Volume 72, Number 2 Killington Section, Green Mountain Club June 2019

Melissa and Spencer on the trail - enjoying a job well done (article on Page 5).

Killington Section Directors: Killington Section Officers: Term expiration 2020 Herb Ogden President

Herb Ogden* Cindy Taylor-Miller Vice President

Cindy Taylor-Miller* Allison Henry Secretary

Sue Thomas Sandy Bragg Treasurer Term expiration 2021

Sandy Bragg* Committee Chairs: Ruth Hare Vacant History Gerry Martin Sue Thomas Outings

Term expiration 2022 Larry Walter Trails & Shelters

Larry Walter* Wayne Krevetski Trails & Shelters Allison Henry*

Spencer Wilson Delegates to GMC Board:

*Second consecutive 3-year term. Larry Walter Director Not eligible for re-election. Ruth Hare Alternate

Smoke & Blazes: Web Site: www.gmckillington.org

Vivian Bebee Editor Hilary Coolidge Web Master

Larry Walter Assistant Editor

Contact Information Vivian Bebee 14 Belmont Avenue, Rutland, VT 05701, 775-3855, vivianbebee@gmail.com Sandy Bragg 346 Russellville Road, Shrewsbury, VT 05738, 492-2143, sanfordbbragg@yahoo.com

Ruth Hare vt_rh@protonmail.com

Allison Henry 19 Hillside Road, Rutland, VT 05701, 779-4404, allisonnorton1@gmail.com Wayne Krevetski 22 Roberts Avenue, Rutland, VT 05701, 282-2237, wkrevetski@hotmail.com

Gerry Martin 998 Lincoln Hill Road, Shrewsbury, VT 05738 492-2244, gdmartin2020@yahoo.com

Herbert Ogden 214 South End Road, Mount Tabor, VT 05253-9756, 293-2510, hogden@vermontel.net Cindy Taylor-Miller 337 East Street, Wallingford, VT 05773, 446-2288, mrsgorp@gmail.com

Larry Walter 14 Belmont Avenue, Rutland, VT 05701, 775-3855, lwalter@sover.net

Spencer Wilson 353-3969

Jonathan, Lisa, Jerry, Karen and John on Mendon Peak (article on Page 3).

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This n’ That

► To receive Smoke & Blazes by email, send request to vivianbebee@gmail.com

► AUGUST 3, 2019 – LONG TRAIL DAY: Individuals and groups will hike segments of the Long Trail to complete the entire 272-mile trail in one day, all while raising money for the GMC to continue the Club’s work caring for the mountains and trails of Vermont. Then continue your adventure with other hikers at local watering holes across the state to celebrate the completion of the trail. Details to be announced at www.greenmountainclub.org/longtrailday/, or contact Kristen McLane at 802-241-8324, kmclane@greenmountainclub.org.

► The Inn at Long Trail Community Event held on February 24, 2019, by Cindy Taylor-Miller The GMC Membership Committee asked committee members to search for local venues to host a community event. Our goal, to spread awareness of the GMC and support our local businesses at the same time. The Inn at Long Trail agreed to sponsor the GMC and hosted a very special event on a blustery and snowy February day. It just happened that the premiere Vermont Irish band “Extra Stout” would be performing in McGrath’s Irish Pub at the Inn on this same day! Great advertising from the Mountain Times and Rutland Herald had folks filling the Pub on this wintry day. The door raffle sales were a success and attendees enjoyed two simultaneous slide show programs, one in the Pub and the other in the living room area of the Inn. Afterwards, several members enjoyed a delicious dinner at Rosemary’s Restaurant at the Inn. The Killington Section is very thankful to have The Inn at Long Trail as a supportive business member of our hiking community. Thank you, Patty and staff!

Outing Reports

MENDON PEAK, MENDON, March 9, 2019, by Sandy Bragg, leader Because the Eddy Brook trail leading to the saddle between Mendon and Little Killington is heavily used by back-country skiers during the winter, we snowshoed a more direct route up the southwestern slope of Mendon. After a spell of bitter cold earlier in the week, the day of the hike was bright, sunny and mild with bluebird skies. Six bipeds and three quadrupeds participated. We began from a parking area just south of the Wheelerville parking spot, which has a short connector trail to the main VAST 7 snowmobile trail. We followed the snowmobile trail south until reaching the point where the Catamount trail splits off to the south. We stayed on the Catamount, which was largely unbroken save for my pre-hike snowshoe prints, until we crossed VAST 7 again and then shortly after diverted to begin a gradual ascent along the south face of the western Mendon ridge. The terrain is very pleasant, with a series of terraced plateaus, gladed with beech and maple and increasing views of Robinson Hill and points south. As we neared the final ascent up the peak, we passed through extensive moose sign in a natural clearing in the balsam and spruce. Jerry diverted briefly looking for shed antlers. The final trudge led us to the 3,840-foot peak displaying the plastic capsule containing the register, well grooved by porcupine teeth. We had a leisurely lunch on the lee south side of Mendon, savoring crystal panorama of Stratton, Magic Mountain, Okemo, Cardigan to the east and the Adirondacks to the west. Without a doubt, Mendon offers some the best views in the Killington section and we couldn’t have had a better day for it. With some reluctance to drag ourselves away, we began our descent, in places breaking new trail before retracing our route back to the Catamount and the waiting cars. Total distance was just under 5 miles with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. IRA TO MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS ROAD WALK, March 24, 2019, by Larry Walter, leader I originally scheduled this hike with the intention of staying off of muddy trails, but it turned out to be a snow-covered event. Ten humans and two dogs hit the trail out of Ira after spotting Jerry’s car at the Middletown Springs end. The sun was out most of the day, so it’s a good thing I smeared on some SPF30 in the morning. This is an old Class 4 road that’s now a part of the VAST system. We were surprised when we didn’t see any snow machine tracks once we passed the last full-season home (see pictures below this article). There were a couple stems blown onto the trail. The group sort-of stayed together for a while, until three folks, due to prior commitments, headed back to the parking lot at Ira. At that point, the group broke into two sections, which was fine, because the lead group had time to shuttle another car up North Road to pick up the tailing group, which had pretty much walked enough. We were passed by about 4 snow

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machines near the end of the hike on the Class 4 section. They must have been packing a chainsaw. This is a nice hike to take in the winter, with good views of Herrick and Spruce Knob along the way. The grades are easy, but I was a bit off in the total distance. Probably more like 7+ miles, one-way.

PHAROH LAKE WILDERNESS, TICONDEROGA, NY, April 7, 2019, Allison Henry, leader, photo by Larry Walter

This tree has nothing to worry about from either Sue’s hiking pole or Allison’s hand saw. Really! RUM STREET, WEST WOODSTOCK, April 20, 2019, by Sue Thomas, leader We had another wet hike on Rum Street, with the added bonus this time of some large patches of snow and ice still lingering. But thanks to my intrepid crew, we had a good time inspite of unrelenting rain, and a few laughs as everyone pitched in to read snippets from the diary of Charles Cobb, who lived on Rum Street from 1842-1854 and began recording his observations at the age of 14. He was mercilous in his depictions of his neighbors, which provided for entertaining reading today, but I’m grateful he wasn’t there to comment on our soggy selves. Maybe third time’s the charm and the next time we visit, the sun gods will smile on us.

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LONG TRAIL SPRING CLEANING, May 11, 2019, by Larry Walter, trails and shelters co-chairman We had such a nice sunny day, with a turnout of four workers: Dave Coppock, Dave Skidmore, Melissa Reichert, Spender Wilson and myself. Collectively, we cleared all of the blowdowns from Upper Cold River Road to about 1.5 miles short of the Governor Clement Shelter and we pretty much cleared most of the waterbars. We were on the trail for about 5 hours. See picture on the front cover. The tree trunk next to Spencer is the root wad end and when they finished making the cut, it popped up taller than Spencer. I lost my pocket calendar on the trail and went back later to try and find it, but with no luck. That evening, I got a phone call from a couple who had found it on the trail and said they would leave it at Little Harry’s (restaurant in downtown Rutland). A great place to eat, by the way. Turns out one of the hikers was the daughter of the restaurant owner. If you are reading this, thank you again! More trail work pictures below.

The right tool for the right job. Walking the plank . . . or, in this case, the blowdown.

How long did you say this would take? Wait a minute . . . you pull first. HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN, PAWLET, May 19, 2019, by Larry Walter, substitute leader Viv and I scouted out this hike the day before and the weather was absolutely fantastic. The actual hike day proved to be a bit muggy, but the T-Cells held off longer than forecast. Sue, Nancy, George and I filled out the list. Unlike the day before, the trailhead parking was open, so we parked and chugged up the farm road, dodging cow splatter (the honey wagon had just gone up the hill when Viv and I were walking out on Saturday). Once we were off the road, things got a lot quieter. The Nature Conservancy has built a very nice bridge over the major brook crossing. We hit it early enough to avoid most of the blackfly hatch, plus it was fairly windy. I’ll never tire of the view from the top. It’s grown

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in a bit to the northwest, but we still had a good 300 degree panorama at the top. The final ¾ mile is a pretty steep little climb. The Conservancy isn’t really in the trail business, but they’ve done some nice work on some sections to slow down future erosion problems. Other places pretty much follow the old tread into the saddle, with zero switchbacks. I hope there are some locals who take this nice little trail under their wings.

Haystack on left, turn left onto Conservancy trail at Sunbathing on the trail is never easy.

the top of this farm road.

Violets Trout Lilly Where’s the chippy?

Killington Section Directors’ Meeting Minutes April 13, 2019

by Cindy Taylor-Miller, Secretary

Herb Ogden called the meeting to order at 4:45 p.m. Directors present: Herb Ogden, Wayne Krevetski, Cindy Taylor-Miller, Sandy Bragg, Larry Walter, Sue Thomas

and Ruth Hare. Directors absent: Allison Henry and Gerry Martin.

Approved the Minutes of the April 8, 2018 Board of Directors. Motion by Thomas/Walter. A brief discussion was held of possible nominees for one board member opening and for representative to the

Main Club.

Discussion of trip-leader rules and how to deal with dog issues. Suggestions were to add a current edition of the

leader handbook to the back of the sign in book and place basic guidelines for leaders on the Killington Section website. There will be a “Best Practices for Trip Leaders” workshop on Sunday morning of the GMC annual meeting on

June 2, 2019 in Roxbury.

Meeting adjourned 5:30 p.m. for pre-annual meeting potluck dinner.

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Killington Section 108th Annual Meeting Minutes April 13, 2019

by Cindy Taylor-Miller

President Herb Ogden called the meeting to order at 6:25 p.m.

Directors present: Herb Ogden, Wayne Krevetski, Cindy Taylor-Miller, Sandy Bragg, Larry Walter, Sue Thomas and Ruth Hare. Directors absent: Allison Henry and Gerry Martin.

Special guest: Tom Candon, GMC President.

Approval of Minutes: The April 8, 2018 annual meeting minutes approved. Motion by Griffith/Thomas.

GMC President remarks by Tom Candon: As we near the end of FY 2019 with a small surplus, contributions are up and

membership is down. On track in the second year of our five-year strategic plan. Working on the acquisition of a 6.5- mile tract of land, “Codding Hollow” in Johnson, Vermont. We are in the “silent” phase of a four million dollar capital

campaign to be publicly announced in 2020. GMC will be launching a new marketing campaign, Hike VT-Love GMC.

The board approved an initial design concept to renovate and improve the Herrick building. We now have electronic

versions (e-pubs) of some of our maps and guides. The Bromley Tower rebuild will go forward now that funds have been secured for this purpose. The club will hire a southern field assistant this season. The board approved a policy in

line with NPS restrictions for unmanned aircraft “Drones”.

Approval of Treasurer’s Report presented by Sandy Bragg. Total assets as of 3/31/2019 are $27,934. The report was

approved by voice vote. Motion by Miller/Walter.

Main Club Director’s Report by Cindy Taylor-Miller. In addition to President Candon’s comments, the board approved

three more items: the 2020 budget of 1.8 million dollars; a policy in line with NPS restrictions for unmanned “drone”

aircraft; and to reduce the range of the annual endowment distribution for operations from 4-6% to 3-5%.

Smoke & Blazes Report by Vivian Bebee: Please submit your trip reports and pictures to Vivian. To help reduce the

cost of producing the quarterly newsletter, members are asked to sign up for the electronic version (e-pub) of S&B.

Outings Report by Sue Thomas: We’ve had great trips on almost every weekend. Please get information in to me for

upcoming schedules as early as possible so that Viv can get the newsletter out on time. I would also welcome new hike

Leaders to contact me and give it a try.

Trails & Shelter Report by Larry Walter and Wayne Krevetski: Several blowdowns reported from Route 73 to Clement

Shelter. Pico Camp needs repairs to benches, table and roof. Governor Clement privy will be replaced this summer.

Website Report: The Killington Section Hikers Services pdf was recently updated.

New Business: The Inn at Long Trail community event held in February raised $250 for the club.

Upcoming Events: Annual Meeting in Roxbury, Vermont is June 1st and Long Trail Day is August 3rd.

Election of New Directors: Nominations accepted for one vacancy on the board. Spencer Wilson elected by voice vote.

The directors met to elect officers and a new representative to the Main Club Board of Directions. Killington

Section officers are: President, Herb Ogden; Vice President, Cindy Taylor-Miller; Treasurer, Sandy Bragg; Secretary, Allison Henry. Larry Walter is the KS representative to the Main Club Board of Directors and Ruth Hare is alternate.

Adjournment.

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Vivian Bebee, Editor

14 Belmont Avenue Rutland, VT 05701

KILLINGTON SECTION

Your Invitation to Join

Killington Section, Green Mountain Club

The Killington Section, based in Rutland, VT, is a chapter of the statewide Green Mountain Club. Membership in the Section

includes membership in the Club. Members receive a membership card, the Club quarterly Long Trail News, and the Section

quarterly Smoke & Blazes including a schedule of outings, trail work parties, and social events. Members also receive reduced rates

on items from the Club bookstore and at most overnight sites served by caretakers. Membership dues help to maintain trails and

shelters in the Killington Section (Route 140 to Route 4) and the Long Trail system throughout Vermont.

ANNUAL DUES: Individual ....................................................... $45 Family ............................................................ $60 Senior/Student/Friend ................................... $25 Contact us for information on life memberships and categories for giving at a higher level.

NAME: _____________________________________________ ADDRESS: __________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ PHONE: ____________________________________________ E-MAIL:_____________________________________________

I also enclose a contribution of $________ to the Kirk Trails and Shelters Fund supporting the Killington Section’s maintenance and preservation of trails and shelters. I would like information on volunteering for: ___trail work, ___shelter work, ___sign making, ___publications, ___leading outings, ___publicity, ___education Make check payable to "GMC" and mail with this application to:

Green Mountain Club, 4711 Waterbury – Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, VT 05677 8