Come Celebrate our 10th Anniversary!
Join us at the West Monitor Barn in Richmond, VT for a night of good friends, live music from The Grift, pizza from Woodbelly, and lots of prizes to be won.
silent auction items generously donated by…
10 years of huts & high fives
Ten years ago, we set out to build a hut. But together, we’ve built so much more than that. From the start, our community of members, guests, volunteers, partners, caretakers, and general enthusiasts have amazed us with their support.
We’re so grateful that so many of you, like us, believe in the positive impact outdoor recreation can have on people, their communities, the environment, and their local economies. We certainly wouldn’t be here, celebrating our 10 year anniversary, if it wasn’t for you.
So…let’s celebrate!
Got any great photo memories from your hut adventures? Add them to our anniversary album!
here’s what we’ve been able to accomplish together over ten years:
hut history
July 12, 2016 – the meeting
There had been rumblings of concepts and ideas surrounding a Vermont hut network for years, but on this fateful night, RJ Thompson, Angus McCusker, Devin Littlefield, Dave Hardy, Brian Mohr, and Amy Kelsey met at the GMC headquarters in Waterbury Center, VT to discuss a “cohesive, four-season hut network that could serve multiple user groups.”
Devin and RJ raised their hands to move the initiative forward and begin an inventory of existing “hut style” accommodations in VT.
august 2016 – Things get real
Vermont Huts Association is established, a board is formed, and tons of outreach begins.
Fun fact: RJ got married just a few days after Vermont Huts incorporated, and Devin just a few weeks earlier. Hooray for supportive and tolerant partners!
October 2016 – in the news
Word of Vermont Huts reaches the media.
“This fall, a duo of diehard backcountry skiers created the Vermont Huts Association to chart and unify as many of Vermont’s huts as they can under a centralized system open year-round to skiers, bikers and hikers. Think of it like AirBnB for backcountry travelers.”
—VT Ski+Ride
August 2018 – First partner hut
Vermont Huts’ goal was to leverage existing huts (ie: partner huts) in Vermont while building new ones where gaps needed to be filled so as to offer a diverse and cohesive hut network to the public. The first partner hut to join our network was the Vermont River Conservancy’s, Nulhegan Confluence Hut, located at the confluence of the Nulhegan River and its East Branch.
September 2018 – our first real hut
Chittenden Brook Hut was the first hut that we brought to life. Our baby. This was significant because we were able to design it to fulfill our organizational mission—not just to build backcountry huts, but to build huts that were ADA-friendly and could accommodate a more diverse group of guests.
It was built off-site by students at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School and brought on-site by truck and crane. Did things go smoothly? No. There was a shortage of funding, it was delivered in a blizzard, and RJ’s partner was 8-months pregnant. Is it perfect? Yes. Sometimes you have to build the ship as it sails.
2019 – The Velomont is born
Similar to the idea of a state-wide hut network, the Velomont was not our idea. For years, a number of Vermont mountain bike chapters had been discussing how they could connect their trail networks. And as this conversation continued to evolve, it made sense that a long-distance bike trail be supported by a hut network. And so, Vermont Huts enters the chat. But it was Angus McCusker (current Velomont Trail Director), and the folks at Ridgeline Outdoor Collective in Rochester, that officially put shovel to dirt. What they created there became the first multi-day, hut-supported section of the Velomont—The Heart of the Greens.
February 2020 – first FOREST retreat
Our FOREST Program (Fostering Outdoor Recreation, Education, Sustainability, and Teamwork), aims to get more people outside more often. We partner with other nonprofits, schools, and communities to actively invite underserved youth and other historically marginalized communities onto the trails and into our huts entirely free of charge. We provide transportation, gear, and food along with an outdoor educator and curriculum tailored to suit the participants. Our first retreat was in partnership with Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sport—who had been helping get folks outside long before we launched the FOREST Program and who continue to be one of the best dang partners we could ask for in this endeavor.
January 2023 – Our Second Real Hut
While not as dramatic a birth as its older sibling, Chittenden Brook Hut, Grout Pond Hut was a huge milestone for Vermont Huts. It added to Vermont Huts’ “proof of concept,” and more importantly, another ADA-friendly hut in our network—expanding our ability to bring folks into the wilderness that may otherwise have barriers preventing them from doing so.
January 2025 – Randolph Hostel
Randolph is an incredible community and one that we are grateful to be joining. As we continue to connect the Velomont from Rochester to Randolph, we intend this building to be an affordable, ADA-accessible option for backcountry travelers and out-of-town visitors, alike. We’re also looking forward to being part of a strong community of local businesses and having a positive impact on the local economy.
April 2025 – The Rebrand
This revised name and logo more accurately represents the evolution of our work. In addition to growing our hut network, the Velmont had truly taken off and officially became a shared project with VMBA. While intent on growing our hut network, we were/are increasingly focused on connecting that network with adaptive-friendly trails—creating them sustainably and responsibly.
2026 and beyond
The next few years are going to by BUSY. In late 2025, the U.S. Forest Service has approved approximately 72 miles of National Forest System roads and trails in the Manchester Ranger District within the Green Mountain National Forest as part of the Velomont. This will enable us to extend the Velomont between Killington and Pittsfield, and extend connectivity from our Grout Pond Hut in southern Vermont. Additionally, we have new huts on the horizon, and of course, hundreds of FOREST participants and thousands of hut guests each year.
If you’ve read this far…wow. You’re clearly a true Hut Lover. Have you considered becoming a member? (Sorry, shameless plug.) We truly and deeply appreciate your involvement and enthusiasm in any capacity. We wouldn’t be celebrating 10 years without you. Thank you!
