History: Northern Frontier Section

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The Northern Frontier Section of the Green Mountain Club maintains the northernmost section of the Long Trail, from Hazen's Notch (Route 58) north to Journey's End at the Canadian border.

HIKERS: Hiking trails on state lands managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Green Mountain Club are closed until Memorial Day weekend. Hikers are also strongly discouraged from using hiking trails in the Green Mountain National Forest until Memorial Day weekend.

Northern Frontier Section

History

> from the Summer 2000 issue of the Northern Frontier Section newsletter...

GMC Members Meet to Form New Section

Thirty Long Trail enthusiasts and members of the Green Mountain Club recently gathered at a Potluck Dinner and Informational Meeting for the purpose of forming a new chapter of the GMC. The meeting took place at the Montgomery Town Hall in Montgomery Center on Saturday, April 22, 2000 from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. Organized by Sharon and Rolf Anderson of Montgomery, the event attracted people from Lowell, Montgomery, Richford, Berkshire, Enosburg, St. Albans, Johnson and Hyde Park.

The group signed a petition to request that the GMC Board of Directors approve the establishment of the new section at the Green Mountain Club's Annual Meeting in June. The petition stated that the proposed section, to be named "Northern Frontier", will take responsibility for maintenance of the Long Trail from Hazen's Notch to Journey's End at the Canadian border. The group agreed to draft bylaws in accordance with GMC bylaws.

Those present also agreed to form two committees. The Trails and Shelters Committee will schedule trail maintenance work days and provide leadership and training to anyone interested in helping to clear the Long Trail of fallen trees and brush as well as maintain the 7 shelters in this section. Members expressed a desire to involve students from the region's schools in this effort.

The Outings Committee will plan recreational outings to include hiking, canoeing, bicycling, cross country skiing and snowshoeing trips. Outings will be open to all with several trips designed especially for families with young children.

The Green Mountain Club is a non-profit, member-supported, recreational trails organization which was founded in Burlington in 1910. The Club recently celebrated its 90th birthday. The GMC has its headquarters on Rt 100 in Waterbury Center. The mission of the GMC 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.

Anyone who would like to learn more about the Green Mountain Club and its work to maintain and protect Vermont's 475-mile Long Trail System is invited to contact the section. For more information about the Green Mountain Club, go to the club's web site address or contact Rolf Anderson at the address below.

GMC Northern Frontier Officers & Directors (Summer 2000)

Rolf Anderson, President
Ferdinand Lauffer, Vice President, Trails
Walter Pomroy, Treasurer
Peter Hofstetter, Secretary
Don Hill, Director
Larry Bruce, Alternate Director

> from the Summer 2001 issue of the Northern Frontier Section newsletter...

Founding members (who joined the Northern Frontier Section in 2000)

Sharon and Rolf Anderson, Montgomery Center; Deborah Benjamin, Eden; Elsa Berenberg, Colchester; Larry Bruce, St. Albans; Wilbur H. Caney, Montgomery Center; Scott Christiansen, St. Albans; Russ and Brook Ford, Berkshire; Walter Gaskill, St. Albans; Pixley and Don Hill, St. Albans; Christy and Peter Hofsteter, St. Albans; Debbie Landauer & Tom Kafka, Enosburg Falls; Rita and Alan Kalsmith, Montgomery; Jane E. Kiser, East Fairfield; Ferdinand Lauffer, Enosburg Falls; Scott Mueller, Enosburg Falls; Sherry Nelson, St. Albans Bay; Burton A. Paquin, Sr., Swanton; Sharon and Scott Perry, Montgomery Center; Sue Peters, Montgomery; Donald Peterson, Lowell; Walter J. Pomroy, Johnson; Claudia & Lewis Rose, Enosburg Falls; Kate Tobey, Hyde Park; Howard E. Van Benthuysen, Fairfax; Ken Whitehead, Richford; Jane B. Williams, Enosburg Falls.

Reflections on the Past: The Long Trail in the Jay Peak Area

~ The Montgomery Section formed in 1926. The section likely played a major role in the development of the Long Trail from Hazen's Notch to Jay Pass.
~ Many parts of the LT became overgrown when America joined World War II. The lookout on Carleton Mountain (an un-named peak at that time) was mentioned in the 1937 edition of the Guide Book to the Long Trail but was omitted in later editions after it grew in and the view was lost. It was reopened in the 1990's with permission of the GMC Trail's and Shelter's Committee. The GMC Board of Directors approved a proposal by Rolf Anderson and Don Hill to name this un-named summit after Phillips D. Carleton, who along with Charles G. Doll, scouted and "blazed" the route of the LT from the summit of Jay Peak to Journey's End during the summer of 1930.
~ VT 242 follows the route of the old wagon road which connected Montgomery to Jay. This was also the Deuso Trail, a side trail from Jay Camp to the Deuso Farm, one of 15 farms along the LT where hikers could stay in 1937. -RA