Interesting names of trails

[BorealChickadee]

Hitch up Matildas were built in the 1920s. In 1868 William B Nye, a local guide, had to carry a large woman on his shoulders around the cliffs along Avalanche Lake while her family kept telling her to "Hitch up, Matilda!" when she would start to slip off the guide's shoulders.

 

[charlos]

devils path, catskills
seemed an appropriate choice for my first backpacking trip many years ago.

lichen trail, in harriman state park is basically one long whales back.

times square, harrimans intersection of trails, AT, long path and others.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Here's a few:

Waumbekttheuma- Mounts with snowy foreheads

Mt. Weeks- named after the sponser John W. Weeks of the Weeks Law of 1911.

Boott Spur- Named after Francis Boott a naturalist

Jewell Trail-Named after Sergeant Winfield S. Jewell who died on the Greenland expedition of 1884. He was a U.S. Army Signal Corps observer on Washington.

Davis Path- Named after Nathaniel T.P. Davis, a Crawford cousin. Built in 1845 this trail was constructed as many know of dautingly steep slopes of great magnitude. Mts. Hope and Resolution probably originated from the building of this path or from the Houlton expedtion of 1770.

The Sleeper Mountains- Named after Katherine Walden Sleeper a conservationist that founded the Wonalancet Out Door Club.


Silver Cascade- Named by Dr. Timothy Dwight of Yale in 1803.


Appalachia Trailhead- Named after the apple trees by the railroad station, that brought people to the Ravine House. William H. Peek takes the credit for the naming of this trailhead. A group of unhappy boys ate too many green apples, as the Watermans said "immoratizing their plight and the fledging AMC as Apple-achia."

 

[dms]

Skull Cairn Trail

This trail approaches Chocorua from the south, connecting with the Hammond Trail, it's 'closed", but worth a try if you know where to look.

 

[TMax]

Great Thread!
Anybody know the origins of the March Cataract Trail on Mount Greylock?

 

[Jay H]

devils path, catskills
seemed an appropriate choice for my first backpacking trip many years ago.

Alf Ever's book, The Catskills: From Wilderness to Woodstock has a whole chapter on the origins of the Devil's Path name, if you get a chance, borrow or buy it, it's a pretty good read. I'm still reading my copy which right now is packed away cause I'm moving soon.

The gist of the story was the Devil was flying over the catskills with a large sack of rocks, a couple of them would fall out and thus formed the Devil's Path... Something like that anyway...

Jay

 

[SteveHiker]

anyone know how the Profanity trail on Mansfield got its name?

 

[Raymond]

Profanity Trail

I thought it was self-explanatory, but someone may have more information. The descriptions of it I find online say "steep but sheltered." It's apparently easier than the Long Trail, though.

There's another Profanity Trail in the Colville National Forest in Washington. It's supposed to be an easy hike (!?).

Here's a similar thread on another site:

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7124&page=1

Is that you on there, SteveHiker, or an evil twin?

 

[spongebob]

Trail name marketing always gets me to go up the interestingly named trails. I am a hiking consumer.

 

[Jay H]

I suggest we rename some trail "Spongebob is a geek"...

Terri, After we hiked that March Cataract trail to the falls, I did try to do a google on it, but could not find anything worthwhile. Somebody at the park must have an idea though.. maybe ask one of them..

Jay

 

[WhiteMTHike]

My brother-in-law is also a hiker. He lives in Ohio and told me about a trail named The Devil's Ice Box. I guess that's what happened when hell froze over.

 

[woodstrider]

Jay H - I read that the Devil's Path got it's name because the devil actually put down his cloven hooves on the Catskills Mountains and so created those devilishly steep "cloves" that are to be found in the Catskills. Near by is the Devil's Kitchen and on the Devil's Path proper is the Devil's Acre (leanto there).

 

[RoySwkr]

Skookumchuck is a Salish (PNW native) word meaning “strong or turbulent waters” or "place where important waters meet", depending on the source.
How this name got stranded on a mountain on the other side of the continent remains a mystery to me.

I assume that the trail took it's name from the adjacent turbulent water
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=19&n=4896648&e=285763&size=s&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

 

[RoySwkr]

Sound like a great addition to the 28th addition of the White Mtn Guide or anyother. A line at the start of the trail description telling where, who, why the trail was named.

If you can get ahold of older White Mountain Guides they often have more history & geography than the present ones. It seems that people wanted more detailed descriptions with elevations, wanted suggested hikes to compete with the "50 Hikes" series, the Forest Service keeps inventing more rules, so the historical stuff kept getting shed.

 

[MattC]

I suggest we rename some trail "Spongebob is a geek"...
Jay

Indeed.

One of the feeders to the Devil's Path is the Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail between Indian Head and Twin. According to Peter Kick's AMC Guide, Jimmy Dolan kept a tavern in the area in the late 19th century. It was one of the first Catskill trails I set foot on, and I thought it was funny that it was named after a bartender. I guess somebody had to serve the Devil his booze.

Matt

 

[Puck]

Finally found an answer to the naming of the Black Angel trail mystery.

It was named by Mr. Alva Richardson who was a Forest Guard stationed at the Wild River Ranger Station. Alva helped build the Black Angel Trail in 1927. It was named because they found a blackened tree stump that resembled an angel. Per a retired forester.

 

[psmart]

The Sleeper Mountains- Named after Katherine Walden Sleeper a conservationist that founded the Wonalancet Out Door Club.

In the mid-90's the WODC formally changed the name from the Sleeper Trail to the Kate Sleeper Trial to clarify that it wasn't a geographic reference to the low, rounded summits.

 

[jrbren]

Wampahoofus Trail
http://nature.thecompass.com/gmcburlington/news/0410wamp.html

I like the name Amphibrach, but have no idea how that name got assigned to the trail in the northern Presi's. Anyone ? Bueller ?

I am adding this one because today is his birthday, John Muir Trail, California.

 

[Elizabeth]

Nice thread!

Nanomocomuck is a great word, isn't it?

There is a good reason that only a second-rate ski trail is named after Nanamocomuck. He was a somewhat hapless member of a family of noted Pennacooks. Oldest son of the sachem, Passaconaway, Nanamocomuck ended up in debtors' prison in Boston, and had to be bailed out by his younger brother, Wonalancet. (Wonalancet had to sell his house to pay off the debt.) Nanamocomuck ended up dying at a young age, and so Wonalancet became the next sachem in 1669, succeeded eventually by the next younger brother, Kancamagus, in 1685.

 

[peakbagger]

I have seen references to the naming of the Skookumchuck was by a district ranger that had been stationed out in the North West prior to moving to the whites, he liked the name and decided to use it in the whites. Not sure where I saw this reference but I may have to drag out Forest and Crag to check.

By the way John Mudge's White Mountains, Place Names and Legends is supposed to be good resource for the origins of various names in the whites. I think it is out of print.