Perhaps it's coincidental that in this, the 40th year of AMC's backcountry campsite caretaker program, AMC has undertaken a significant shelter rebuilding project in the White Mountains. Or, perhaps it's emblematic of the ceaseless energy of AMC staff and volunteers who have made these backcountry sites welcome refuges for backpackers for four decades.

AMC campsite caretakers this fall replaced the Eliza Brook Shelter, along the Appalachian Trail, with an Adirondack-style, cedar-log shelter, created by John Nininger, owner of The Wooden House Company, Ltd. Nininger also built the nearby Kinsman Pond Shelter, which replaced an older structure in 2007, and, as a member of the AMC Trail Crew in the 1970s, helped build the Carlo Col Shelter, still in use today.

The old Eliza Brook Shelter—built in 1963 of native timbers and milled lumber and capped by a metal roof—was showing the effects of 47 years of use by thousands of visitors, notes Sally Manikian, AMC's backcountry resource conservation manager.

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The structure was further imperiled by significant erosion of a stream bank just three feet away—a steep area heavily used by shelter visitors seeking water. Consequently, the new shelter is 55 feet from the water’s edge. “Relocating the shelter will eliminate the visible draw to the water by shelter visitors, and, hopefully, prevent further erosion of the bank,” says Manikian. Hardened, designated trails to the campsite and the water source are being created as part of the project.

The shelter complies with Americans With Disabilities Act standards and has a capacity of eight. Additional campers can be accommodated on new, hardened tent pads. The project also included creation of a new cooking area.

The site is visited by a roving caretaker, but has no full-time caretaker, says Manikian. "This new shelter, combined with more rehabilitation efforts, trail hardening, tent pad construction, and efficient interpretive signage, will be a significant improvement to the Eliza Brook Campsite, and, hopefully, will inspire respect from visitors," she says.

Nininger assembled the new log structure at his shop's location in Vermont, then disassembled it so logs could be airlifted by JBI Helicopter Service to the Kinsman Ridge location, and reassembled by AMC crews, under his direction. Construction was expected to be completed by November.

Project partners included the White Mountain National Forest and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, as well as the National Park Service, which provided funding for the $45,000 project.

AMC manages 14 backcountry campsites throughout the White Mountains and Mahoosucs for use by the public. Amenities vary by location, and may include a shelter, wooden tent platforms, or hardened tent pads, helping to concentrate use and manage hiker impacts. Sites also include outhouses, the human waste from which is composted by campsite caretakers.