In Memoriam: One year ago

[Stephen]

http://www4.fosters.com/april_2004/April_29/News/reg_nh_0429k.asp

It’s been a year since New Hampshire’s Old Man fell
By DAVID TIRRELL-WYSOCKI

FRANCONIA, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain fell out of sight a year ago, but he is hardly out of mind.

People still stop at viewing areas in Franconia Notch to gaze at the jagged cliff that once held the stern granite profile that graces New Hampshire license plates, police patches, highway signs and the state quarter.

Many still take photos of — well, not much.

"We always came to look at it and now there’s nothing to look at, but we had to come," said Melissa Peluso of Boston, who stopped by on a rainy day recently.

In the Old Man’s place is an undefined, jagged cliff. Observant viewers will notice one area that’s a light rust color, not the dark, weathered gray of most of the rocks 1,200 feet above the valley floor. That’s where the 40-foot-high profile perched until May 3, 2003.

They also might notice lighter-colored gouges a little farther down the mountain. Those close to the Old Man call them scars. That’s where the tons of rocks that once made up the profile dropped onto a cliff below, broke into smithereens and tumbled into a boulder field.

"It feels more like a graveyard than anything else," said David Nielsen, who has been in the boulder field. His family took care of the profile for decades, patching cracks and checking the thick metal rods and turnbuckles that fought against the freezing and thawing that eventually pried him loose.

Nielsen said some boulder-sized pieces of the Old Man can be recovered, and probably will end up in a museum dedicated to him.

Recommended by a task force, the museum will be built at the base of Cannon Mountain, a popular skiing mountain in the notch, the local term for a mountain pass.

On Monday, the anniversary, the state will unveil viewfinders in parking areas that give visitors a closeup look at what remains on the perch, and an image of the profile before it fell.

That evening, the state will present its first Profile Awards to an individual, a community and an organization who have honored New Hampshire’s heritage or treasures. Officials also will kick off a drive to raise money to carry out the task force’s recommendations.

They include a traveling display and a curriculum for schools and libraries to teach about the geology and significance of the Old Man.

The significance was felt keenly by Nielsen, whose father’s ashes were tucked into the profile’s eye when the father died after decades of being the profile’s caretaker. Though the son has had a busy year — with the task force, his retirement as town police chief and the start of a new job — he said memories of the Old Man have been with him constantly.

"How often do you think about when your mother or father died, or grandmother and grandfather died?" he said. "The first couple of years after they pass away, you think about them almost on a daily basis, whether you are flat out busy or not. That’s kind of what the Old Man is."

When Nielsen and some Old Man volunteers hiked to the perch last summer, it was "a very solemn kind of visit to see and to remember things that you took for granted and are not there anymore."

"It was very haunting to be there," he said.

Dick Hamilton, president of the tourism group White Mountain Attractions, drives by the site every day. He said seeing the scars and knowing the remains are strewn through the boulder field is spooky.

"I get a little worked up when I go by and look up and know all that stuff is there," he said.

"Some nights, when conditions are kind of strange, and a cloud goes by, the hair stands up on the back of my neck. It’s doing it right now as I’m talking to you," he said.

Hamilton spent a lot of time last summer watching and listening as people gazed toward the Old Man’s perch.

"One couple from Massachusetts was looking up and they said ‘You know, (John) asked me to marry him right here,"’ Hamilton said.

Former Gov. Steve Merrill, who led the task force, said it received notes from around the world recounting other personal connections. An Australian couple said they first saw the profile on their honeymoon. Others wrote of bringing aging family members to see the Old Man for the last time before they died.

Merrill said balancing respect for the past with the urge to preserve something meaningful was daunting.

"For all of us, it was as though we were treading on sacred ground," he said.

The task force received more than 5,000 suggestions. Several hundred supported rebuilding the profile in plaster, rubber or fiberglass, or by way of a holographic image projected into the sky.

The idea of rebuilding prompted passionate debate: Some said future generations deserved a replica; others said that would dishonor a symbol of authenticity and integrity.

Merrill said two developments weighed against rebuilding. "First, the state geologist told us ... the ice and snow had eaten sufficiently into the fissures on the face that whatever we put there would fall, probably sooner, not later."

And, he said, over time, people "came to see what nature put there, nature should also take away."

At the mountain, the debate hasn’t died.

Bill and Janice Huntley of Madison brought their grandchildren to see the remains during school vacation last week. Huntley, 66, would like to see something back on the cliff. "Now it looks something like a gargoyle."

But Janice Huntley, 60, who has been coming to see the profile for 54 years, opposes rebuilding.

"It’s one of those things you expect will always be there, so to see it gone is a sadness. But by the same token, life changes, so things change," she said.

 

[MtnMagic]

Too bad the original sign had to be removed in the Notch as two were caught trying to steal it the following night.

Thank you for posting this article. It kept my interest wondering if/when May 3 was to be mentioned. Local papers bustling with the news of a NH State sponsored memorial for the Old Man.

 

[riverc0il]

thanks for posting this article. cannon mountain is my favorite ski area and i made the drive through the notch about 10 times this year. i found myself looking up at the perch more often this year than in previous years when the old man was still there. strange how that works. glad to hear they decided to go with a museum and looks like there will be no attempt at a so called rebuild or full scale replica.

 

[Greg]

teachski has some great images of Old Man postcards on her site:

http://teachski.com/oldman/oldman.htm

 

[Stephen]

My wife made this last night from a photo I took:

-Stephen

 

[MtnMagic]

Wow is that great!

In fact it's a million dollar idea.

Quick, copyright it.

 

[SilentCal]

I remember the first time I brought Grace to the Whites. Coming southbound through the Notch, I mentioned to her that we were about to pass the Old Man and that she should look up to see. She stares out the window and keeps asking where? I keep saying right there but she never caught on. Two days later I cruised into the northbound viewing area and point it out to her. She turns to me straight-faced and says "those don't look like any of those faces like Mt. Rushmore." :roll:

But everytime I pass through the Notch now, I always gaze upward and find myself looking for the Old Man in other rock formations.

 

[MtnMagic]

Yes, I too look at the location of the Old Man and remember. Though this was a natural event it's like New Yorkers looking at former location of the Twin Towers and remembering. I know I'll remember and will be flying my flag on a summit this 9/11.

I now look at the profile at Indian Head. Did you great folks know you still have the cannon on Mt Cannon to view?! Don't tell me you haven't heard of it or seen it! It's just around the curve above Profile Lake.
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It's always been there!

 

[MichaelJ]

I've never successfully seen the Cannon, but I now see the Eaglet every time I drive through the Notch...

 

[SilentCal]

The Cannon is tough to see while moving. I've only seen it down on the walkway to the old man viewing area. Is there a herd path to that rock????

Indian Head looks best in the fall when the colors are in full bloom and the backside of Mt. Pemi looks like a full headdress. The one that stumps me is the Owl's Head. The Imp is interesting too.

 

[MtnMagic]

No herd path that I know of. Incidentally, there is a trail from the West that is no longer on maps that goes to the Cannon Mtn summit. It is a hidden branch off the Coppermine Trail. I just hiked it Saturday. You are in solitude with plenty of big game. There is lots of fresh scat and tracks to prove it!

I'll have to take a pic of the cannon sometime and post it. If you know where to look it's easy to spot in a moving car.
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Very dangerous if you are the driver!

 

[skican]

Oh boy, I can hardly wait. I really miss the old man. Now the kids can have something else to roll their eyes over. I will repeat it each time we go by. Oh look kids.....

 

[MichaelJ]

Hey Magic - talk to me about that trail ... I'm hoping to climb Cannon on May 15th and a "different" approach sounds tempting if I end up not solo...

 

[teachski]

I remember the day they discovered that the OMM had come down. I was traveling about in NH looking for old brochures and post cards to display on my website. I was actually in a shop near Manchester, NH when I heard it come over the radio. I was actively looking through the post cards at the time. Hearing that I started to pull OMM cards. When I went to check out the clerk sorted out the OMM cards and told me they were no longer for sale. He refused to sell them to me because, "now I can sell them for a lot more. I'm gonna wait a few days and see how high they go." I left, leaving the rest of my purchase there as well and went to another shop. I found many different OMM cards at the next shop and they were much less than the other guy's original price. I bought them and posted them on my site. Greg has put a link to this section of my site above. (Thanks Greg)

 

[MtnMagic]

Michael, what do you wish to know about the more than twice as long as those commonly used trails to ascend the Cannon Mtn summit?! Instead of a 2 miler, it is about 4.5. That is just one way. So let's hike. Off those commonly beaten paths.
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And a route few will ever hike!

 

[Greg]

I remember the day they discovered that the OMM had come down. I was traveling about in NH looking for old brochures and post cards to display on my website. I was actually in a shop near Manchester, NH when I heard it come over the radio. I was actively looking through the post cards at the time. Hearing that I started to pull OMM cards. When I went to check out the clerk sorted out the OMM cards and told me they were no longer for sale. He refused to sell them to me because, "now I can sell them for a lot more. I'm gonna wait a few days and see how high they go." I left, leaving the rest of my purchase there as well and went to another shop. I found many different OMM cards at the next shop and they were much less than the other guy's original price. I bought them and posted them on my site. Greg has put a link to this section of my site above. (Thanks Greg)

You're welcome. Interesting story too. Thanks for sharing.

 

[David Metsky]

Here is a place selling lots of Old Man stuff.

-dave-

 

[jjmcgo]

My wife and I, both 56, went through Franconia Notch a couple of weeks ago for the first time since the Old Man fell. It had been there all our lives and now, gone.
As I stared at the mountain, it occurred to me that in New England you have a greater chance of seeing the Earth evolve than of seeing a Red Sox World Series victory.