The Old Man of The Mountains
It was 14 years ago today that the Old Man of The Mountains fell from his lofty perch in Franconia Notch. My wife and I had just moved to the North Conway area a month before, yet we too felt the collective sadness at the loss of the iconic figure that seemed to represent the solid nature of the NH spirit.
Perhaps too it was the all too real sense that time really keeps marching on and things change and can change fast. I don’t know. Whether it was our own mortality or the crumbling of the rock itself, we knew then that our child(ren) would never see what we saw. We have visited the site with our (now) 11 yr old son, but nothing can replace the wonder that the presence of that rock profile invoked.
The famous NH statesman Daniel Webster, for which many things in New Hampshire are named – including one of the most awe inspiring and grueling trails on Mt Madison, was quoted as saying: “Men hang out their signs indicative of their
respective trades; shoemakers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a
monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the
Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show
that there He makes men.”
Today a Park Honoring the History
These days visitors can visit the lake below the historic spot where the Old Man once gazed from endlessly, and through a series of artistic cutouts, can view a memorial to the Old Man. Some wonderful signs have been placed to explain the history and the historic efforts to stop the marching of time. On your next visit to the White Mountains of NH stop in Franconia Notch, just South of Cannon Mountain, and visit the park and tell your family what you remember about the Old Man of the Mountains in NH.
Written by Bill Barbin, Real Estate Broker with Keller Williams Lakes and Mountains Real Estate
You can reach Bill at 603-986-0385 or bill@ilovenorthconway.com