Long Trail
Routes 7 and 9 between Glastonbury Mountain and Pownal Bennington, Vermont
It is apparent why Vermont is called the Green Mountain State as soon as one enters this New England parcel. Its rolling hills and draping fields have been the subject of many great photographs. Yet deep within lies a darker color that runs black with evil and mystery in many places. Restless spirits moan for justice in the howling mountain winds. One of those places is the Long Trail hiking path in Bennington, located in the southwest corner of the state.
Most recreational adventure seekers shudder at the very name, for they know that the path is cursed and the legend says that some who have chosen to ignore its evil have never returned. People seem to vanish into thin air on the trail without ever leaving the slightest trace of being there.
On November 12, 1945, Middle Rivers, a seasoned native to the area, disappeared without a trace while on the familiar trail. In December of 1946, Paula Weldon vanished from the trail while hiking it with some fellow college students when she wandered away from the group for a few moments. She, too, was never seen again.
James Telford fell victim to the trail in December of 1949 and Frances Christman in December of 1950. There are many other reports of disappearances on the trail dating back to the 1930s. Some are documented and some are not. There was one person who was found murdered on the trail—Frieda Langer was the only missing person to ever have been actually recovered from the bizarre path. Her untimely demise, however, remains a mystery.
A few locals swear that they have hiked the trail many times without incident. Most of them avoid the foreboding woods for fear of encountering the unknown that lurks within the deep thicket, awaiting the next unsuspecting hiker. Those who have hiked the woods and lived to tell about it are fortunate in that the woods were probably not hungry that day, or they had already had their fill.
