Harris Cabin II

Harris Centennial Cabin Inauguration

Friday, October 12, 12 noon to 6 PM

Volunteer Work Day with alums and DOC work crews

Saturday, October 13, All Day

Volunteer Work Day with alums and DOC work crews
DOC Advisory Meeting, 10 to 11:30 AM
Light lunch for volunteers, 12 Noon to 12:30 PM
Inaugural Ceremony, 4 to 5 PM
DOC Classic Barbeque, 5 to 7 PM

Sunday, October 14, 9 AM to 5 PM

Volunteer Work Day

Join us for any or all of the weekend’s events. Bring friends, class mates, and family. Come to share in this rare celebration of the Dartmouth Outing Club’s past, present and future. Enjoy this fall weekend in the company of DOC students, alums, and friends from seven decades. Share the hills and trails and the woods, and see in action the traditions that will not fail.

The Harris Centennial Cabin sits at the site of the first DOC Cabin, and is the fifth cabin on the site. Its construction is the largest undertaken since the building of the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge in 1938. The project began in the fall of 2005, and has been designed and built almost entirely by student crews and volunteers. It will serve the DOC, the College, and the Upper Valley community when it is completed.

You will see it in its last stages of completion, and you will have the unique opportunity not only to see it, but also participate in its completion.

Directions

From the Green, follow East Wheelock Street up and over Balch Hill and down to the village of Etna in 4.3 miles. When you come to the T-junction in Etna, turn left onto Two Mile Road. After 0.8 miles, turn right onto Rudsboro Road, follow it along the brook for 1.5 miles, and turn left onto Three Mile Road. Follow this road as it ascends uphill, crests, and descends again. About 1.3 miles from Rudsboro Road, the AT crosses the road (you’ll see trail signs) but keep going. In a few more minutes you’ll see a small dirt parking area on the right — you can park here and follow the trail to Harris Cabin (about a 10 minute walk that includes a log bridge over a stream). Often (but not always) there is a big white Sprinter Van or a 4-wheeler in the parking area, in case you have any doubt.

History of the Harris Cabin Site

The new Harris Cabin is a revival of the Moose Mountain lodge named after Fred Harris, class of 1911. The first Harris Cabin was built from 1949-1952. It stood 35 feet by 45 feet, enjoyed a large living/dining area with a huge stone chimney, and a kitchen capable of serving 50-60 people. The cabin, only 7 miles from campus and near the popular Moose Mountain ski trails made it a popular site for DOC club meals and parties. It served this role for 40 years.

In 1992, the cabin was abandoned and slated for burning in February of ’93. While the burning never occurred, the DOC never found anyone willing to lead the refurbishing and maintenance of the cabin. Interest in the cabin revived in 2000, when Cabin and Trail decided to replace the roof on the cabin. The following winter, however, heavy snows collapsed the structure. The cabin remained in its collapsed state, still dominated by the large stone chimney, until Christopher Polashenski ’07 submitted plans to rebuild it.

Harris Cabin II

Conceived, designed, and built by current Dartmouth students and recent alumni, Harris Cabin will be a large cabin, suitable for groups of 50-60 people and capable of sleeping 30. Harris Cabin was the first built by the DOC in 1913, and today is the largest project undertaken since the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge was constructed in 1939. Christopher Polashenski ’07 proposed the project, complete with a history and site evaluation, two years ago.

The cabin is part of a push by the DOC to maintain among its members the skill set necessary for building shelters, even as students turn over every four years. These skills have been lost in the gap since the DOC built its last cabin in 1990. Harris Cabin’s current workers learned from experts of the Adirondacks and Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, then decided to build the cabin in “American Scribe” style — the cabin has been built by carving notches into the logs and no nails are used in the construction. Logs are from trees in the Second College Grant in Northern New Hampshire.

2007 Crew

The 2007 summer has seen a crew of about five students working diligently from where last fall’s crew left off. The crew nearly completed the roof, as well as rebuilding half of the stone chimney to fit between the roof rafters. With these projects completed, work began on finishing the interior. The main room floor was leveled and insulated, the walls were framed and beautiful pine siding installed, the roof flashing around the chimney and stove pipes was waterproofed, and the windows were installed. Remaining work includes everything from flooring to shingling, doors to windows, and, of course, the kitchen! There is still plenty of work to do! The cabin still needs a wood shed and privy. More importantly, we need volunteers to do it! Please think about giving a couple hours of your time to this amazing project. If you enjoyed youur DOC Trip, here is something else I’m sure you will enjoy too!