our queer elders
the three musketeers
“We were always tired and we had to sit down and rest and sing awhile.”
—c.r. in an oral history interview, 26 march 1987
catherine robbins, kathleen norris, and hilda kurth were the first three women to hike vermont’s long trail—a 255 mile trek!—in 1927. a recent high school grad, kathleen had planned to hike the trail with her father, but he tragically passed away during kathleen’s senior year. kathleen asked her math teacher, hilda, to join her the summer she graduated. hilda, who was also trying to shake off a man who wanted to marry her, asked her friend catherine, a physical education teacher, to join them.
together, newspapers called them “the three musketeers.” the three left williamstown, ma, on july 25th and made it to the canadian border one month later on august 25th. their trek went smoothly, though at one point, catherine had to ward off a porcupine with her hatchet! the three also brought along a small ukulele and spent many hours singing to pass the time.
catherine robbins, kathleen norris, and hilda kurth at the canadian line. photo from the green mountain club.
about the song
the three musketeers, photo from the green mountain club
our queer elders has always been about celebrating folks who eschew gender and societal norms. when I first saw an article about the three musketeers’ journey, I knew I wanted to put it to song. catherine, kathleen, and hilda were all young adults when the nineteenth amendment was passed, and their world was changing rapidly. what an expedition to undertake!
this song’s bridge is a nod to catherine’s oral history interview for the vermont historical society, where she described their sleeping arrangements of pup tents and blankets: “that is the way we slept every night, like spoons.”
the long trail
kathleen:
pack up my duffel, fill my canteen to the brim
williamstown to canada, should have been with him
but since he can't go I won't hike these miles alone
the trail is long but we are strong
and I'll walk and I'll climb far away from what I'm running from
and the light in our eyes will brighten up the passing miles
one month on the road somehow feels just like home
you, catherine, and me
hilda:
lace up my eyelets strap my uke to my back
in two fortnights' time maybe I'll come back
I told him I wouldn't stay, please put that ring away
the trail is long but we are strong
and I'll walk and I'll climb far away from who I'm running from
and the light in our eyes will brighten up the passing miles
one month on the road somehow feels just like home
you, kathleen, and me
three spoons each night
come rain or moon bright
we slept so tight
till morning light
catherine:
gather the tinder, dry my socks by the fire
every starlit night brings me closer to 25
I was seventeen when they passed the nineteenth
the trail is long but we are strong
the trail is long but we are strong
and we'll walk and we'll climb far away from what we're running from
and the light in our eyes will brighten up the passing miles
one month on the road somehow feels just like home
hilda, catherine, kathleen
k.a.castagno 2022
recommended reading
green mountain chronicles: interview with catherine robbins (and part 2).
—catherine was interviewed for the vermont historical society in 1987 about her experiences on the long trail.
the first women thru-hikers of the long trail. posted by the green mountain club blog. 2021.
then again: treasuring the trail by mark bushnell. published in VTDigger in 2024.