CTA Conserves 3.5-mile section in Bolton!

[Tara Hamilton]

CTA signed an agreement in Bolton on Friday, January 18, 2008, that will permanently conserve 3.5 miles of the Catamount Trail.

Catamount/Bolton Land LLC, which owns the Bolton Valley Nordic Center, generously donated a trail easement that will ensure skiers the opportunity to traverse this area and provide access in perpetuity to the historic and much-loved Bolton-to-Trapp's backcountry ski route.

This newly conserved section of the Catamount Trail runs the entire length of the Bolton Nordic Center cross-country trail network, sharing the Grand View, Broadway, World Cup, and Bryant trails along the way before passing Bryant Camp and crossing into state land.

Ben Rose, now the Executive Director of the Green Mountain Club and one of the three people who first laid out the Catamount Trail in 1984 and started the Association, is pleased this section is now protected. "Having the Catamount Trail route secured through Bolton Valley is geographically critical. This is a terrific accomplishment! Somewhere up there, Gardiner Lane is smiling!" he said.

A longtime resident of Bolton Valley, Gardiner Lane worked tirelessly to build and maintain the Bolton Valley Nordic trail system, including what is now the Catamount Trail, with Johannes von Trapp developing the high-elevation trail that connects Bolton with Trapp's in Stowe.

The protection of the Trail on private land in Bolton is now nearly complete. With another section in town conserved in April 2007, and another slated to close within the next few months, only two sections remain in town to protect.