Mile 18.5 — Division 11 — Elev. 1750 ft
This shelter is under construction during the summer of 1998. This shelter will open this summer. [Sterling Section Newsletter. April 1999]
This camp will be officially and joyously opened to the public by the Laraway and Burlington Sections at a ceremony on May 1, 1999. This camp is located 0.7 miles south of Ritterbush Camp which it replaces. [LTN Spring 1999]
On a Sunny May 1st, with wildflowers in bloom and clear blue skies, the Laraway Section and more than 61 people celebrated the opening of this Camp, the newest shelter on the LT. This Camp is located on a previously undiscovered ridge that overlooks Ritterbush Pond. It is a simple, well-crafted, beautifully designed shelter. On a sunny day, rays of sunshine stream in through skylights and bathe the wood interior in golden hues… It took 1512 volunteer hours and more than a year of work to complete… It was dedicated to Don Hill, an extraordinary GMC volunteer… This location was discovered by Laraway Section Vice President Scott Christiansen, Randy Meade, Tim Tierney, and Tom Neu in 1997. They were looking for a place south of Devil’s Gulch and a certain distance from neighboring Corliss Camp. The site is really neat. It is the only view between Laraway and Belvidere. Located very near the LT and most hikers walked past this location before its rediscovery … Construction of the shelter occurred in 1998. To avoid carrying extra lumber into the site, volunteers built the shelter off-site at the home of Cheryl and Gilbert in Fletcher … The story of the building of Spruce Ledge Camp could read like the “Little Section that Could. With only eighty-two members, this section built a wonderful camp to shelter LT hikers for decades to come. While they were making a solid structure, the Laraway Section built ties to new people, community groups, and other GMC sections. As Scott reminisced upon finishing the project, “The best part of the project was meeting new people and making new friends.” See LTN Summer 1999 for the complete story.
Spruce Ledge Camp Volunteers, Laraway Section, GMC, Thanks for all the hard work …we couldn’t have done it without you. Bill April, Dana Baron, Noel Bishop, Jeff Bostwick, Lars Botzojorns, BSA Troop 853, John R.B. Brown, Lenny Carpenter, Erin Christiansen, Scott Christiansen, Bob Corliss, Betty Corliss, Cat Eich, Llyn Ellison, Robert M. Erickson, Brian F. Fitzgerald, Rod Forsman, Phil Gingrow, Todd Jenner, Wendy Jenner, Lamoille County Adventure Camp, Leo Leach, Bob Lindemann, Joel Magnuson, Mike Marsha, Sheila McKay, Allen Monahan, Randy Mead, Tom Neu, Gilbert Patnoe, Pete Saile, Gary Sawyer, Val Schadinger, Kate Schmitt, Sally Spear, Susan Swindell, Tim Tierney, Phylliss Tiffany, Steven Titcomb, Cheryl Vreeland. [LTN Summer 1999]
Naming Spruce Ledge Camp – The section considered several names for their new shelter, inducting Devil’s Perch. Devil’s Window. Dawn Hill. Thrush Hill, and Barred Owl Camp. They settled on Spruce Ledge because of the spruces at the site. “Spruce Ledge was because of Scott. It meant a lot to Scott because the spruces had been a significant thing for him; it was the spruces that led him to the site, “recalls Cheryl. “That had a special significance to him. I felt that he deserved that – he put a lot of time and effort into building the camp.” [LTN Summer 1999]
