Naming mountains

[robohiker]

The Mrs. and I have been thinking of naming a mountain after one of our close robot hiker friends who went to the big scrap pile in the sky. How would we go about this seemingly lengthy process? Inquiring robots would like to know. Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Sherpa John]

I think a mountain should be names after Guy Waterman.

 

[arghman]

US Board on Geographic Names
Here you go. Your chances, unless the person has a real connection with the specific mountain, is fairly low.

-dave-

Unless the person happens to be a former president who has no connection with the specific mountain.

If a particular mountain in the Presidential Range had to be renamed, I'd nominate Joe Dodge, Bob Monahan (both founders of the Mt Washington observatory), and/or Bradford Washburn (mapper/alpinist extraordinaire, age 94).

 

[Peakbagr]

The US Board on Geographic Names will not even accept a name change petition until 5 years has passed since the person passed away. They were outraged when Congressman Gerry Lewis asked them to rename Keeler Needle to Crooks Peak, in the Sierras for Hilda Crooks. They turned him down flat and he got the name change attached to a bill that passed in the U.S. Congress, he held a naming ceremony at the peak (we were on the summit of Crooks Peak looking down at the ceremony 2,500' below) and the USGS has been norky about name changes ever since.
They not only are looking for the time period to elapse, but want the name change of the mountain to be generally accepted in the local area and commonly used by everyone.

We are experiencing all of this and trying to follow their instructions on our committee to rename East Dix to Grace Peak and South Dix to Carson Peak.

Good luck unless you are well organized and do everything the Board expects.

 

[Sherpa John]

Good suggestion Stinker... the Underhills were of astronomical importance to our great white hills.

By the way... Wasn;t Adams or Clay renamed Reagan? Whats up wit dat!?

 

[HighHorse]

I think a mountain should be names after Guy Waterman.

i second that emotion...

 

[Greg]

Lots of the smaller mtns don't appear to have a name yet...

 

[Eric Savage]

By the way... Wasn;t Adams or Clay renamed Reagan? Whats up wit dat!?

The New Hampshire legislature did vote to rename Mt. Clay as Mt. Reagan but it is not being accepted by the USGS because the renaming violates at least two standing policies:

1) the USGS strongly discourages renaming mountains that already have an official USGS name

2) any person so honored must have been deceased a minimum of five years


This effort is part of a larger effort by a group of Reagan fans to have something named after him in every *county* in the U.S.

The New Hampshire legislature has also recently renamed a couple of peaks in the North Country that few people south of the notches have ever heard of. I don't know what the USGS has said about those (they each violated #1 but perhaps not #2).

 

[David Metsky]

Hrmm, I wonder what happened to my original response? It's quoted by arghman but isn't otherwise available. Probably an eddy in the space-time continuum.

Anyways, naming peaks carries lots of baggage. It is often easier to name trails or other features than to name actual peaks. Sub-peaks are often a good compromise as well. I think the USGS policies are very good in the long run, even if they cause some short term pain.

-dave-

 

[frytz]

Anyways, naming peaks carries lots of baggage.


And naming roads can carry a lot of garbage! There is a road in Holderness named "Ta Da Dump Rd"! Guess where it goes!?

Fred