Location: New Hampshire, Maine Map
White Mountain Headquarters
(603) 447 5449
Warning:
Mt.
Washington recorded highest velocity of winds on April 12th, 1934 at
231 mph. Temperatures often drop to low 50's even in summer. History
recorded over 100 fatalities. Wear worm clothes and expect rough
weathers at the summit.
White Mountain National Forest lies in the heart of the White Mountains. Most of White Mountain National Forest is located in New Hampshire with parts extending into Maine. It covers 800,000 acres of birch, maple, fir and pine. Its highest point is 6288 foot high Washington mountain. It is the highest peak in the American Northeast and from the top on a clear day you can see New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts. Here in 1934 fastest winds on the surface of the Earth have been recorded at 231 mph (372 km/h) or 100 m/s. The White Mountain National Forest is also a home of a symbol of the state- the Old Man of the mountain. Despite its collapse in 2003 it is still quiet visited. A system of trails can range from a half- mile Covered Bridge Nature Trail to the Appalachian trail that stretches from Maine to Georgia. Additionally 23 campgrounds are offered by forest services, yet it can be crowded on summer weekends.
The area of White Mountains have been settled by Europeans centuries
ago. It is natural that several stories have emerged over a fairly
long time. One of the most popular local legends is that of Doctor
Thomas Benton. He was born in the late 18th century in Benton, New
Hampshire formerly known as Coventry. He went to study medicine in
Heidelberg, Germany. There he met Professor Stockmeyer, an
intelligent and eccentric man who was shunned by many of his
colleagues for his strange attempts to find a key to eternal life.
After his death in 1779, Thomas Benton inherited all the documents
of his professor. Once receiving his diploma Thomas Benton attempted
to establish his private practice. Unfortunately he was forced to
leave London and Boston after he was accused of illegal experiments.
He escaped prison, but forced to find a quieter and smaller
settlement. He chose Benton, New Hampshire in the White Mountains
for its pristine mountains and relative remoteness.
Everything
was going great for the young doctor. His business was thriving and
he earned respect of the local folks. In 1816 something happened and
doctor abandoned Benton and moved to small shack on the slopes of
mount Moosilauke overlooking the town. Some say he was rejected by a
woman, other claim his fiancé died young. Whatever was the reason
for this strange behaviour life of the small town was changed. Soon
after Dr. Benton departed, local farmers started discovering dead
animals. The only thing all these animals had in common was a tiny
red swelling with a white pinprick in the centre. Before you knew it
humans began to disappear. Local residents naturally blamed the
strange doctor who lived the life of a hermit in the mountains. A
search party was organized, but his hamlet was found empty. The
doctor disappeared. At first they assumed that Thomas Benton himself
fell victim to unknown killer due to his remote location. They were
proven wrong in November 1825 then a 6- year- old girl was snatched
by a man in a black coat, black cap and long white hair. Girl's
husband heard his wife scream and rushed after an assailant. He
followed him into Little Tunnel Ravine, a dead end canyon that had
no way out. Father finally reached a wall. He heard horrible
laughter and looked up. There Dr. Thomas Benton covered in black
clothes held a girl in one hand while trying to scale a cliff of a
canyon. Father begged for return of his little daughter. Madmen let
go off a girl. She fell and died instantly upon impact.
Strange
occurrences did not there. In 1860 two loggers disappeared. One was
discovered nearby with a red swelling behind his left ear and a
white pinprick, another logger was never seen again. In 1901 Mr.
Tomaso, a worker on a local logging railroad, was found with the
same mark. It is hard to say how many people might have had the same
signature. Many people disappeared in the White Mountains without
leaving a single trace behind them.
Among recent events that are
attributed to the ghostly Thomas Benton are attacks on local
students of Dartmouth College, the smallest Ivy League school. He
reported hiking solo through the woods of mount Moosilauke. There he
attempted to climb a small cliff. Suddenly someone's hand pushed
him. Student did not get a chance to see the assailant, but he did
remember seeing black clothes and long white hair. Fortunately for
him fall did not kill him. Bruised and cut, with a fractured skull
and in a state of shock he was discovered by other hikers. The
students was moved to Ravine Camp and then to a hospital to Hanover.
Another claim come from 2003. Another student was hiking in the
area. He dropped something and turned around to look for his missing
item. He came back to the same spot he passed just 10 minutes ago.
There he found a big footprint of and old- fashion boot with nails
on the bottom. Fearing he might be followed young men quickly
retreated from the area.
The White Mountains were named White Hills by Governor John Winthrop in 1642. They got their name from their brilliant appearance or snow-capped peaks. They have also been known as Agiocochook, Crystal Hills, Wa-wo-badenik and Waumbekketmethna.
The White Mountains are part of the same geomorphological zone as the New England region. They formed more than 100 million years ago when the North American tectonic plate and the New England hot spot overlapped. The glaciers that covered the valleys gradually melted and cut the slopes of the mountains, forming gorges and defiles. The rock of the mountains is mainly composed of granite, mica and quartz.
As early as the 1860s, people who wanted to get away from the
industrial towns of New England came to the mountains for long stays
to enjoy nature in the posh surroundings of grand hotels. The
arrival of the railway greatly contributed to the development of
tourist activity in the White Mountains. Nowadays, the White
Mountains remain a very popular tourist destination for those who
wish to practice hiking, climbing or even skiing during the winter
period. The majority of the range is open to the public, including
White Mountain National Forest and a large number of state parks.
There are many hiking trails through the White Mountains, the best
known being the Appalachian Trail which crosses thirteen states up
the East Coast of the United States. The mountain range is also
famous for its system of mountain huts for hikers.
These
mountains are a privileged place for climbing thanks to the many
steep walls. The Appalachian Mountain Club, founded in 1876, started
the Four Thousand Footer Club in 1957 to encourage hikers to explore
some of the lesser-known sections of the mountains. You must climb
on foot to the top of each peak on the list. When you've done them
all, you can apply to be a member of the club. The club has over
8,000 members, but only 300 of them have climbed them in the winter.
The White Mountains have many natural attractions such as the
Old Man of the Mountain. Nicknamed the Great Stone Face or the
Profile, the Old Man was a natural rock formation perched nearly 400
meters above Profile Lake. It consisted of five rocky protrusions
arranged horizontally to form the profile of a man. The profile was
15 meters high and 8 meters wide. Held in place by an anchor system,
the freezing and thawing of the ice on the escarpment finally got
the better of it and the old man collapsed on May 3, 2003. It
remains today the symbol of the State of New Hampshire.
Another remarkable place is the Bassin (The Basin), a granite
crucible 6 meters in diameter fed by a waterfall. It is a popular
swimming spot, although the water is freezing.
The constructions of the White Mountains are mainly made of wood.
The Mount Washington Hotel, the largest wooden structure in New
England, was the work of Joseph Stickney who set out to build the
most elegant hotel in the mountains. Built in a Spanish Renaissance
style, it opened its doors in 1902. In 1944, the hotel was chosen to
host the famous Bretton Woods monetary conference which established
the monetary standards of the post-war world.
Another
peculiarity of the White Mountains is the large number of covered
bridges that have been built there to span the rivers. Built in the
19th century, they are now replaced by concrete structures. At the
time, it was necessary to cover the decks, firstly because the roof
prevents water from reaching the joints which could freeze in winter
or rust in summer. Second, the weight added to the bridge made the
structure more stable, allowing farm animals to cross calmly. In
addition, the roof prevents the bridge from drying out and the
expansion of the joints, which would cause it to sag, and protects
the bridge from the snow that falls in large quantities in winter.
The steep mountains of the White Mountains have inspired several
hundred artists more or less connected to the current known as the
School of the White Mountains. Over four hundred artists are known
to have painted views of the White Mountains in the 19th century,
including Benjamin Champney, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, Sanford
Robinson Gifford, Samuel W. Griggs, and William Hart and Thomas
Hill.
However, the name School of the White Mountains is
controversial, in particular because it is considered that all
artists do not have the same style.
Literature
Nathaniel
Hawthorne chose the White Mountains for his short story The Great
Carbuncle.
There is no permit for hiking. Parking fees are $5 a week and $20 a year.
Presidential traverse
Distance: 25.8 mi (41.5 km)
Duration: 4
days
Difficulty: hard
Start- End point: Crawford Notch-
Pinkham Notch
Boldface & Carter Ranges
Distance: 20.2 mi
(32.5 km)
Duration: 3 days
Difficulty: medium- hard
Start-
End point: North Chatham
(603) 374 2272
AMC Crawford Youth Hostel
(603) 466 2727
AMC Dinkham Notch Headquaters
(603) 466 2727
Eastern
Slope Camping Area
(603) 447 5092