When our chapter started on this adventure of creating a FreakOut in the White Mountains, Luis bought me this 1945 souvenir folder of postcards as inspiration.
Notice who’s on the front and has his own postcard inside as well.
Most everyone has heard of the beloved New Hampshire symbol, The Old Man of the Mountain. When you come to New Hampshire you will see him everywhere. Everywhere, except on the side of Cannon Mountain. On May 3, 2003 the rock formation known as The Old Man of the Mountain broke away from the mountain.
Although it was a shock for New Hampshire residents, the fragile state of the beloved symbol was not unknown. There had been many caretakers, spanning more than 100 years who worked to preserve the 5 ledges that made up the face of the Old Man on the side of Cannon mountain.
Hearing about the Old man’s demise made me think back to all the family vacations to the mountains that included a stop at Profile Lake to see the Old Man. I’d put a coin in one of the binocular machines focus it on the Old Man and stare until the little shutter came smacking down to block my view. Great fun!
In the following days of the collapse there were many discussions about what to do. My personal view was the Old Man was gone, the last shutter had fallen and I did not follow the discussions.
Having invited all of you to come for a visit, I decided I’d better go check out the result of the many discussions. Cheers to everyone who worked on the project! Special thanks to sculptors, Ron Magers & Shelly Bradbury. The Profilers are works of art.
The Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza & Historic Site was a pleasant surprise. Yes, when I looked up the old Man was gone but I was happy to see they had not tried to replace it with an imposter. They had created an intriguing display of seven steel posts called “Profiners”, that recreate the visage of the Old Man; looking over Franconia Notch.
Viewing the profilers from the side, they look like posts with bumps on them. There’s no resemblance to the Old Man.
There are a couple of steps to align yourself with the Profiler and Cannon Mountain. First, find your height engraved in the pink granite (Same granite the old man was made of.) laid into the ground at the base of the Profilers and stand on the appropriate engraved foot prints. Second, close one eye and align the bumps on the side of the Profiler rod with the cliff where the Old Man once stood. No coin required; there he is The Old Man of the Mountain.
I wish my photography was better. The Profiler is a little high on the mountain.
Thursday is Franconia Notch day at FreakOut. The Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza & Historic Site is in the heart of Franconia Notch. From I-93, EXIT 34B, the Plaza is located on the left as you’re headed toward the Cannon Aerial Tram and the NH Ski Museum. There’s ample parking and seasonal restrooms at the start. It’s just a short-paved walk before the view opens up to the Plaza, Profile Lake, beautiful views of Franconia Notch and the chance to go back in time and see the Old Man on Cannon Mountain.
