The first Boyce Shelter emerged during a period of rapid expansion and professionalization of the Long Trail in the mid‑1920s. The 6th Edition of the Long Trail Guide (1924) announced that a new shelter — later known as Boyce — was scheduled for completion by August 1, 1926, part of a coordinated effort to fill gaps between overnight sites along the central trail corridor. The Middlebury Section, which had become increasingly active in trail construction, took responsibility for the project.
Planning and Construction (1925–1926)
Construction began in 1925 and continued into 1926, producing a shelter built of unpeeled logs in the classic early Long Trail lean‑to style. The structure featured:
• An open front
• Bunks for 12–15 hikers
• A stove
• Simple cooking utensils
• A reliable water source nearby
These features were typical of GMC shelters of the era, which emphasized durability, simplicity, and accessibility for long‑distance hikers.
A crucial contemporary account appears in Walter A. O’Kane’s Trails and Summits of the Green Mountains (1926). O’Kane notes that the shelter stood less than half a mile from the present (second) Boyce Shelter location, indicating that the original site was later superseded by improved trail routing. His description confirms that the shelter was already in active use by hikers in the late 1920s and was considered one of the more substantial structures in the Bread Loaf region.
Middlebury Section’s 1926 Expansion Program
The April 1926 issue of Long Trail News provides essential context for the construction of Boyce Shelter. The Middlebury Section reported an ambitious program of trail and shelter building:
- A new trail was being scouted from Burnt Hill to the south peak of Bread Loaf.
- Permanent water had been located on the southwest slope of Boyce Peak.
- A cabin—Boyce Lodge—was partly built and scheduled for completion in the spring of 1926.
- The lodge would include a separate cookhouse.
- Additional plans included lookout towers on Bread Loaf’s peaks and a new Bread Loaf Lodge between Bread Loaf and Mt. Wilson.
- To finance this work, the section sought to raise $500, a significant sum for the era.
This report confirms that Boyce Shelter was not an isolated project but part of a larger, coordinated Middlebury Section initiative to develop the Bread Loaf region into a well‑serviced hiking corridor.
Use and Popularity (Late 1920s–1930s)
The 8th Edition of the Long Trail Guide (1930) continued to list Boyce Shelter as an active overnight site, indicating that it remained in good condition and well‑used.
By the 1930s, Boyce Lodge (the first Boyce Shelter) had become a popular destination for Middlebury College students. Evidence appears in The Crumb (1935), the student activities bulletin, which advertised:
On Saturday there will be a day‑hike to Boyce Lodge on the trail to Bread Loaf Mountain. Boyce is the nearest of the Long Trail Lodges. The trail is not too hard. The party will leave at 9:00 o’clock, have lunch at Boyce and get back to the Inn for dinner.
This notice demonstrates that Boyce Lodge served not only long‑distance hikers but also local recreational users, becoming a familiar and accessible destination for the college community.
Decline and Replacement (Late 1930s–Early 1940s)
By the early 1940s, the first Boyce Shelter had been abandoned or replaced, consistent with the GMC’s broader pattern of relocating or rebuilding shelters as:
- Trail alignments changed
- Construction standards improved
- Heavier use demanded more durable structures
By the mid‑century editions of the Long Trail Guide, the original Boyce Shelter no longer appeared in active listings, having been superseded by the second Boyce Shelter, built in 1941.
Sources
- Long Trail Guide Book. 6th ed. 1924.
- Long Trail Guide Book. 6th Edition ed. Green Mountain Club, 1926.
- "Long Trail News." 1926.
- Long Trail Guide Book. 8th Edition ed. Green Mountain Club, 1930.
- "Day Hike." The Crumb, 1935.
- Walter O’Kane. Trails and Summits of the Green Mountains. 1926.
