Gorham Lodge Relocation Site Scouting Hike

Jump to the candidate sites...

The day windy, chilly (maximum of 50 degrees), and threatening, but no the threats were not realized. Until early afternoon, there were brief sprinkles and a hint of snow, but we were never inconvenienced by precipitation. In the afternoon, a few pockets of sun were seen.

The hike had two objectives: to document the state of Gorham Lodge prior to its demolition, and to inspect the proposed site for the its replacement.

The main group started hiking at 10:15 at Couching Lion. Bill started shortly after and John at 1l:00. At 12:00 we were together at the Monroe-Alpine Junction. We hiked north on the Alpine trail and arrived at the Long Trail at 1:00.

After lunch Andrew and Reidun headed to Gorham Lodge, where they took exterior measurements and counted rings on the logs used in building. They returned to the Alpine-LT junction at 2:30 and hiked out, returning to the trailhead by 5:00.

The remaining 4 hiked north on the LT to the ski-around trail, west to the access trail marked in the August scouting hike, and thence north to the proposed site. We followed orange marking tape and inadvertently passed the cross-trail to the proposed site. We followed perhaps another half-dozen blazes until they suddenly stopped. We fanned out to the north looking for further blazes, found none, and retreated to the aforesaid junction. We arrived there at about 2:20 and left at 2:50. We removed the next 2 northbound flags and placed a triple-flag at the proper junction. Bill took photographs of the site. Eric took GPS readings along the route. The readings and trail times are provided below.

We hiked back Couching Lion. We were in twilight from the Alpine-Monroe junction down and used our headlamps for the last mile. We arrived at Couching Lion at 6:00.

Effort: 7.0 hours of work (2 persons), 8.0 hours work (4 persons) 1.5 hours travel (6 persons); total: 55 hours.

GPS readings

GPS readings were made from 3 satellites and had an error of +-141 feet or less. I subtracted 347 feet from all elevations to align the GPS reading of 3147 feet at the Alpine-LT junction with the guidebook's 2800 feet. Our GPS coordinates of the site are identical to the map Dave H presented to the Section 27 September. However, neither corresponds to the topographical features of the USGS map. I believe the relative distances of the spur trail options are reliable, but they must be verified by ground survey.

Spur Trail # 1. A spur trail running due east joins the LT 0.6 (crow-flying) miles and has a total gain of 200 feet. To find the junction on a topographical map, look for the intersection of the LT and the Chittenden-Washington County line. The spot is north of the knob marked by Hill 2768. Topo maps indicate a distance of 0.53 miles to the LT. Dave's GPS mapping indicates the LT is about a tenth of a mile east of the map line. This route passes under a 100-foot dropoff and may not be buildable.

Spur Trail # 2. Running the spur perpendicular from the LT minimizes the risk of bootlegging. Such a trail would join the LT a few feet north of Hill 2768. It climbs 300 feet over a distance of 0.4 miles.

Findings

These findings are not a formal report; they are presented as a series of observations without order or structure.

• The hike to the site from Couching Lion takes a minimum of 3.25 hours, without packs and without breaks.
• A route from Monroe (or Callahan) to ski-around could cut off some distance and elevation gain.
• Access from River Road is almost the same distance.
• The existence of a cast-iron stove and other reports suggests that the site was reached via 4-wheel drive vehicle. The 1920 topo map shows a road running parallel to Gleason Brook. Thus, access by horse could be investigated.
• Gleason Brook was running well. There are shallow pools which could be used for bathing.
• The flat area near the cross-trail/access-trail junction has seeps which could be investigated for a dug spring.
• The seep area suggests that black flies would be a nuisance in the spring.
• The sun was gone from the site at 2:45 pm.
• Any spur trail would be in excess of a half-mile and have a descent of several hundred feet. We had serious reservations about the acceptability of such a detour for many through hikers.

Additonal findings (from 4-Nov meeting at GMC)

• The site is located in the Gleason Brook Natural Area. Concerns were expressed in August about whether the site was above or below 2500 feet elevation. This issue is not relevant since the entire west side of the Bamforth Ridge (including the beaver ponds) is in the natural area.
• Construction access is possible from Honey Hollow. This route is roughly 2.5 miles long, with a small descent to the site.

Consideration of Alternate Sites

The 4-Nov meeting at GMC clarified the independence of site selection and lodge design. The configuration of lodge, tent platforms, and outhouse is the same regardless of the location. We are now able to compare the Gleason Brook site to other possibilities. Our plan is to encourage scouting before snow fall 2001, via snowshoe during the winter, and on foot in May 2002. We want to have sufficient data for site visits about 1 June 2002 and a final decision by 15 June.

Requirements

1. Distance from other facilities
   • Remoteness: more than 2 miles from a road. Spruce Knob is now 1.6 miles from River Road and about 2.5 miles via future the Winooski South LT Relocation.
   • Midway between Montclair Glen and the first shelter north of the Winooski. The midpoint is somewhere between Spruce Knob and the "Rocky Summit" identified as 2.6 miles from the river.
   • One option for the Winooski South LT Relocation is Route G from Greg W's 2000 survey, which branches from the LT just north of Hill 2468. It is preferable to avoid the LT section which could be bypassed, between G and Spruce Knob.
   Conclusion: within a mile of Hill 2468. As it happens, this straddles the Chittenden-Washington county lines. A site with water is most likely to be below the 2500-foot elevation limit of the Camels Hump Natural Area. (Note that proximity to the Camels Hump summit is no longer relevant with the plan to base a caretaker at the Gorham site.)
2. Access to the LT. The limit for a spur trail is about 0.2 miles. There can be separate spur trails for northbound- and southbound-hikers ("EZ on-off" ramps, if this were an interstate highway).
3. Water. The spur trail can be continued below the site to a water source. Beaver areas should be avoided because of the difficulties of hikers and wildlife coexisting.
4. Soils. Wet soils, which can be compacted, should be avoided. Hardwoods are a good indicator of dryer soils. Nearby rock is desirable as a source of rock for the lodge foundation and trails.

Candidate Sites to Investigate

• Route G (east side). The LT passes through a dip. Ascending it climbs over a 6-foot rock with birch roots in a slot. Eric says this is the "place we always say we should do some work." On the left is a rise and a beaver pond. Steve T and I didn't see any of Greg W's flags, but we suspect it is Route G. The map shows a flat outcropping and a stream below. Route G is not Greg's first choice but has views and rock for building.
• The Overhang. Heading southbound, the trail drops down, crosses water, then climbs steeply. On the east side are overhangs sufficient to shelter hikers from the rain. The area suggests a geological fault; there may be water to the northwest.
• County line (east side). Due east of the Gleason Brook site, east side of the ridge are two parallel streams 0.1 miles apart. Topo maps are inaccurate. Dave H's GPS mapping shows the LT turning from northeast to northwest at elevation 2500 feet. This area is relatively flat, which suggests a "EZ on-off" connector can be built.
• Gleason Brook, upper east branch (west side). Starting at the ski-around trail, follow the drainage northwest. A brook forms about 0.3 miles down. This site is questionable because of proximity to the ski-around trail.