Featured Hut: Centennial of AMC’s Carter Notch Hut

In response to several tragic deaths from exposure and subsequent concern for hiker safety, the the AMC started building huts and shelters in 1888 and celebrated the 125th anniversary it’s hut system in 2013.  Carter Notch Hut, built in 1914, celebrated its Centennial last year.

After the first AMC hut, Madison Springs, proved popular with hikers, AMC member Harvey Newton Shepard, who had studied European hut systems, recommended:

….a few additional huts be constructed, with good paths thereto, so that uninteresting walk of three to seven days may be made without the encumbrance of the carrying of blankets or provisions…… this is the kind of public work in which the Club should engage.

Carter Notch Hut is the oldest AMC hut building still in use.  It  helped to establish a long AMC tradition of “hospitality in high places”.

“Red Mac”, Milton E. MacGregor, Carter’s second caretaker, is on the far left of the Carter Notch Front Porch. Photo of original stone building, courtesy AMC Archives.

Carter Notch Social Scene c. 1910. Photo courtesy AMC Archives.

Flanked by sheer cliffs below Wildcat Mountain, the Carter Notch Hut is located in a notch (aka “pass”, “col”, “saddle”, or “gap”) which is the source of the Wildcat River.  The area around the hut is rich in beautiful views, interesting geological features.  It is adjacent to the Wild River Wilderness.  Located on the Appalachian Trail, Carter Notch is near the intersection of several  other trails, making a good base camp for day hikes ascending Wildcat Mountain, Mt Hight, and Carter Dome.  One of the two tarns is stocked with brook trout by the N.H. Department of Fish and Game, and some hikers like to swim in these two cold lakes.  Carter Notch is open year round (self-service in winter) and enjoyed by hikers, skiers, and snowshoers.

The Wikipedia entry provides a succinct overview of Carter Notch Hut:

Carter Notch Hut (44°15′33″N 71°11′44″W) is the easternmost hut in the system and is open year-round. Between 1996 and 2006, it operated on a self-service basis; since then it has resumed operating as a full-service hut during the summer season, remaining self-service the rest of the year.  The site’s use as a shelter began in 1904 as a simple log cabin; the building was rebuilt as a hut in 1914, making Carter Notch the oldest building in the hut chain. There are two bunkhouses located a short distance from the main hut structure; thus from the cliffs above, the hut is viewed as a small compound. There are two small ponds located nearby, as well as a tremendous boulder field. Carter Notch helped establish the hut as a viable pursuit for the AMC, and after its initial success, the group began to lay plans for a hut system. It has both the third lowest altitude and the third lowest capacity of any hut. Its closest southern neighbor is Madison Spring Hut.

The easiest hike to Carter Notch hut is a moderate hike of 3.8 miles (elevation gain of 2,000 feet).  The original hut houses the kitchen and dining room.  Together, the two bunk houses accommodate up to 40 overnight guests in rooms for 4 to 6 people.

The beneficent ghost of the first hut master, Milton “Red Mac” MacGregor, is said to occasionally check on how things are going at the hut. You can watch a centennial anniversary video with lots of interesting archival photos and video, as well as contemporary pictures.   A history of the Carter Notch Hut can be found on the AMC website.  Ty Wivell’s book Passport to AMC’s High Huts in the White Mountains (AMC Books, 2011) contains additional information about the hut, and of course the AMC website provides up-to-date details on reservations and  amenities.

While in high school, Carter Notch was the first AMC hut I stayed in and I have always loved it!  If you haven’t already, give it a try!

by Sam Demas, Editor h2h