Section 3: A Sense of Belonging

Trail Clubs mean many things to many people. To some, a trail club cultivates a sense of purpose, a calling to create and maintain trails, educate visitors, and advocate for natural spaces. To others, a trail club can be a key ingredient in their sense of place, representing past experiences, shared meanings, and personal histories. But to others still, the clubs that support and maintain the hiking trails of New Hampshire help develop a sense of belonging—the sense that one is a “member” who developed a sense of community based on special places, meaningful activities, and a shared experience.

: Club-organized snowshoe outings were popular with winter outdoors enthusiasts in the early 1900s. Courtesy of Mike Dickerman.

: This goat skin register was pinned to the wall of the RMC’s Crag Camp from 1925 to 1934. Among the guests who signed it was Alan T. Waterman, father of wilderness advocate and historian Guy Waterman. Courtesy of the Randolph Mountain Club.

: Conflict between backcountry users and management organizations has a long history in the White Mountains. Courtesy of Eric C. Sandin.

: An unidentified trail crew member from the Appalachian Mountain Club enjoys a unique treetop view of the Mahoosucs. Courtesy of University Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH.

: In an effort to recruit volunteers for a planned construction project at Crag Camp, the Randolph Mountain Club resorted to posting this enticing notice. Courtesy of the Randolph Mountain Club.

: This register was signed by guests in the early years of the Spur Cabin, along the Spur Path on Mt. Adams. The cabin was privately built in 1900 and received much use until it was razed by the Forest Service in 1929. Courtesy of the Randolph Mountain Club.

: Axes and chainsaws in hand, members of the 2012 Appalachian Mountain Club Trail Crew gather for a group shot. Courtesy of University Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH.

: Hikers Dick Waldron and Dick Slauer prepare a meal at Resolution Shelter on the Davis Path in July 1938. Courtesy of University Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH.

: Concern with crowding on popular trails was reflected in this cartoon from the early twentieth century. Courtesy of Eric C. Sandin.

: Appalachian Mountain Club trail crew members from 1945 through 1952 used this 1938 Ford station wagon to reach work sites around the White Mountains. Courtesy of University Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH.

: In the 1940s the treasurer of the Waterville Valley Athletic & Improvement Association sent this annual dues assessment card to club members, most of whom lived in southern New England and points farther afield.Courtesy of the Waterville Valley Athletic and Improvement Association

: Trails clubs such as Appalachian Mountain have been building and maintaining backcountry shelters for more than a century. Here, a replacement shelter is seen under construction at Garfield Pond in 1940. Courtesy of University Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH.

: Club outings like this one to the remote peak of Mount Hancock were sponsored in part by local logging railroad interests. Courtesy of Mike Dickerman.

: This puppet, one of a set that depicts Eugene B. Cook and J. Rayner Edmands, was built in 2013 for the Randolph Mountain Club’s annual picnic and charades. Courtesy of W. Tad Pfeffer.

: Packing full loads in July 1953 are (from right to left) “Stretch Hayes,” Doug Rankin (Trail Master), and Don Sessions. On the left is AMC Councilor of Trails Al Folger. The Appalachian Mountain Club trail crew members are at Lakes of the Clouds Hut, enroute to patrolling the Davis Path from top to bottom. Courtesy of University Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH.

: This wood frame shelter near the Lakes of the Clouds was constructed in 1901, a year after two Appalachian Mountain Club members perished on Mount Washington in a fierce June storm. Courtesy of the Mount Washington Observatory’s Gladys Brooks Memorial Library.

: Trail sign courtesy of the Dartmouth Outing Club.

: Snowshoers from the Waterville Valley Athletic & Improvement Association pose in front of Mt. Osceola in this undated photo. Courtesy of the Waterville Valley Athletic & Improvement Association.

: Hikers can follow the path cleared by Wonalancet Out Door Club volunteers through a massive blowdown on the Kate Sleeper Trail. Douglas McVicar, photographer.

: Wonalancet Out Door Club volunteers, using only hand tools, cleared hurricane blowdowns on the Kate Sleeper Trail in the Sandwich Range Wilderness. Douglas McVicar, photographer.

: A humorous incident from a Wonalancet Out Door Club trail work trip. “This photo was taken by Lawrence Labrie just seconds before the Editor’s stove suffered an explosive death, resulting in a posthumous renaming to ‘Vesuvius’. Evelyn is proudly displaying some new toilet paper she received as a gift; Fred is enjoying a little extra something in his Postum; Doug, the psychic emergency guru, senses impending doom; Peter shows off a stew pot addition he snared on the hike up; Judy apparently has already had enough spiked Postum; and the Editor cooks his last meal on an old friend.” Lawrence Labrie, photographer.