Considering that it started 150 years ago by a bunch of Bostonians who wanted to make sure their northern playground didn’t get spoiled, the Appalachian Mountain Club has had its ups and downs in New Hampshire.
Starting with building the first White Mountain hut at Madison Spring in 1888 and continuing through its support for the vital Weeks Act creating national forests, and the ongoing construction of mountain huts and valley lodges that bring an uncountable number of visitors, the AMC is hailed for providing information, access and advocacy to the state’s outdoors.
“For a group that exists up and down the East Coast and is headquartered in Massachusetts, their effect in New Hampshire has been outsized,” said Jack Savage, president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
The group, he said, helped preserve New Hampshire’s North Country and shape our appreciation of it.
“From the start they were part of the movement to do something about the wholesale logging that was creating such havoc in the White Mountains. One of the primary things they can take partial credit for in New Hampshire is giving shape to the larger cultural embrace of outdoor recreation, specifically in the White Mountains,” Savage said.
Taylor Caswell, former commissioner of the state Department of Business and Economic Affairs, agreed.
“I hope that we can find a way to keep them going another 150 years,” he said.
Still, the club has its detractors, especially among purists who don’t like to see commercial-grade propane tanks near the state’s highest summits that have to be brought in by helicopter as the AMC invites more and more visitors to stay at its facilities.
‘Appalachian Money Club’
Caswell and Savage have worked with the AMC frequently and are fans of the club, but admit it isn’t perfect. In particular, it has faced criticism that it caters to a gentrified clientele more interested in glamping than in spending a night in the wild. With overnight prices at the iconic mountain huts often exceeding $100 a person, some argue the group has forgotten its basic outdoor roots, joking that the group’s initials stand for Always Making Cash.
“I heard it as ‘Appalachian Money Club’,” said Caswell.
The organization certainly isn’t poor. AMC reported revenue of $43 million and expenses of $41 million last year, according to tax records, with assets of $210 million and a CEO making $359,000 a year. They have almost 900 employees in 11 states.
That size has affected the public perception of the group. This change showed up most obviously in 2016 when the AMC had to withdraw plans to build a 58-person lodge in Crawford Notch State Park. It would have been the club’s first new White Mountains facility in 50 years, which sounds like a win for New Hampshire, but for many, the project felt closer to a Bretton Woods resort than a Lonesome Lake hut, unsuitable for the semi-wild region. Criticism forced the club to back down.
For comparison, consider the Randolph Mountain Club, which runs two huts and two three-sided shelters in the northern Presidentials. They are free in the day and cost between $15 and $50 for non-members overnight, but don’t provide food or bedding and only have a single caretaker overseeing all four. Many feel such a rough, inexpensive alternative operated mostly by volunteers is more in the spirit of the North Country than a multi-million-dollar Massachusetts-based organization.
“I think that’s a great model, but they’ve got a different model than (the AMC) for sure,” said Caswell. “You can’t really compare them.”
As for Savage, he also winces at $100-a-night back-country huts, but is nonetheless sympathetic.
“As head of the Forest Society I have first-hand exposure to how much it costs to run these things,” he said, pointing to the effort of maintaining buildings high up in the mountains and far from any roads. “It’s expensive and it’s unfortunate that some experiences end up to be costly, but it is a reflection of what it actually costs to provide this service.”
Not just the huts
The eight high mountain huts sprinkled throughout the White Mountains are the essence of the AMC here. Built over eight decades through 1965, after which environmental concerns halted construction of any more, they are unique on the East Coast.
The huts require guests to hike uphill for between one and four hours carrying backpacks, sleep in bunks, use communal bathrooms, get woken at 6:30 a.m., and eat whatever dinner and breakfast the youthful hut staff known as “croo” decide to make. Despite the increasing cost, getting deep into the mountains without having to carry in all your food, shelter and bedding is a huge draw, particularly for young families. “Both my kids — their first several overnights were in the huts,” said Caswell.
Another appeal of the huts is the culture that has grown up over the decades, which bounces between John Muir’s serious conservation-minded approach to the outdoors and Jim Carrey’s goofy approach to almost everything. Croo members will be acting out comic skits at breakfast and helping rescue stranded hikers at sunset, with a bout of toilet cleaning in between.
The huts are so popular that reservations must be made weeks or even months in advance to get a weekend slot. While very visible, they are only part of the AMC’s footprint in the state.
“One of the things I’ve seen in a positive change for them is that they were most known for running huts, but today they are major landowners and very cognizant of sustainable forest stewardship,” said Savage, whose group has often worked with AMC on land projects. “I think it has given them a broader perspective … on protecting the land base.”
Increasingly, the AMC holds classes in things like wilderness first aid and yoga, communal trips for everybody from kayakers to skiers, and programs with titles like “Black Flies: Not Just a Biting Pest” as part of their educational mission.
New Hampshire focus
AMC has chapters in 11 states covering much of the Appalachian Mountains, from Maine to Virginia. Like a parent being fair to their children, the club would never admit which state is most important, but it’s fair to say New Hampshire stands out because of the long history here, the huts and the fact that we have the most demanding section of the Appalachian Trail, which AMC helps oversee.
Our importance makes it unlikely that the group will ever pull back in New Hampshire as long as it stays solvent, which is important considering how stingy the state government can be when it comes to paying for facilities or services.
“Imagine if the organization had not been around. Would New Hampshire be a better place? I don’t think so, not at all,” said Savage. “The outdoor environment is something that a lot of people care about in New Hampshire … and they have been a big part of that.”
Caswell, whose government job showed him the importance of tourism, especially outdoor tourism, to New Hampshire’s economy, points to the monetary value of the group.
“We established an outdoor recreation office in 2018, they were definitely big supporters of it,” he said. “If you’re coming here to start a business, for better quality of life, your first point of entry is often tourism. … I get the concerns, but I hope we can find a way to keep them going.”
