Lake Mansfield is a reservoir nestled in the mountains west of Stowe, Vermont. Mount Mansfield (highest in Vermont) lies 5 miles to the north of the lake.
It was created in 1901 by the Lake Mansfield Trout Club, who maintain it to this day. A lodge for members sits on the shore.
Over the years, club members built quite a number of hiking trails among the surrounding hills and valleys. Maintenance was sporadic and trails frequently fell into disuse, becoming difficult or impossible to follow. At least, that is, until a fresh cadre of members stepped forward with axes, saws and paint brush to reopen the overgrown paths and sign blazes.
I spent a period in my younger years exploring the trails. This involved a lot of bushwhacking as some had not been maintained in over a decade.
The longest of them is the Kingsford Trail, and to me the most interesting. It was named for Dr. Howard N. Kingsford [1871-1950], a physician who was President of the trout club from the 1920s (if memory serves) until his death. With help from other members, Dr. Kingsford opened the trail around or about 1915. According to an obituary that appeared in the Dartmouthh alumni magazine, he was director of Dartmouth Medical School and served in the New Hampshire legislature during WWII.
I spent the summer of 1976 as caretaker at Twin Brooks Tenting Area on the Long Trail, the first year it was open to the public. This gave opportunity to explore the surrounding area and several of the Trout Club trails. I recall a solo trek on the Kingsford Trail, which leaves Lake Mansfield and wends north over Mount Dewey (3,320 feet) before descending to the Dewey-Forehead col (referring here to the southmost summit of Mount Mansfield). At the col, elevation 2,600 feet, lies Devil's Dishpan, a gloomy and broad crack in the rock holding a brackish pool of water.
Bob Hagerman heard about my explorations and asked me to guide him to the spot, which he referred to as "Devil's Washbasin". This was after he had published "Mansfield: The Story of Vermont's Loftiest Mountain" and, as I recall, the geological feature never made it into the book. Anyway, we started at Lake Mansfield, hiked the Long Trail past the tenting area, and walked the 1/4 mile from the trail to the pool. We followed up by hiking the Kingsford Trail over Mount Dewey and back to the Trout Club where we had started.
Devil's Dishpan is known to many cross country skiers, as a X-C ski trail crosses over the Dewey-Forehead col, just a few feet above the pool. The trail existed prior to my explorations in the mid-1970s.
During that summer of 1976 I befriended several Trout Club members who regaled me with the extensive history of the club, the trails they built, and fond memories of Dr. Kingsford. I compiled quite a bit of research and notes which I thought one day I would write down into an historical article about the trails. All of which I discarded (to my great regret now) when I retired and downsized to just a few boxes of belongings in preparation for my move to China.
In 2017 I returned to Vermont to relive hikes of my youth. Starting at Lake Mansfield, I hiked the Long Trail to the summit of Mount Mansfield with overnight stays at Taylor Lodge, Twin Brooks, and Butler Lodge. On the first day I stopped at the Trout Club and happened to stumble upon a copy of "Lake Mansfield Trout Club Trails", a 32-page guide to 15 trails maintained (off and on) by their members. To my astonishment, some of the explorations I had made four decades earlier were noted in the guidebook. I had no recollection of writing anything about those hikes, but there they were. At least I could feel a little bit better about the rash decision to trash my research notes. The Lake Mansfield trail system survived in print and on land. Hurrah! It had not, would and indeed should not, vanish from human memory for all eternity!
The guidebook was written around or about 1999, apparently as part of the Trout Club's centenary celebration. Upon discovering it in 2017, I immediately set aside my hiking plans to make a copy. I would have to hurry though as I wanted to reach Taylor Lodge before dark. I proceeded despite lack of good light in the late afternoon, but managed to make a usable photographic record.
For those with a special interest in New England trails, I am making available a .pdf copy of the guidebook. This is for private use ONLY for people with scholarly or historical intentions. No public posting. Message me with an email address and I will send it along.
It was created in 1901 by the Lake Mansfield Trout Club, who maintain it to this day. A lodge for members sits on the shore.
Over the years, club members built quite a number of hiking trails among the surrounding hills and valleys. Maintenance was sporadic and trails frequently fell into disuse, becoming difficult or impossible to follow. At least, that is, until a fresh cadre of members stepped forward with axes, saws and paint brush to reopen the overgrown paths and sign blazes.
I spent a period in my younger years exploring the trails. This involved a lot of bushwhacking as some had not been maintained in over a decade.
The longest of them is the Kingsford Trail, and to me the most interesting. It was named for Dr. Howard N. Kingsford [1871-1950], a physician who was President of the trout club from the 1920s (if memory serves) until his death. With help from other members, Dr. Kingsford opened the trail around or about 1915. According to an obituary that appeared in the Dartmouthh alumni magazine, he was director of Dartmouth Medical School and served in the New Hampshire legislature during WWII.
I spent the summer of 1976 as caretaker at Twin Brooks Tenting Area on the Long Trail, the first year it was open to the public. This gave opportunity to explore the surrounding area and several of the Trout Club trails. I recall a solo trek on the Kingsford Trail, which leaves Lake Mansfield and wends north over Mount Dewey (3,320 feet) before descending to the Dewey-Forehead col (referring here to the southmost summit of Mount Mansfield). At the col, elevation 2,600 feet, lies Devil's Dishpan, a gloomy and broad crack in the rock holding a brackish pool of water.
Bob Hagerman heard about my explorations and asked me to guide him to the spot, which he referred to as "Devil's Washbasin". This was after he had published "Mansfield: The Story of Vermont's Loftiest Mountain" and, as I recall, the geological feature never made it into the book. Anyway, we started at Lake Mansfield, hiked the Long Trail past the tenting area, and walked the 1/4 mile from the trail to the pool. We followed up by hiking the Kingsford Trail over Mount Dewey and back to the Trout Club where we had started.
Devil's Dishpan is known to many cross country skiers, as a X-C ski trail crosses over the Dewey-Forehead col, just a few feet above the pool. The trail existed prior to my explorations in the mid-1970s.
During that summer of 1976 I befriended several Trout Club members who regaled me with the extensive history of the club, the trails they built, and fond memories of Dr. Kingsford. I compiled quite a bit of research and notes which I thought one day I would write down into an historical article about the trails. All of which I discarded (to my great regret now) when I retired and downsized to just a few boxes of belongings in preparation for my move to China.
In 2017 I returned to Vermont to relive hikes of my youth. Starting at Lake Mansfield, I hiked the Long Trail to the summit of Mount Mansfield with overnight stays at Taylor Lodge, Twin Brooks, and Butler Lodge. On the first day I stopped at the Trout Club and happened to stumble upon a copy of "Lake Mansfield Trout Club Trails", a 32-page guide to 15 trails maintained (off and on) by their members. To my astonishment, some of the explorations I had made four decades earlier were noted in the guidebook. I had no recollection of writing anything about those hikes, but there they were. At least I could feel a little bit better about the rash decision to trash my research notes. The Lake Mansfield trail system survived in print and on land. Hurrah! It had not, would and indeed should not, vanish from human memory for all eternity!
The guidebook was written around or about 1999, apparently as part of the Trout Club's centenary celebration. Upon discovering it in 2017, I immediately set aside my hiking plans to make a copy. I would have to hurry though as I wanted to reach Taylor Lodge before dark. I proceeded despite lack of good light in the late afternoon, but managed to make a usable photographic record.
For those with a special interest in New England trails, I am making available a .pdf copy of the guidebook. This is for private use ONLY for people with scholarly or historical intentions. No public posting. Message me with an email address and I will send it along.
