Sun lit shelters, leaky roofs

[weary]

Over the years several have praised the skylights on many Maine shelters, that allow the sun into the remote recesses of the Adirondak style leantos used in Maine. Others have cursed the rain that often leaks in around these skylights. Those who think a shelter should protect users from rain have won. This summer the MATC campsite committee has begun removing the skylights because of the numerous complaints of them leaking whenever it rains, and the inability to find a sealant that works. This month the skylights were removed from two leantos -- Pleasant Pond and Baldpate. The skylight will be removed from the Bemis Shelter on August 27. The remaining skylights on nine other shelters will come out within three years, the committee reports.

The skylights are an innovation that failed. The skylights have "proven to be leaky, fragile, and faded," the committee says in a report in the club's newsletter, the "MAINEtainer." which went to press today. The old corrogated plastic is carefully removed, along with multiple layers of duct tape, and multiple layers of goop, "some white, some black, some gray," providing evidence of the numerous attempts to prevent leaking.

New metal inserts are being eased in to prevent future leaks. It's not an easy chore. The heavy 4 foot by 12 foot metal replacement panel had to be carried up a steep hill and along two miles of trail from the nearest trailhead to reach the Baldpate leanto in Grafton Notch.