(This story is by Tommy Gardner, of the Stowe Reporter, in which it first appeared.)
The newly reopened Stone Hut made for an atypical press conference for Gov. Peter Shumlin last week, not just for the logistics of the visit — riding a snowcat on the first day of November high up the flank of Vermont’s tallest peak.
Also unusual: a state building project that came in early, on budget and with little or no cost to taxpayers.
The Stone Hut, a historic structure whose name describes its simplicity and ruggedness, is back, roughly 10 months after the original 80-year-old structure went up in smoke on Christmas Eve.
“It really is a story of how we do things in Vermont. We are Vermont strong, and this is proving it. When tragedy hits, we pull together and we say, let’s put it back better than the way we found it,” Shumlin said. “That hearty crew that crawled up here 80 years ago to put this Stone Hut up would be incredibly proud of all of you.”
Other than that new-hut smell — rough-hewn boards and ceiling beams in the crisp fall air — the hut looks largely unchanged. Fire may scar and blacken stone, but it doesn’t burn it, and workers were able to stabilize the walls within days of the blaze. Later, they scoured the rocks clean.
Robie Stoner — Shumlin joked he was hired because of his last name — was lead architect on the project.
He said the goal was to keep the place as close to the original 1936 structure as possible, but with modern-day safety and comfort features that are all but hidden to the casual user.
“The improvements should make it a little more comfortable, and the wood stove will burn a lot more efficiently,” Stoner said.
“We are very proud of that history,” said Michael Snyder, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. “This was a challenge, a significant challenge, and it’s a testament to how we overcome challenges. We’re about moving forward.”
That efficiency was helped along with minimal bureaucracy and lots of love from fans of the Stone Hut. Shumlin said the project will wrap “most likely without any cost to Vermont taxpayers. Lots of generous donors.”
Insurance will pay for most of the estimated $276,000 restoration project, after a $100,000 deductible. Vermont Parks Forever, a foundation that raises money for the state parks, received $162,000 in gifts toward rebuilding the Stone Hut.
That includes a $150,000 donation from Jake and Donna Carpenter, of Stowe, founders of Burton Snowboards. They had rented the place last year when the fire broke out. Their sons and some friends had taken some wet firewood into the hut, placed it against the wood stove to dry out, and then skied away, in the belief someone would be using the place that night.
That next guest never arrived, and the hut went up in smoke. No charges were ever pressed, and the fire was deemed an accident by state fire investigators.
A year later, and Vermont State Parks is again accepting applications for people hoping to stay over in the famed hut. The state uses a lottery system to determine who gets to stay there.
There have been a few minor tweaks to the system, which the state says is the most logical way to choose overnighters.
This year, Snyder said, people who had reservations last year get priority going into the 2016-17 ski season. After all spots are filled, any leftover nights are first-come, first-served.
It’s a popular getaway, and only about 20 percent of the people applying get to stay. Good news: It sleeps 12.
“It’s magic, in a word,” Snyder said. “You are near the top of Vermont’s tallest peak, in winter, often in harsh conditions, securely nestled into this beautiful facility that has history. It’s warm and you’re with 11 of your best friends and family.”
