The Old Man of The Mountain’s Lasting Legacy (In-person)
Winter (4 - 8.5 hours) | Available (Membership Required)
In 2003, the Old Man of The Mountain collapsed into Franconia Notch resulting in the loss of an important national landmark and the official emblem of the State of NH. This natural event ended a famous relationship between the people of New England and the “Old Man”, a relationship characterized by remarkable human effort to understand how it formed, the nature of its tenuous stability, ways to secure it, and how to embrace the sublime significance of its completely natural but utterly “human” image.
These slide-illustrated sessions describe the Old Man’s geologic, human, and cultural history since his discovery in 1805 and then review the extraordinary continuing influence and lasting legacy that the Old Man has left for us.
This course will combine lecture with class discussions.
Brian Fowler
Brian Fowler is a semi-retired consulting engineering and structural geologist. He has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed geologic maps and professional articles with several on the rock mechanics of the Old Man of The Mountain. He is the current President of the Old Man of The Mountain Legacy Fund, Inc., is a Past-President and Life Trustee of the Mount Washington Observatory and is a 50+ year member of both the Appalachian Mountain and America Alpine Clubs.