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.

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.

We return now to "The Long Trail: Vermont's Footpath Through History," our series about the 100th anniversary of the trail. As nearly everyone knows, the trail runs 270 miles along the ridgeline of the Green Mountains. But a valuable part of the trail's history isn't in the mountains at all.

VPR's Mitch Wertlieb talks with  Annie Bellerose, one of the caretakers of the Long Trail who spend their summers advising hikers, and answering questions about the trail.

This month, VPR is airing "The Long Trail: Vermont's Footpath Through History." We'll explore a century on the trail, and its influence on the history and culture of Vermont. We begin in Killington at an intersection of the footpath and the highway, a spot where "end-to-enders" gather for rest and encouragement.