Drawing of the future cabin

Camelot Bunkhouse Project 2024

A core part of the MITOC community, and in particular our access to the mountains, continues to be our well-loved “Camelot” cabin, located in central New Hampshire. As you may know, Camelot was built in the 1970s (on a shoestring budget), and it is nearing the end of its useful life. Since 2013, the Outing Club has been working to build new, safe and modern sleeping quarters on the Camelot property, which will ensure that MITOC can fulfill our mission for decades to come.

MITOC partnered with Maclay Architects to design a new bunkhouse for Camelot which will be located approximately 100m from the existing cabin. The new bunkhouse will contain five bedrooms (sleeping ten persons each), a large central hallway, and a covered deck. We anticipate the cost of the new bunkhouse to be approximately $500,000.

With the design now complete, we are actively seeking donations. If you are able, please consider donating to help us hit our fundraising target in 2024. We are breaking ground on site preparation in 2024, and fundraising permitting, we will complete the new bunkhouse in late 2024 or early 2025. This project will ensure we can fulfill our mission for the next generation of MITOCers.

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Circus

A circus is a weekend of hiking and climbing trips in New Hampshire. It’s a great way to meet fellow outdoorsy folks and check out the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

How do circuses work?

Anywhere from 30 - 70 participants carpool up to MITOC’s Camelot cabin in Groton, New Hampshire on Friday night. Once everyone gets to the cabin, we plan hiking and climbing trips for Saturday. On Saturday we split into smaller groups going to different destinations in the White Mountains. After their trips on Saturday, everyone returns to the cabin, and we’ll cook dinner, roast marshmallows, and plan trips for Sunday.

When are circuses held?

Circii are held roughly monthly April through October. They will be announced on the main MITOC mailing lists at least two weeks in advance. Signups usually close the Monday before the circus. There will be a pre-trip meeting the Wednesday before the circus. For more specifics, see the announcement email and trip signup page.

Who can come on a circus?

All levels of hiker and climber are welcome. There will be trips ranging from beginner to difficult. Circuses are the first MITOC trip for many.

Climbing at Circus

Due to the nature of leading safe climbing trips, space is very limited. Climbing trips require a significant amount of time investment and attention from the leader. It’s more like an apprenticeship than a group trip. We highly recommend that those interested in starting outdoor rock climbing:

We unfortunately don’t have the resources to take everyone who wants to try rock climbing at circus, so be flexible and come prepared to go hiking if the beginner climbing trips are full.

Costs

The fee for the trip is $0 for current undergraduate students, $20 for MIT affiliates and MIT grad students, $30 for non-affiliated grad students, and $40 for all others. This covers all gear rentals (sleeping bags, pads, tents, etc.), breakfast Saturday and Sunday, dinner on Saturday, cabin usage, and White Mountains permits. You must also be a current MITOC member (you can pay membership dues here) and plan on reimbursing your driver for your share of gas costs (budget $40-60 for this).

Please do not let cost be a reason not to attend. MITOC is committed to helping promote access to the outdoors and has the ability to waive trip and/or membership fees. Contact the Circus chairs if you would like to request a fee waiver.

Questions?

Contact circus-chair@mit.edu.