Cowles Cove 2nd

Cowles Cove 2nd was built in 1956 by the New York Section under the direction of Prof. Roy O. Buchanan, following an announcement by Theodore H. Talbot of the NY Section that ground would be broken for a new open shelter at Cowles Cove in early June 1955. The three-sided shelter, built of peeled logs, commands a fine view to the southeast of the Mad Dog Range and the White Mountains and sleeps eight. It was Roy Buchanan’s 26th shelter, and he was assisted by William Bartlett, Joseph Brumbly, Thomas Moore, Richard Ponsell, Theodore H. Talbot, Jr., David W. Webber, and James Zawicki.

The shelter was named for Judge Clarence Cowles of Burlington, a charter member of the GMC who helped build many trails especially in the Monroe Skyline Section. The brook 100 feet south provides a dependable water source, and nearby stands the remains of the old Cowles Cove Shelter.

The shelter has required ongoing maintenance over the decades. By 2018, the shelter’s trampoline-like floor had too few joists and badly needed replacement, with adopters and field staff patching growing holes with wood, sheet metal, and duct tape. The Green Mountain Club planned to replace the floor and add joists, improve the privy with a privacy screen and sturdier hard plastic throne, and build a tent platform nearby to increase overnight capacity. The shelter continues to serve as a key staging point for hikers traversing the difficult stretch to Camel’s Hump and the Monroe Skyline
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Sources

  • "Long Trail News." , no. May (1955).
  • "Long Trail News." , no. August (1956).
  • Long Trail News 1977 (1977). Green Mountain Club. 6.
  • Long Trail News 2005 (2005). Green Mountain Club. 13.
  • Long Trail News 2005 (2005). Green Mountain Club. 30.
  • Long Trail News 2018 (2018). Green Mountain Club. 14.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 59.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 59.
  • Woodward, Paul & Joanne. Long Trail System Shelter History. 2nd ed. Green Mountain Club, 1999. Pp. 35.