Section 2: A Sense of Place

Since 1873, when the region’s first trail club—the White Mountain Club of Portland, Maine—organized fun and adventurous excursions deep into the heart of New England’s best-known mountain region, trail clubs have forged an unmistakable identity with not only their very localized sphere of influence, but also the White Mountains region as a whole. The resulting bond between the clubs’ individual members and the respective domains of each organization continues to this day, and in many instances has carried on from one generation to the next.

: This wood frame shelter near the Lakes of the Clouds was constructed in 1901, a year after two Appalachian Mountain Club members perished on Mount Washington in a fierce June storm. Courtesy of the Mount Washington Observatory’s Gladys Brooks Memorial Library.

: One of the most notable triumphs of the White Mountain Club was the first recorded exploration (June 1880) of rugged and remote Mahoosuc Notch between Gorham, New Hampshire, and Grafton Notch, Maine. Artist and club member George Frederick Morse created this oil painting from sketches made on the spot. Courtesy of Stanley R. Howe.

: Founded in 1873, the White Mountain Club of Portland was the second mountaineering organization in North America and the first such club devoted solely to exploring the highlands of northern New Hampshire and western Maine. The club was officially organized near Carrigain Brook, on the lower slopes of Mount Carrigain, by six Portland men accompanied by two guides. Courtesy of the Bethel Historical Society, Bethel, Maine.

: An unidentified cartographer with initials “A.E.B.” created this unique blueprint map of the Sandwich Range for the Wonalancet Out Door Club about 1915. It was the first Wonalancet Out Door Club map drawn to scale and usable for navigation with a compass; previous club maps had been simple trail diagrams. Courtesy of Douglas McVicar.

: In the early part of the twentieth century, the North Woodstock Improvement Association built numerous footpaths in the Franconia Notch region and published several editions of this concise trail guide. Courtesy of David Govatski.

: This attractive logo drawn by club member Francis Blake Ellis adorned the cover of a trail map published by the Wonalancet Out Door Club in 1951. Courtesy of the Wonalancet Out Door Club.

: A.M.C. White Mountain Guide: A Guide to Trails in the Mountains of New Hampshire, 20th Edition, 1972. Courtesy of the Museum of the White Mountains: John W. (Jack) and Anne Newton Collection.

: The final version of this panorama by Arthur Comey first appeared on the Chocorua Mountain Club trail map in 1925. Courtesy of the Chocorua Mountain Club Collection of Cook Memorial Library, Tamworth.

: Appalachian Mountain Club trail crew member “Stretch” Hayes prepares a meal at Liberty Spring Shelter during the summer of 1953. Courtesy of University Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH.

: Published in 1932 by the Chatham Trails Association, this booklet provided a brief history of the area along with maps and descriptions of club-maintained trails. Courtesy of David Govatski.

: The Wonalancet Out Door Club published one of the first local White Mountain trail guides in 1901. Today the club publishes a GPS-surveyed, full-color topographic trail map. Courtesy of Mike Dickerman.

: One of the Appalachian Mountain Club trail crew’s major projects in 1953 was construction of this new suspension bridge over the West Branch of the Peabody River on the Great Gulf Trail. Courtesy of University Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH

: A Shelburne Trails Club volunteer places a sign marking the newly opened spur trail to the Bald Cap Ledges. Courtesy of the Shelburne Trails Club.

: This 1932 Dartmouth Outing Club publication provided ample advice on hiking, cooking, and camping. Courtesy of the Museum of the White Mountains: John W. (Jack) and Anne Newton Collection.

: The Jim Liberty Cabin on Mt. Chocorua is prepared for the worst. Steve Smith, photographer.

: In the 1950s the Waterville Valley Athletic & Improvement Association published this small guide to short walks leading to interesting objectives on the club’s extensive trail network. Courtesy of the Waterville Valley Athletic & Improvement Association.

: This booklet with map (second edition) was published in 1958 by the Squam Lakes Association and described SLA-maintained trails on the mountains around Squam Lake. The SLA Guide is currently in its fifth edition. Courtesy of Steve Smith

: Appalachia, the official journal of the Appalachian Mountain Club, debuted in the club’s first year of existence (1876) and is considered America’s “Longest-Running Journal of Mountaineering and Conservation”. Courtesy of Mike Dickerman