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Maintaining & Protecting Vermont's Long Trail Since 1910

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A New Privy is Built

August 13, 2020 by GMC Staff 3 Comments

Many of you are surely wondering “Did I sense a positive shift in groundwater quality and hiker experience late last week?”.

You bet you did—David Logan pit privy has been replaced with an accessible moldering privy!

Working on the Privy PrefabField Assistant Rosalie Sharp has been hard at work putting together plans, ordering materials, and prefabricating the structure at the GMC barn. Last Monday, with the help of the Chittenden Dammers Snowmobile Club and a vigorous crew of GMC volunteers we made short work of moving the pre-cut materials up the New Boston Trail. Our field leadership team spent Thursday and Friday at the site putting the pieces together and just like that, the number of pits on the Long Trail falls from twelve to eleven!

Those of you who follow GMC privy updates like your favorite sports team will already be familiar, but why do we spend the time building these admittedly large outhouses?

At David Logan, we were digging a new pit every 2-3 years. The new moldering privy has two composting compartments which each take 5+ years to fill up. When the second crib is full, the material in the first will be fully composted and safe to dispose of on site. Then the cycle repeats…

Waste in a pit privy is in an anaerobic environment, by and large. This means it stinks and stays pathogenic for many years. Moldering privies smell better and turn waste into safe compost quickly!

As a new structure on Mt. Carmel State Forest, the new David Logan privy is ABA compliant! The idea of accessible structures in the backcountry often raises some eyebrows, so here are some things to consider:

  • Accessibility is a spectrum. People of different abilities use the trail in different ways and in different seasons.
  • A spacious privy and a few less stairs won’t change the rugged character of the Long Trail, and it might be just what you need at the end of a long day.
  • David Logan shelter (1976), replaced Carmel Camp (1949) which replaced the old Carmel Camp (1921). That campsite has been around for ninety-nine years! With staying power like that, we might as well be forward-thinking. In the future, who will David Logan Shelter be accessible to? Why not make sure we have a privy ready for them when they get there?

We have two more privy builds coming up this season. One of them, Sucker Brook, is in a wilderness area with a healthy pack-in. Feeling strong? Get in touch with us, we will be looking for volunteers!

 

Filed Under: From the Field, Hiking, Trail, Volunteers

Comments

  1. Corbies says

    August 17, 2020 at 1:17 am

    I thoroughly enjoyed this new privy, and the relatively new one at Gov Clement, on my recent thru hike. Thank you, GMC!

    Reply
  2. Richard Windish says

    August 25, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    Great job team!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 2020 Field Season Wrap Up - Green Mountain Club says:
    November 19, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    […] The effort continued towards ridding the LT system of unsustainable pit privies, as we installed three new accessible moldering privies. The outhouses were prefabricated by field assistant Rosalie Sharp, then built by staff at Rolston […]

    Reply

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Camel’s Hump: Hiker Reflections on Their Backyard Mountain

June 26, 2025

Rising from the spine of the Green Mountains, Camel's Hump is home to scenic views, a wilderness feel with its undeveloped summit, and choose-you-own-adventure hiking options. The mountain's proximity to more populated areas like Burlington and Waterbury make it a popular and well-hiked destination, … Read more

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The Green Mountain Club is the founder and maintainer of the Long Trail - the oldest long distance hiking trail in America. Established in 1910 to build this trail stretching the length of Vermont, the club now also maintains the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and trails in the Northeast Kingdom in its mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people." Read more...

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Join a guided hike on the Short Trail this summer!

Join the Green Mountain Club’s Visitor Services Manager, Emily Mosher, for a hike on the Short Trail! Learn more about hiking in Vermont, the Long Trail and the Green Mountain Club, and tips to have a successful hike as we explore the 0.5 mile loop at GMC’s headquarters building in Waterbury Center. These hikes are open to hikers of all ages, from beginner day hiker to seasoned backpacker. Hikes take place on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 10am, and on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 2pm. Allow about an hour with plenty of stops to explore.

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No RSVP necessary; for questions, email [email protected] or call 802-244-7037.