[at-l] Lost Pond Shelter burned down

[MrsGorp@aol.com (MrsGorp)]

Goodmorning Campers. Here's an article that appeared in this morning's
Rutland Rag about Lost Pond Shelter:

Trail shelter is destroyed

November 20, 2001

By BRENT CURTIS Herald Staff

MOUNT TABOR — A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for
information about a fire that destroyed a lean-to on the Appalachian
and Long trails.

Kim Kinville, a law enforcement officer for the U.S. Forest Service,
said Monday that the Lost Pond Shelter was destroyed earlier this month
in a blaze she believes was intentionally set.

“There hasn’t been any lightning or other weather conditions that would
explain why it burned,” she said.

The facts in the case are sketchy.

Even the time of the blaze is unknown. A Forest Service employee
discovered the ashes of the 8-by-16-foot wooden shelter on Nov. 14.
But there was a two-week window before that when the fire could
have been set.

There was no evidence of an accelerant used to start the fire and clues
were scarce at the scene, she said.

The reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and
conviction of those involved, Kinville said.

The federal penalty for arson carries a maximum punishment of 20 years
imprisonment with a minimum of five years served and a $250,000 fine,
according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Malicious destruction of
government property could also be applicable in the case. The maximum
sentence for a felony charge of that sort is up to five years
imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, officials said.

Kinville said the Forest Service might not rebuild the shelter, one of
many located along the length of the two trails, because of the expense
and construction difficulties.

She estimated that it could cost as much as $13,000 to rebuild the
simple structure because of the logistics involved. No motorized
vehicles are allowed on the footpaths, so materials would need to be
airlifted to the remote site.

But, Kinville said, it could be a worthwhile investment to rebuild. The
shelters are popular, and often historic sites, visited by thousands of
hikers each year, she said.

The 36-year-old Lost Pond Shelter had originally been built in Cape Cod
and was transported piecemeal to the trail, she said.

“To us, these things add a lot of character to the trail,” she said.
“There’s probably thousands of people that visited it that are going to
find it’s no longer there.”



--

 - Posted via http://forums.backcountry.net