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Newly named Gorman Chairback Camps includes seven log cabins.

By TUX TURKEL Staff Writer July 25, 2007

TOWNSHIP 7, RANGE 9 — The dining hall at Gorman Chairback Camps is a busy place at 6:30 p.m. this summer. A crew building a cross-country ski trail for the Appalachian Mountain Club and construction workers renovating parts of the camp are living here. One night in early July, they were making supper after a hard day's work, and it was best to stay out of the way.

The result of their labor will be apparent this winter, when the AMC plans to open the camp to the public.

Skiers will be able to follow a six-mile route between Gorman Chairback and Little Lyford Pond Camps. They'll eat in an upgraded dining hall, with electricity supplied by the sun and a backup generator.

Gorman Chairback Camps is located on Long Pond, a secluded lake in the middle of the Katahdin Iron Works tract. The camp was on the original route of the Appalachian Trail before trail designers moved it onto mountain ridges.

The camp was once known as York's Long Pond Camps. More recently, it has been private.

The Appalachian Mountain Club reached an agreement last year to buy the camp from the current leaseholder and manage it as a sporting camp. It had been called Chairback Mountain Camps, but early this month the AMC announced a name change.

It now will be called Gorman Chairback Camps to honor Leon Gorman, former president of L.L. Bean, and his wife, Lisa. The Gormans are widely known for their contributions to conservation and recreation in New England. L.L. Bean has donated $500,000 to the AMC to support its Maine Woods Initiative. The company features the project prominently in its fall catalog.

Visitors to the camps today will find seven log cabins set on the edge of the pond. An unusual octagonal log building houses a small library. The feel here is remote and authentic, with gas lights, wood stoves and privies. That will change a bit over time, with a modern bath house and other comforts planned.

Guests who want to experience this area today can stay at the AMC's other structure on the lake, Moose Point Cabin. The primitive camp sleeps six and includes a kitchen, although meals aren't included. A canoe and kayak are part of the deal. The base rate for two adults is $90 a night.

Staff Writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at:

tturkel@pressherald.com