Deep in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is Franconia Notch, which is beautiful as you drive along the parkway, but even better if you stop for a spell to take in the interesting geology that shaped this area.
Getting to the Mark
The place marked is Profile Plaza. To get there, from the Franconia Parkway, take the exit for Cannon Mountain ski resort, then follow signs for Profile Lake and Profile Plaza. There are two parking areas. From either lot, follow the pathway south to the north end of Profile Lake and Profile Plaza. At the upper lot is a modest wooden structure which houses both a small natural history display about the area and a gift shop.
Geographical Description
When you arrive, you have a great view of the notch. To the east is a north-south mountain formation. The nearest part, with bare rock ledges is Eagle Cliff. South of that rises Mt. Lafayette (5249 ft) and Lincoln (5108 ft). To the west is Cannon Mtn-Profile Mtn. and Kinsman Mtn. The valley between is deep and green. The parkway passes through at the bottom. Profile Lake is at the base of sheer cliffs on the south side of Cannon Mtn. At the base are rocks and boulders making up tallus (not visible from here).
The plaza itself was dedicated in 2011, though finishing touches were completed in 2015. Aside from a great view all around, the plaza features several posts that have features at the end that, when standing in the correct position, will provide a reconstructed view of 'Old Man of the Mountain,' a simulacra formation of rock that was so recognizable as the side (profile) of a human face that it was made a symbol of the state of New Hampshire, itself. The following section describes the geology and what happened to 'Old Man of the Mountain.'
Geology
The geology is complex - this is only a summary of the processes that shaped this notch.
The rocks that make up the White Mountains may be as old as 440 million years, as tectonic activity started to close the proto Atlantic Ocean. Most of the rocks that survive today are granitic plutons, but highly metamorphasized rock is present as well. As this was happening an volcanic Island chain (something like the islands that make up modern Japan), called the Bronson Hill formation, began to build of the early North American continent and slammed into the continent collided with the proto North American continent and the Green Mountains of Vermont were formed on the North American plate and the White Mountains were formed on the African-European plate. About 200 years ago, the plates separated, forming the modern Atlantic Ocean. But, when the continents split, a portion of the African-European plate was left behind - where the White Mountains are located.
The mountains were much higher than they are today. Erosion has worked on these mountains since they were formed. A series of glacial periods happened, but only the Wisconsin glaciation left its mark on the landscape. This period peaked 18,000 - 20,000 years ago, when ice a mile or more thick, covered all of New England. Naturally, the ice ground the mountains down and pushed the rubbish further south.
In the period after the last glacier, the landscape greened. The terrain continued to erode with the help of the sun, wind, rain, and the ice and water on and in the ground. The cliffs near the lake exhibit 'exfoliation,' a process where portions of the cliffs have been ripped from the mountain side from weather processes like onion layers. The tallus is piled up at the base of the cliffs here and at other places in the notch.
Over time, the formation of the Old Man of the Mountain was sculpted. I had thought that this formation was as old as the retreat of the glaciers in this region, maybe about 10,000 years ago. However, a volunteer at the plaza that I talked to said that there is debate about its age. The profile as we knew it may have been maybe as young as approx. 300 years old. The reason is that though this is clearly recognizable as a human feature, it is curious that the Native Americans who lived here, including camping at the location of the plaza, did not have much oral history about the feature, unlike another feature - Indian Head or the head of Pemigewasett, further south. The feature was discovered by European settlers in 1805.
The Old Man of the Mountain lasted until May 3, 2003. Not that efforts weren't made to preserve it as long as possible. Deep fissures in the forehead were discovered in the 1920. Large chains were put in place to fix the forehead in place. In 1957, 20 tons of concrete were poured in to, and steel cabling and plastic sheeting were used to weatherproof the feature. Teams of people volunteered to repel and maintain the head. One of the volunteers there I talked to was one of those people. Nevertheless, at about midnight to 2:00 am, a rock gave way at the 'Adams Apple' causing the chin to fall. This led to other events and most of the face and forehead fell, as well, to the valley below. The plaza was built as the best way to remember the feature that was respectful and non-intrusive.
It's this kind of event that reminds us that in geology, even the mountains are not 'forever.'
Take a walk around to see the historical signs and the artifacts, including one of the steel cables that held the forehead in place. Also enjoy the beauty of Profile Lake and the towering mountains that surround the lake.
Sources:
Bradford Van Diver, Roadside Geology of Vermont and New Hampshire, Mountain Press Publishing Company: Missoula, MT, 1987.
Cannon Mountain (Old Man of the Mountain):
(
visit link)
The Notches of New Hampshire:
(
visit link)
Philly.com (New Hampshire Region is a Notch Above Franconia):
(
visit link)
Wikipedia (Old Man of the Mountain):
(
visit link)