Mount Ascutney Name Change Poll Results

[briarpatch]

The Town of Windsor, VT received a notice from the Vermont Board of Libraries that they would be considering, at their July 17th meeting, a petitioned request to change the name of Mt. Ascutney to Kaskadenak. The 3,144 monadnock has been called many things over the centuries; Ascutegnik, Ascutney, Cas-Cad-Nac, Kaskadenak. From the Windsor town website the proposal to change the name from Ascutney resulted in over 1,200 responses with 90 plus percent opposed. As I understand without local support a name change is unlikely and the towns of Windsor, West Windsor and Weathersfield are expected to opposite the change.

Survey results are here: http://app.box.com/s/f4iu0rc2ortn6o12feb5hxfgu6j4vga7

I lived in Windsor for 15 years until two years ago we moving up to Colchester, VT. I miss the Mountain. Less than 5 miles and under 10 minutes I could be at 3 different trail heads.

Peak bagging question: If a mountain's name were to change. Would you have to re-climb? I not sure I ready for Kaskadenak triple ascent.

 

[RichS]

Name changes invoke gut reactions. I'm not surprised the survey is overwhelmingly against a change. If it were named Mt. Smith or Mt. Brattleboro, I think the results would be very different. But Ascutney sounds close enough to Kaskadenak, and rolls off the tongue more easily.

In my hometown of Westford, MA, a parcel known since 1937 as East Boston Camps was purchased for conservation by the town in 2005. By 2014, newcomers who were apparently confused by the reference to East Boston petitioned to change the name. [A newcomer in 1982, I was unfazed.] Proposed names included Westford’s East Boston Camps [well, that clarifies it], Westford Reserve [what?], Stony Brook Conservation Land [the winner], Algonquin Preserve [seriously?], and Suneanassit [compare to Kaskadenak]. The signage has changed, but those who have lived here a while, myself included, still call it East Boston Camps. As do the volunteer group, Friends of East Boston Camps. Maybe in 100 years, the new name will stick. Maybe.
http://westford.wickedlocal.com/article/20140201/news/140209890

Mountains don't care what they're named. No need to re-climb.

 

[skiguy]

Peak bagging question: If a mountain's name were to change. Would you have to re-climb? I not sure I ready for Kaskadenak triple ascent.

HmmmmmThough he never climbed it go ask McKinley about climbing Denali again.