Mad Tom Shelter

Mad Tom Shelter was built by the U.S. Forest Service in 1962 as a frame lean-to with capacity for eight people, originally positioned at Mad Tom Notch (elevation 2446 feet) on the Long Trail in Division 3 of Vermont. In 1980, the shelter was disassembled and moved to a new location at Mile 21.1, where it stood at a higher elevation of 2,900 feet on a spur trail 0.1 mile west of the main trail.

The relocation placed Mad Tom Shelter in a more scenic location away from the notch road. From the shelter, there is a fine view of Dorset Peak across the valley, and
a small spring, which usually fails in dry seasons, is located 200 feet north.
In 1988, storm doors and windows were installed to protect hikers from prevailing westerly winds, and a picnic table and fire ring were added.

The shelter operated successfully at this second location for roughly seventeen years. By fall 1997, the shelter had fallen off its moorings and the USFS closed it. Rather than attempting repairs, the shelter was removed in 1997, ending its thirty-five-year history on the Long Trail.

Sources

  • Long Trail Guide Book. 17th Edition ed. Green Mountain Club, 1963.
  • Long Trail News 1989 (1989). Green Mountain Club. 15.
  • Long Trail News 1989 (1989). Green Mountain Club. 10.
  • Long Trail News 1989 (1989). Green Mountain Club. 16.
  • "Long Trail News." , no. Fall (1997).
  • "Long Trail News." , no. Fall (1997).
  • "Long Trail News." , no. Fall (1998).
  • The Trail Talk (Connecticut) 2020 (2020). Connecticut Section, Green Mountain Club. 6.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 17 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1963. Pp. 23.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 17 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1963. Pp. 27.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 17 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1963. Pp. 28.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 18 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1966. Pp. 23.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 18 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1966. Pp. 28.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 19 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1968. Pp. 23.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 30.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 21 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1977. Pp. 29.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 31.
  • Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 22 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1983. Pp. 28.
  • Woodward, Paul & Joanne. Long Trail System Shelter History. 2nd ed. Green Mountain Club, 1999. Pp. 163.
  • Woodward, Paul & Joanne. Long Trail System Shelter History. 2nd ed. Green Mountain Club, 1999. Pp. 72.
  • Woodward, Paul & Joanne. Long Trail System Shelter History. 2nd ed. Green Mountain Club, 1999. Pp. 73.