NEWS Quarterly of the Green Mountain Club WINTER 2016 LONG TRAIL NEWS • WINTER 2016 | 1 The mission of the Green Mountain Club is to make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people by protecting and maintaining the Long Trail System and fostering, through education, the stewardship of Vermont’s hiking trails and mountains. PHOTO BY MARY KEENAN PHOTO BY MARY Quarterly of the Solstice Hike to Butler Lodge on Mount Mansfield Green Mountain Club Michael DeBonis, Executive Director CONTENTS Jocelyn Hebert, Long Trail News Editor Winter 2016, Volume 76, No. 4 Richard Andrews, Volunteer Copy Editor Sly Dog Studio, Design FEATURES Green Mountain Club 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road 5 / Skylight Pond Trail to Skyline Lodge Waterbury Center, Vermont 05677 By Pete Antos-Ketcham Phone: (802) 244-7037 Fax: (802) 244-5867 6 / Photo Essay: Winter in the Backcountry E-mail: [email protected] Website: greenmountainclub.org TheLong Trail News is published by The Green 8/ From Stump to Shelter Mountain Club, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in 1910. In a 1971 Joint Resolution, the Vermont By Mike DeBonis, Lenny Crisostomo and Kurt Melin Legislature designated the Green Mountain Club the “founder, sponsor, defender and protector of the Long 11 / Restoring Historic Bryant Camp in Bolton Valley Trail System...” By Mike DeBonis Contributions of manuscripts, photos, illustrations, and news are welcome from members and nonmembers. Copy and advertising deadlines are December 22 for the 14 / Stepping off the Green Mountain Range spring issue; March 22 for summer; June 22 for fall; and September 22 for winter. Onto the Vermont Appalachian Trail The opinions expressed byLTN contributors and By Jocelyn Hebert advertisers are not necessarily those of GMC. GMC reserves the right to refuse advertising that is not in keeping with the goals of the organization. DEPARTMENTS TheLong Trail News (USPS 318-840) is published quarterly by The Green Mountain Club, Inc., 4711 3 / From the President 20 / Winter Wish List Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, VT 05677. Periodicals postage paid at Waterbury Center, VT and 4 / Mountain Views 22 / Board Report additional offices. Subscription is a benefit for GMC members. Approximately $5 of each member’s dues is used 5 / Blue Blazes 23 / Safety Quiz Answers to publish the Long Trail News. 14 / Stewardship 24 / Volunteers POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Long Trail News, 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, 16 / Search & Rescue 26 / Sections VT 05677. 17 / Field Notes 28 / James P. Taylor Outdoor Series Copyright©2016 The Green Mountain Club, Inc., 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, VT 05677. 18 / Trail Mix 31 / Journey’s End Permission to reproduce in any form any of the material in this publication without prior written approval of The Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation: Filing date, September 30, 2016. Long Trail News. Publication No. 318-840, published four Green Mountain Club, Inc. is granted only to individuals times per year. Office of publication, editorial and general business office located at 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, Vermont 05677. for their own personal hiking convenience. Editor: Jocelyn Hebert. Owner: The Green Mountain Club, Inc. Average number of copies each issue during preceding twelve months: Total number of copies printed, 7,475. Total paid distribution, 6,445. Total free distribution, 1,067. Total distribution, 7,512. Office use and otherwise not distributed, Cover photo: Snowy woods on Long Trail. 11. Total, 7,523. Percent paid distribution, 85.80%. Number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: Total number of copies printed, Photo by Jocelyn Hebert 7,400. Total paid distribution, 6,642. Total free distribution, 758. Total distribution, 7,400. Office use and otherwise not distributed, 0. Total, 7,400. Percent paid distribution, 89.76%. – Jocelyn Hebert, Editor From the President n a gray, cold Saturday last January, ized winter hiking. I still remember the first the winter. Bryant former GMC President Richard time I wore spikes. I took ten steps up an icy Camp, a historic OWindish and I climbed Camel’s trail, stopped, and said out loud, “Wow, four- ski lodge that Hump from the Huntington side. Although wheel drive!” the club we packed snowshoes, there was little snow, In addition, modern technical clothing renovated and we used our winter spikes the entire way. has made it possible to spend long days in the this fall, will A stream of hikers flowed around us all the winter woods in comfort. Backcountry skiing be available way up and down the trail, and an unscien- is a parallel trend in winter mountain sports, to the public by tific head count suggested that as many as a and for many the choice of spikes or skis reservation, and we hundred hikers climbed the mountain that is just a matter of which equipment is best expect its main use will be in winter. Bolton day. suited for the conditions of the day. Lodge, also under GMC management, will While the lack of snow last winter prob- What does this trend mean for the Green be renovated and rented next season, and is ably drove many skiers to the hiking trails, Mountain Club’s management of the Long expected to see heavy winter use. the number of people we saw confirmed that Trail System? Our governing philosophy has In my youth a majority of Long Trail shel- winter hiking has grown tremendously in been to maintain our trails primarily for sum- ters had wood stoves that kept them cozy on a popularity in the last few years. The Green mer and fall hiking. We advise hikers that the winter night. Unfortunately, carelessness and Mountain Club is paying attention to this trail, shelters, and privies are not maintained misuse of these stoves by guests burned many trend and is carefully considering how it for winter use, and we encourage caution and shelters, and the need for firewood stripped affects our management of the 500 miles of preparedness. Winter use obviously increases the surrounding forest of wood. Still, we may hiking trails in our care. risks in many ways, not the least of which want to consider returning stoves to selected Why the recent surge in winter hiking? is that the white blazes of the Long Trail shelters on the Long Trail to facilitate more Many Vermont hikers have always used and the Appalachian Trail, while decidedly comfortable winter camping. snowshoes to enjoy their favorite sum- the best choice for summer use, are hard to As the popularity of winter hiking and mer hiking trails in winter, but snowshoes follow in snowy conditions. We routinely backcountry skiing increases, shelters, privies, become nearly useless in icy conditions. receive suggestions to change our blazing sys- and trail management will need to adapt to These days most winter hikers use winter tem to make the Long Trail safer to use in the this growing demand. spikes to navigate steep packed trails and winter, but the blazes remain the standard When you take to the trails this season, icy summits. This simple footwear is easily white. Meanwhile, the increasing number please be prepared. Wear and bring proper pulled on over regular hiking boots to deploy of winter hikers and backcountry skiers may equipment and clothing (no cotton!), tell an array of small pointed spikes that provide mean more emergency rescue situations. someone where you are going, and have a terrific traction (although crampons are still Increased winter trail use also affects the firm bailout plan in place. But most impor- recommended when hiking in areas where ice club’s camps program. The Wheeler Pond tant, have fun! forms on slopes). Their use has revolution- camps in Barton have always been popular in — John Page, President EN S ERI LAR H xxxxx PHOTO BY S LONG TRAIL NEWS • WINTER 2016 | 3 Mountain Views Women on the Long Trail Patrol East Dorset Trail Work I went out on the East Dorset Trail with Danna Great to see the recent articles about women and this morning. The plan was to connect with the the Long Trail. The Green Mountain Club was VYCC [Vermont Youth Conservation Corps] also a leader in hiring women for the trail crew. GMC Officers and LTP [Long Trail Patrol] crews. I wanted to The summer of 1975 was my second summer on John Page, President let them know I appreciated all the work they did Tom Candon, Vice President the LTP, and GMC’s first with women as part of Stephen Klein, Treasurer for us this summer on that trail, and to have an our crew. There was a period of adjustment, as I re- Lee Allen, Secretary opportunity to meet all of them. After working member our new crew members wanted to change GMC Directors with the VYCC crew for the morning, I hiked out our longstanding weekly menu plan! Other than Lars Botzojorns, General down the length of the trail. So, I got to see the that, I don’t recall it being a big deal, and we went Michelle Connor, Burlington work the LTP completed. Please extend a sincere Hope Crifo, General about our business as usual. Marge Fish, Manchester thank you and my gratitude for the great job the Russ Ford, Northern Frontier —Tom Broido James Fritz, Connecticut LTP crew did on the East Dorset Trail. The rock Jean Haigh, Northeast Kingdom work sections look fantastic, and the two sets of Allison Henry, Killington Peter Hope, Ottauquechee Thank You GMC Visitor Center rock stairs should be functional for years to come. Paul Houchens, General Thanks for the support and effort on that trail. It’s Anne Janeway, General Manager Amy Potter Wayne Krevetski, General truly appreciated.