The Green Mountain Trails - Hiking, Biking & Snowshoeing in Central Vermont
What are the trails?
Green Mountain Trails is a multi use trail system established and maintained by the Pittsfield Bike Club as a nonmotorized (with the exception of brief sections where the trail intersects with VAST) , low impact, sustainable network interspersed in Pittsfield, Stockbridge and Chittenden, on private land and in the Green Mountain National Forest. Seven years in the making, we are a relatively new network, but with thousands of acres of possibilities limited only by our resources.
The History of Green Mountain Trails
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Abenaki Era
Speculation has it that the first trails on the mountain were blazed by the Abenaki people from their home along the Tweed River. They would ascend to the summit where they had built a ceremonial wigwam at a location chosen for its prodigious views of the valley and mountain range over all four compass points. From here they could look upon their village where they cultivated “the three sisters:” beans, squash, and corn. They stomped in many trails when they canvassed the forest collecting wild burdock, leeks, berries, mushrooms, fiddleheads, and maple sap for syrup and sugar. They tracked game along the paths that would naturally form as a result of the deer’s favored routes. A trail system of sorts was born. Pioneer Days Two men humped a 200 pound crankshaft over Sherburne Pass for Captain Goodrich's lumber mill and thus ushered in the industrial era in Pittsfield. The mountain face was all but stripped of trees and sheep farms arose in their stead. The trail network was now a series of paths worn in by the livestock leading the way to the sweetest grass and the best watering holes. The summit was now site of a hunting cabin, but this was soon abandoned as deer and other game became scarce as their habitat was decimated. With the lack of trees, the land eroded and grew desolate. Farmers abandoned their farms in search of more productive land. The forests regrew from seeds that had been laying fallow, biding their time for such an opportunity. Rise of Tourism With the rise of the automobile, tourism blossomed. Riverside, a beguiling horse farm along the banks of the Tweed hired out horses for trail rides. Urbanites would while away nights at the top cabin as a welcome reprieve from the bustle of city living. In the winter, cross country ski tours would embark from a barn on the banks of the Tweed and loop around trails like Riverside Run and Escalator. Modern Era Jason Hayden first made the forest adjacent to Pittsfield mountain biking worthy. He designed GMT classics like Warman and Fusters, tooled with a long passion for mountain biking and building. At the height of his fervor, his family weighed whether or not to send search and rescue into the woods to find him. Suffice it to say, he lived the trails. Present Day Matt Baatz came to Vermont on a whim after stints in the high country of Arizona and the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Issued a garden rake and a shovel, he set to work in October of 2009 and has rarely left the forest since. Join us on trail days, and/or sign up for a membership. Though we will schedule formal trail days, work is ongoing and almost daily, so feel free to drop us a line or show up by the barn door with a pulaski. We’d be happy for your help. |
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The origin of the green mountain trails - The Legend of Chenoa
In the mid 1700s oral history tell us of a formidable Native American woman living on the banks of the Tweed River with her wolf dog Feather. When high water poured through the valley Feather was said to have pulled 3 loggers and one child from the roaring waters. As strong as Feather was, Chenoa was stronger. During one especially bad storm even Feather was not able to rescue their riverside home. Chenoa, determined to appease the river gods, carried one rock a day from the stream bed to the top of the mountain. In doing so she packed the first trails of the Green Mountain Trail System, and laid the foundation for the cabin that now stands at the peak of Chenoa’s Mountain. Some say she became impatient and began dragging loads of rock up the mountain in her birch canoe.
When you hike the trails, be observant. Dozens of hikers returning to the General Store for a meal have been able to describe conversations with the ghost of Chenoa and assistance received from Feather in great detail.
When you hike the trails, be observant. Dozens of hikers returning to the General Store for a meal have been able to describe conversations with the ghost of Chenoa and assistance received from Feather in great detail.