Joe Dodge: One New Hampshire Institution

by William Lowell Putnam

Lonesome Lake Hut is the first sign of civilization on the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire since Hanover, 67 miles to the south, thanks to Joe Dodge. A decade later he had rebuilt all five huts in the Appalachian Mountain Club System, then built three new ones in some of the most inaccessible plots of land in the Northeast.

161 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[David Vaccaro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bummer for the book I finish my goal on to be a 1-star. I figured “oh, a book about a NH outdoor figure! That must be pretty good?!” No. This book is not good. It’s like being stuck in a conversation that you don’t want to be in for 144 pages. Anecdotal story after anecdotal story with no meaning to any of it. This book left me extremely frustrated because a book about Joe Dodge should be cool.

[Jeff DeRosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It does not read like a biography or a history book. But it does offer some fine biographical and historical material. But really, it's a collection of conversations between two men. And the anecdotal material within this book reveals much about the history of both the AMC and the MWOBS. Definitely worth the read for folks who have a desire for knowledge of the White Mountains; and for people who wish some of that knowledge came from sitting down for a glass (or three) of Laphroaig with Joe Dodge; a legend in the White Mountains.

[Zyzyxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly anecdotes and dialog. Much easier to read if you have familiarity with some of the areas of the WMNF, such a mt Washington's trails and Pinkham Notch. Good pictures and a smooth read.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a frequent hiker, skier, and camper of the White Mountains, I really wanted to like this book about the legendary Joe Dodge, who pioneered the AMC hut system and was just an omnipresent figure in so much White Mountain lore. Sadly, although the author of this book knew Joe Dodge and was able to include a lot of first-person narrative, I found it to be very rambling, with little coherent context provided in between the huge chunks of unbroken text. The stories themselves are interesting, but Dodge's colloquial style-- rendered unedited-- was distracting. Dodge's epic life deserves an epic biography, but this isn't it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The organization of the book was a bit all over the place but it was great to learn about a legend!