Program Description
The Vermont Semester Program will begin at
Kroka’s Trollhaugen Farm Base Camp in
Newfane, VT with students and teachers working
together to prepare for the expedition. Students
will sew the tent that will be their home on the trail, weld
their stove, make mukluks, dehydrate meat and
vegetables, learn and practice backcountry ski techniques,
and study navigation, nutrition, meteorology and other
expedition related topics. Then begins the 300-mile
journey on the Catamount Trail from Southern Vermont
to the Canadian border! The group will travel for several
days, then have intervals of rest and study. During these
intervals, craftspeople and teachers will join the group to
share traditional skills, local history, culture, and natural
sciences. Upon reaching the Canadian border the group
will spend a month wrapping up the winter portion of the
expedition and preparing for the spring portion. Students
will study topics related to Vermont’s Northeast
Kingdom and the Connecticut River Watershed. They
will build a 20-foot wood/canvas canoe to carry them
down the river, weave pack baskets in which to carry food
and belongings, and craft the paddles that will propel
them homeward along 200 miles of the Connecticut
River. Having traveled full-circle the length of Vermont
and back, students will spend the month of June
completing final coursework and putting together a
presentation to share with families and the public.
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