Lake Pleiad Shelter was built in 1923 by the Lake Pleiad Section, a GMC section that would later become the Bread Loaf Section. The shelter was a frame structure with bunks for twelve, situated near the scenic Lake Pleiad along Division VII of the Long Trail between Sucker Brook and Boyce Shelters.
By the late 1960s, the shelter required significant structural repairs.
In September 1967, Troop 45 from Granville, New York, along with six adults including Scoutmaster George Pearlstein and professional carpenters Ray and Harry Bogart, undertook major repairs to the shelter. The crew raised the shelter’s front and rear, replaced the rotten sill with new timbers, built multiple stone piers to support the structure at least six inches above ground, installed new spruce tongue-and-groove flooring, boarded in the rear window, sheathed the rear wall, repaired and reinforced the bunks, and installed a center post to reduce roof sag. The work, completed on Saturday due to time constraints, included thorough creosoting of wooden surfaces.
For over two decades following this renovation, Lake Pleiad Shelter remained an active part of the Long Trail shelter system. However, its location near the Middlebury College Snow Bowl and proximity to Route 125 contributed to increasing problems. The shelter became a popular "party" spot and in subsequent years was plagued by a rash of vandalism and major trash problems.
During the winter of 1993–94, the Trails and Shelter Committee of the GMC completed an evaluation of the Long Trail shelter system, and during this review process decided to remove Lake Pleiad Shelter at some point in the future. The vandalism and major trash problems over the past few years hastened the decision to remove the shelter in spring 1994. The Bread Loaf Section, especially under President Guy Wallis, was responsible for helping to remove the shelter.
The removal of Lake Pleiad Shelter extended the hiking distance between Sucker Brook and Boyce Shelters to 7.6 miles, and hikers were advised to avoid the Lake Pleiad site until the area could be rehabilitated
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Sources
- Long Trail News 1967 (1967). Green Mountain Club. 7.
- Long Trail News 1967 (1967). Green Mountain Club. 2.
- Long Trail News 1967 (1967). Green Mountain Club. 2.
- Long Trail News 1971 (1971). Green Mountain Club. 9.
- Long Trail News 1981 (1981). Green Mountain Club. 9.
- Long Trail News 1991 (1991). Green Mountain Club. 17.
- Long Trail News 1993 (1993). Green Mountain Club. 13.
- Long Trail News 1994 (1994). Green Mountain Club. 6.
- Long Trail News 1994 (1994). Green Mountain Club. 6.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 19 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1968. Pp. 73.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 19 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1968. Pp. 40.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 78.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 44.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 87.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 51.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 49.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 50.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 23 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1985. Pp. 88.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 23 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1985. Pp. 55.
