film Festival
April 28 | Vermont Natural Resources Council (virtual)
This night of inspiring short films collects stories from across the globe to celebrate efforts of grassroots power, natural resource protection, and investing in our planet’s future. Films range from a story of elephant rehabilitation in Kenya to a child-like take on the first few weeks of Covid-19 lockdowns. Tickets are $12 here; 6-8:30 p.m.
May 2022
GMC End to Ender Panel!
May 6, 7 p.m. | Virtual Panel
Thinking about hiking the Long Trail but not sure where to start? Hear from a variety of hikers (section-hikers and thru-hikers, of all ages, abilities, experience levels, etc.) on their top tips for packing, eating, resupplying and having fun. Sign up here, or catch up on last year’s panel here.
We’re celebrating GMCers with snacks, raffles, and great company at Burlington Beer Company. Join us for GMC Member Appreciation Night and get hyped for the upcoming hiking season. You’ll enjoy light snacks and free raffles for guidebooks and GMC swag, on us. Plus: GMC members will enjoy a 10 percent discount on food and merchandise. Not a member? Perfect time to join! Register for the event here, or just show up!
Work Hike on Bamforth Ridge
May 14, 9 a.m. | with GMC’s Montpelier Section
Join GMC’s Montpelier Section for a work hike at Bamforth Ridge in Duxbury. This spring walk-thru will include routine, pre-hiking trail work from the Winooski River footbridge and work on the LT south to Bamforth Ridge Shelter. All abilities are welcome and needed. Bring lunch, water, and work gloves. Wear sturdy boots and work clothes. Tools are provided. Meet at the trailhead at 9:00 A.M. Email leader Morgan Irons, [email protected]. View more section outings here.
Magical Mushrooms: Mushroom Inoculation
May 15, 10 am – 12 pm | Northwoods Stewardship Center, East Charleston
Mushrooms — you know they are a versatile and delicious ingredient, but did you know exactly how amazing these organisms are and that you can grow them at home? Join the NorthWoods Stewardship Center for this in-person mushroom workshop where participants will learn about the lifecycle of mushrooms, basic types of mushrooms, and cultivation methods for edible mushrooms. Participants will have the opportunity to inoculate logs with Lion’s Mane, Oyster, and Shiitake mushrooms, and will go home with their own log inoculated with oyster mushrooms, along with instructions.
More NorthWoods Stewardship Center Events
Strategies for Engaging Kids on Vermont’s Trails
May 18, 2022 | Hosted virtually by GMC
Wendy Gorton is a science educator and the author of “50 Hikes with Kids: New England” and will discuss her thoughts and experiences on motivating kids to get outside and fostering a love of nature from a young age. This hands-on, interactive webinar will inspire you to try new trails and plan games and activities to make any kid – or kid at heart – enjoy their hike.
Wabanaki Ethnobotany – Biodiversity University
May 21-22 | North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier
This two-day workshop is designed to acquaint the student with historic and contemporary herbal medicines, industrial materials, and foods of the Vermont/New Hampshire Abenaki and their Wabanaki neighbors. Using the academic discipline of Ethnobotany, counterbalanced with a Native American perspective, the course will explore many facets of the relations of our region’s Indigenous and plant communities. More info and registration here.
More North Branch Nature Center Events
What are your favorite things to do during mud season? Comment below!
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