Bob Northrop devoted his life to support a variety of Vermont institutions.  He was best known for his efforts to protect the Long Trail. Northrup hiked the trail end to end many times over the years, most notably in 2001 at the age of 80. Northrup died this weekend at his home in Underhill.  He was 92.

A former Rutland resident has been sentenced to nine months of home detention for setting fire to a shelter on Vermont's Long Trail.

Almost a year after Tropical Storm Irene, we get an update on where disaster relief funds have gone and how much is still needed and we hear from ultrarunner Nikki Kimball who ran the length of the Long Trail.

Hikers who head out over this long holiday weekend to the Long Trail will find some sections rerouted around Tropical Storm Irene damage. The storm's floods washed out sections of the trail and also destroyed bridges.

The U.S. Forest Service is investigating a fire that destroyed a hiking shelter on the Long Trail about a mile from Sherburne Pass in Rutland County. The Tucker-Johnson Shelter is a lean-to structure near the intersection of the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail in Mendon.

Andy and Chet Buchanan, sons of legendary Long Trail Patrol leader Roy Buchanan, talk about how their father got started on the Long Trail.

Whether it's for a day, a week, or even a month, what draws people to the Long Trail? For Nick Rushford of Essex, there've been many reasons to hike the trail from end to end.

Today, we have one man's story about personal challenge... and the effort to "live strong." It begins at the top of Vermont's highest peak, Mount Mansfield.

A reminder of some of the challenges of being out on the Long Trail. Whether it's for a few days, or weeks at a time, there's bound to be encounters with bugs, bad food, and rain, rain, rain.

Thousands of us experience the Green Mountains up close every summer with a day on the Long Trail. Many hundreds more spend even more time on the trail, taking a few days to hike and spending the nights at a shelter along the way. Today, in our series, "The Long Trail: Vermont's Footpath Through History," we learn what it's like to overnight on the trail.

VPR's Jane Lidholm talks with Jonathan Wahl and Leah Hunt, known, on the trail, as Rough and Tumble, two retirees who spend winters in Florida and summers in Vermont, where they can often be found on The Long Trail.

VPR's Nina Keck catches up with Katie Block just as she began her Long Trail day hike at the trailhead on Route 4 in Killington.

VPR's Jane Lindholm talks with Ben Rose, Executive Director of the Green Mountain Club about the challenges of maintaining and protecting The Long Trail.

All this month, VPR is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Long Trail through our series, "The Long Trail: Vermont's Footpath Through History." Today we hear from some of the people who spend time on the trail, to hike, camp or care for the historic footpath.

All this week we've been looking at the history of the Long Trail as it reaches its 100th anniversary. Today, we turn to the Green Mountain Club itself. Volunteer members of the club built the trail and they maintain it to this day. The club still thrives because of their efforts.

In our series "The Long Trail: Vermont's Footpath Through History," we're looking at some of the milestones in the trail's 100 year history. Today we return to the 1930s, when the Long Trail faced its biggest threat, and the Green Mountain Club was forced to reconsider its purpose.

In the 1920s, early hiking enthusiasts wanted to get attention for their creation of the Long Trail. Today we look at three young women who put the Long Trail on the map and made themselves quite famous in their day.

Two of the state's most famous summits are connected by the Long Trail. But as VPR Commentator Tom Slayton explains, the mountains couldn't be more different.

One-hundred years ago, the Green Mountain Club was founded and construction of the Long Trail began. VPR is looking back this month at how the hiking trail has influenced the history and culture of the state. Today, VPR Commentator Tom Slayton introduces the early leaders of the Green Mountain Club.

During his terms in office former Governor Howard Dean worked with legislators to conserve much of the Long Trail. He spoke to VPR's Mitch Wertlieb by phone from his home in Burlington, where he's been recovering from hip surgery.

Some students from the Long Trail School in Dorset are getting a taste of life in Europe, many of them for the first time. They're in Scotland taking part in an international performing arts festival.

Each year 200,000 people use Vermont's Long Trail, which stretches from Canada to the Massachusetts border. Protecting and maintaining the 270 mile trail is the job of the Green Mountain Club. And the task is becoming more challenging and costly.

VPR's Jane Lindholm talks with Tom Slayton, editor of a new book celebrating Vermont's Long Trail about the trail's importance to the Green Mountains.

Great thoughts and philosophies from Vermonters have shaped our state and sometimes influenced the nation. Commentator Bob Northrup tells the story of how Vermont created - almost destroyed - the Long Trail.

Commentator Tom Slayton, veteran journalist and editor-emeritus of Vermont Life magazine, is also a dedicated hiker. And he's looking forward to getting out on the trails again - just as soon as they're dry!