Mountains that have had their "summits" moved

[B the Hiker]

Was just on Mt. Tom, and wow, they have done some really impressive trail work on the A-Z Trail!

The summit has also been moved from the old overlook. There is now a cairn, and past the cairn is the new summit.

Owls Head also had its summit moved.

It got me wondering: are there other New England mountains (4,000-footers or no) that have seen their "summits" moved over the years?

Brian

 

[SpencerVT]

I'm pretty sure Dorset mountain in Vermont had its summit moved. I believe it was always the west bump on Dorset (Not West Dorset Mountain, but the west bump within the main Dorset mountain) that was considered the summit until the summit was "moved" to the east bump of the main Dorset mountain.

 

[nartreb]

Off the top of my head:

A fair while ago a different peak of Wildcat was thought to be the highest. I think there were already trails to both, and I don't recall whether signs on the peak state(d) elevations, so possibly no changes needed except to lists and guidebooks.

There are still several peaks where it's not obvious which bump is highest. Jefferson, Guyot... I assume somebody knows and cares but since their results are not widely published, it's hard to tell whether their answers have changed over time.

In some cases a name survives, but the mists of time cloud the history of which bump it applies to. Mt Lethe, a peak or two in the Ossipees, something about North(?) Carter, and at least one Nubble (the one below the Peak above the Nubble).

Sometimes the name moves through processes unrelated to improvements in measurement/mapmaking. The "Owl's Head" on the NH48 list is one example. Officially, "Owl's Head" refers to the bump on the southern end of the mountain (and/or its south cliff face). "Owl's Head Mountain" is an AMC coinage for the whole mass including the 4000' summit north of the original "Owl's Head". People naturally shorten the 4000' peak's name to "Owl's Head", but the "movement" of the name has nothing to do with any confusion about the height or location of the summit.
There was *also* a period of a few years when the (unofficial) trail ended a little short of the 4000' point on "Owl's Head Mountain" (there was even a cairn and a sign at the trail-end). That was purely a case of hikers (and self-appointed sign-makers) not being where they thought they were. The true summit had been found long before.

 

[Puma concolor]

Off the top of my head:

A fair while ago a different peak of Wildcat was thought to be the highest. I think there were already trails to both, and I don't recall whether signs on the peak state(d) elevations, so possibly no changes needed except to lists and guidebooks.

Wildcat E and D. Change in location of the 4K summit was off of the same survey that promoted Spaulding and Reddington in Maine to 4K status. 1999, I think. Remember well because I was a newly minted 111er and quickly found out I had 3 new peaks to tag. IIRC, I went in the same way for Wildcat D as I had for Wildcat E. Just had to go over the top of E to get there.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Elephant and Scar Ridge, West/West and East/West Peak have both had bumps swaps. South Kinsman, perhaps, is still in ?

Tim

 

[jniehof]

Elephant and Scar Ridge, East Peak have both had bumps swaps. South Kinsman, perhaps, is still in ?

Was Scar Ridge a swap? I thought the canister was on the west bump because the east one was so flat that the summit was somewhat indeterminate.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

The canister was on the pointier bump because it was considered easier to find, although the official summit AFAIK (I believe the AMC recognizes both) is now the West West Scar (the flatter one). The East West Scar is the pointier one.

Tim

 

[alexmtn]

Last time I was atop W. Scar, there were canisters on both the E and W bumps (Feb 2011). They were considered as equivalent, and I believe that they still are.

 

[jniehof]

The East West Scar is the pointier one.

Sorry, I got my easts and wests backwards. To anybody frightened, this doesn't happen when I'm holding a map, but when I'm working off memory for something where the approach is from the north (i.e. south is forward/"up") it's an occasional issue.

 

[peakbagger]

Darmouth used to have a couple of summit points. One was in nasty blowdown patch and the other was in less nasty place

 

[TEO]

Darmouth used to have a couple of summit points. One was in nasty blowdown patch and the other was in less nasty place

Dartmouth or Deception? Deception has East and West summits, but Dartmouth has a single summit cone.

 

[peakbagger]

Dartmouth. The signs and cannisters were within sight of each other.