The second Sterling Pond Shelter was built in 2005 by the Montpelier Section of the Green Mountain Club, replacing an older shelter that was built in 1972. The new shelter was completed on September 24, 2005, following an extensive volunteer effort that took place over the summer.
Over ten days, 51 volunteers hiked the 1.2-mile trail to the shelter site to complete the construction. Duncan Wilkie, the Montpelier Section Trails & Shelters Coordinator and volunteer coordinator for the project, created ingenious solutions for transporting materials down the rocky footpath, including slings that allowed 8-10 people to carry each 10-foot, 8×8 pressure-treated post, and a stretcher made from two poles and rope for hauling seventeen 80-pound bags of cement.
Site preparation began May 22 when ten volunteers cleared the burnt remains of the old shelter, leveled the site, and dug foundation footings. Construction began in August with supplies carried in over the weekends of July 9 and July 23.
Other volunteers replaced bog bridging, painted the shelter, moved rocks, blazed trail, and improved drainage.
The shelter sits on a bluff above Sterling Pond near Smugglers’ Notch and is
typically used by a Green Mountain Club caretaker. As of 2024, it still stands, and
caretakers maintain the trail and surrounding area during the hiking season, reducing the need for extensive section maintenance outside of spring work to clear winter blowdowns.
Sources
- Long Trail News 2014 (2014). Green Mountain Club. 28.
- Trail Talk (Montpelier) 2015 (2015). Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. 7.
- Trail Talk (Montpelier) 2015 (2015). Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. 7.
- Trail Talk (Montpelier) 2019 (2019). Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. 5.
- Trail Talk (Montpelier) 2019 (2019). Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. 5.
- Trail Talk (Montpelier) 2024 (2024). Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. 3.
