GMC COVID-19 Guidelines May 2021

Guidelines for GMC Trip Outings for participants and leaders.

​COVID-19 ResponseFor the latest information regarding cross-state travel to Vermont and quarantine requirements, please visit the State of Vermont’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development’s website. 

2021 Hiking Season UpdateAll trails, shelters, and facilities in Vermont will be open as usual upon the commencement of the 2021 hiking season. Please continue to use caution and abide by state guidelines when it comes to Covid safety.

Backcountry Overnight Sites
The rugged and remote nature of backcountry overnight sites are one of the things that make hiking the Long Trail special. As these sites are remote and rustic, visitors are being asked to be self-sufficient and prepared to minimize the potential for spread of COVID-19. Focus will be on maintaining physical distance between unrelated visitors and to manage, reduce, or eliminate common touch points.
Thank you for being a partner in this endeavor and doing your part to minimize the risk to yourself and others
Visitors to backcountry overnight sites are being asked to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Postponing a visit unless you’re healthy and have not been recently exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
• Bringing your own hand sanitizer (the CDC recommends at least 60% alcohol content) and CDC-approved sanitizing wipes/spray for all high-touch surfaces: facilities are not cleaned or sanitized
• Maintaining at least 6 feet physical distance from anyone you did not travel to the facility with
• Leashing your dog at all times
• Wearing a cloth mask or face covering is strongly recommended whenever you might encounter other visitors
• Adhering to Leave No Trace principles during your visit: Pack It In, Pack It Out, Plan Ahead and Prepare: expect to change plans based on the circumstances
• Engaging in the Prepare, Park, Play and Move On mentality
• Being kind and considerate of others: we’re all doing our best

Privies

• Privies at shelters and remote campsites will be operational but not cleaned or sanitized. Bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer
• Users should avoid or sanitize high-touch surfaces
• Privies are confined and enclosed spaces: allow for time to pass if possible, between non-household members using privies
• Masks/cloth facial coverings are recommended while in the enclosed space of the privy
• Please use privies if available: this will eliminate human waste risk to staff and other visitors

Overnight Camping at Developed Sites (Shelters/Cabins/Leantos/Tent Platforms)

• Campers coming from out of state will be subject to the latest cross-state travel requirements including any quarantine requirements prior to starting their activity. Read the requirements here.
• Campers will be strongly advised to assume responsibility for protecting themselves from transmission via touch points, including packing and making regular use of CDC approved hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.
• Expect shelters to be occupied by other visitors: campers must be prepared for all overnight camping with a self-standing shelter such as a tent, hammock or bivouac. If you are not comfortable staying in a shelter with other hikers, be prepared to hike onward to a suitable camping area.
• Except in emergency situations or inclement weather, visitors should plan to use their tent, hammock or other shelter if non-household members are already occupying the structure.
• Visitors should avoid using these structures for anything other than overnight camping (snack or meal breaks should be taken in other open-air locations)
• Please check this page and Forest, Parks and Recreation’s page for general COVID-19 information as well as food storage and other related information.
• Caretaker fees will not be collected in person this season: The Long Trail system is managed (including composting human waste in privies) by the Green Mountain Club, which encourages people to support this work by becoming members.
• Trail users planning overnight trips should evaluate primitive camping guidelines for their chosen destinations to ensure that they will be able to locate adequate locations for tent camping. Some designated overnight sites on the trail system do not have adequate space outside of the shelter, including Taft Lodge, Butler Lodge, and Montclair Glen Lodge. You can find information on shelter capacities in the Long Trail Guide or Long Trail End to End Guide. If you are not comfortable staying in a shelter with other hikers, do not plan on staying at a shelter with no external camping options.

​For information on the “Prepare, Park, Play, and Move On” mentality, see our blog from summer 2020.