The Long Trail was constructed from 1910 to 1930 by the Green Mountain Club.
This photo was taken during a hike around Bourn Pond in Vermont. I had been hiking the loop trail for Bourn Pond and Stratton Pong that is accessed via the Long Trail. This hike is of particular note because this portion of the Long Trail is leveraged by the Appalachian Trail as it makes its way across the state of Vermont. This pond is located in Green Mountain National Forest.
The Long Trail is a historic trail in Vermont. In the United States, it is the oldest long-distance trail. It actually runs the entire length of Vermont. It was constructed from 1910 to 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. Still to this day the Green Mountain Club manages the Long Trail. The trail was originally conceived by James P. Taylor in 1909. He was the headmaster of the Vermont Academy which is located in Saxtons River, Vermont. In all the trail spans 273 miles. The trail starts just north of Clarksburg, Massachusetts, passes by Bourn Pond, and ends at the US-Canada border in Jay, Vermont. The Appalachian Trail navigates along the Long Trail for over 100 miles.
The Appalachian Trail is an equally historic trail. It was first proposed in 1921, and it was completed by 1937. Unlike the Long Trail, the Appalachian Trail is maintained by 31 organizations. This trail runs across fourteen states! They include: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The Appalachian Trail extends nearly 2,200 miles. Its starting point is at Springer Mountain in Georgia, and its terminus is at Mount Katahdin in Maine. Nowadays, you can hike extensions of the trail. To the south, the Eastern Continental Trail extends into Alabama and Florida; and to the north, the International Appalachian Trail extends in Canada.
The clouds in this photo are predominantly cumulus clouds, and there are some faint cirrus clouds in the background. I love how you can see the clouds reflected against Bourn Pond. Cirrus clouds have five distinct types: castellanus (which are cumuliform in nature), fibratus (which look striated and is the most common), floccus (which look like a series of tufts), spissatus (which is a dense form of cirrus that can form into thunderstorms), and uncinus (which are hooked in shape).
Unlike the Long Trail, the Appalachian Trail is maintained by 31 organizations.
Did you know?
- Cirrus clouds can form between 13,000 and 66,000 feet! This is significantly higher than cumulus clouds.
- Cirrus clouds can cause sun dogs and sun halos to appear.
- Earth isn’t the only planet that has cirrus clouds. They also form on Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune!
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