Vermont Business Magazine “I wish the world were more like the trail,” one hiker told 20-year-old theater kid turned thru-hiker, Tess “Storyteller” Rowan, in an interview last summer. In June 2025, Tess thru-hiked the oldest long-distance hiking trail in America while creating an audio theater documentary titled Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey. On Earth Day, April 22nd, Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey celebrates the sounds and stories of Vermont's Long Trail.
Footsteps in the mud, laughter of hikers at a shelter, conversations with a backcountry caretaker, and birdsongs over beaver ponds. Through immersive soundscapes, personal narration, and trail interviews, Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey captures the magic of the Green Mountains in audio form.
Through the support of the Green Mountain Club and a NYU Tisch Drama Community Engaged Theatre Summer Grant, Tess developed a project about conservation and community on the Long Trail. While hiking the 272-mile trail, Tess interviewed fellow hikers and community members and recorded the rhythms of trail life. Soon, Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey, will be available for listeners everywhere.
From the challenges of hiking through the pouring rain, to the joy and kindness of the trail community, to the natural beauty of the land protected by the Green Mountain Club, this project follows a 20-year-old’s 272-mile journey on the oldest long-distance hiking trail in America.
In this 45-minute audio experience, audiences are encouraged to go on a walk and press play. To check out the trailer and learn more, visit https://linktr.ee/storytellerfieldnotes and @storytellerfieldnotes on Instagram. Listen to Field Notes: A Long Trail Odyssey on Earth Day, April 22nd, on all streaming platforms.
Tess Rowan thru-hiked the Long Trail in June 2025 and was given the trail name “Storyteller” along the way. She is a current student at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts studying Drama. Tess first encountered long-distance trails at age 14 while writing Static: A Morse Code Musical. After completing her first thru-hike on the Long Trail, Tess hopes to continue telling stories of trails and beyond. @tessrowan www.tessrowan.com