Mile 22.4 — Division 10 — Elev. 1380 ft.

This shelter replaced French Camp

Perched on a rocky knoll above the trail, this shelter was built by Bob Lindemann and the Sterling Section in 1991. The formal dedication occurred just after the first snowfall on Mansfield and Whiteface Mountains. In attendance were Fred Gilbert, Jeff Harvey, George Bramhall, Smith Edwards, Tony Smith, Elizabeth Bramhall, Cindy Bigelow, Bob Lindemann, Paul and Joanne Woodward. Bear Hollow replaced French Camp which was about a mile north of the new shelter.

Rob Orr recollects a story about building Bear Hollow Shelter:

Access for construction is via a wood road and snow mobile trail which passes some very rustic hunting camps. One of these camps is owned by Smith Edwards who added a big effort in the construction of this exclusive resort style shelter.

After the initial work to get the shelter framed up, Bob Lindemann and I did a lot of the inside work. One weekend we built the bunks and slept in them so we would be the first to sleep in them. We also installed a very nice and substantial table. The next weekend a note in the logbook by the shelter adopter said, A very nice table … If I could find a willing woman, I would initiate the table the right way. The following weekend we found a message in the logbook saying, “He was too late, she and “Big Boy” had initiated the table … TWICE!”. It was signed by “Mountain Girl”. The trail names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Long Trail Guide Book 24th Edition, 1996

Rob Orr, May 15th 1999,

Long Trail News, Winter 1991