Jobs with the Appalachian Mountain Club

The number of Bates students that worked in the AMC and RMC huts this summer is astounding. So astounding that the college’s magazine commissioned one of its students to traverse the White Mountains to photograph all the Bates students/alumni working there.

The huts are own and run by the Appalachian Mountain Club, and for a hefty fee the club members can spend a night within these shelters that are fully equipped with care takers that cook your food and supply you with a warm place to sleep.

One of my good buddies worked up at the Greenleaf hut. On my birthday, I made the trip from Portland to the Whites and hiked up the short 3 mile trail to his place. This was my first experience with the huts. For an AMC member, staying in the hut requires reservations months ahead of time and forking over $$. For a Bates student with the right friends, a night in the hut requires little more than a positive attitude. No reservation (didn’t even let him know I was coming), no sleeping bag (I gamble that he’d have an extra one), no food (they’re always cooking something good), no boots (just sneakers), and no money.

I ran away to the mountains for my 22nd birthday because I wanted to do something special, free, and it was the only available day I had to drive out to New Hampshire. It seems like all my friends have cool jobs this summer, but working in the AMC or RMC huts are the most sought after for any outdoorsy college kid. I’m just happy to know that I can use them if I want to. Next time, maybe I’ll visit my friends at Lake of the Clouds.

Enjoy the pics!

-Graham

Here are some unpublished pictures taken by my buddy Lincoln Benedict, soon to be published in the college’s magazine.

hut

inside a hut

A class of 2008 Bates alumnus talking about weather patterns to AMC members outside of Greenleaf

Two Bates boys kickin' it after a hard days work with the AMC