The origins of Birch Glen Lodge trace back to 1913, when Miss Emily Proctor donated funds that enabled the Green Mountain Club to construct three early log lean‑tos along the newly developing Long Trail. This contribution marked one of the first organized efforts to build permanent shelters on the route, laying the foundation for the GMC’s long‑term shelter system.
By the time of the 1st Edition of the Long Trail Guide (1917), the structure at Birch Glen was described as a birch‑bark‑clad lodge, enclosed on three sides and facing northwest. It could sleep five to six people, featured a fireplace just a few feet in front, and contained simple cooking utensils stored on a hanging shelf. A permanent stream—reliable even in dry seasons—flowed about fifty feet south of the lodge, with designated spots for dipping drinking water and for bathing farther downstream. Early guidebook notes also reflect the era’s growing concern about water contamination, decades before “Giardia” became a familiar term to hikers.
By 1922, the 4th Edition of the Long Trail Guide recorded that Birch Glen had evolved into an open camp with double‑deck bunks for twelve, equipped with a good stove and basic cooking utensils. This expansion reflected both increased trail use and the GMC’s shift toward more durable, standardized shelter designs.
A vivid description from O’Kane’s 1926 guide captures the approach to the lodge: hikers began at the Beane farm buildings, crossed a cairn‑marked pasture, and entered the woods through a fence line. After a mile of well‑marked woodland trail, they reached the lodge, set in an open forest of beech, yellow birch, and scattered spruce. A dependable brook flowed to the right of the shelter, providing water even in drought. The lodge contained four double bunks, a small wood stove, and a convenient table, all situated in a setting aptly reflected in its name — Birch Glen.
Across its early decades, Birch Glen Lodge exemplified the rustic, handcrafted character of the Long Trail’s first generation of shelters, evolving from a simple birch‑bark lean‑to into a more substantial camp as the trail matured and hiker traffic increased.
Sources
- Long Trail Guide Book. 1st Edition ed. Green Mountain Club, 1917.
- Long Trail Guide Book. 4th Edition ed. Green Mountain Club, 1922.
- Walter O’Kane. Trails and Summits of the Green Mountains. 1926.
