So We dont have a shiny Monolith

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peakbagger

In Rembrance , July 2024
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But we do have intentional man made reminders out in the woods on WMNF land that would violate LNT

I am excluding debris from the logging era and of course approved trail signs and improvements

Bronze memorial plaques at the White Face viewpoint

The two doctors memorial in the Pemi Wilderness ( I have not seen it or searched for it but others have reported its still there

Memorial plaques on the Ammo trail.

Plaque on the Crawford path near the junction with the route to the parking lot.

Memorial Plaque at Edmonds Col

The Zealand summit sign

So any more to add to the list?.

The WMNF does seem to have soft spot for leaving memorial plaques but I have never seen any policy about adding new ones.
 
Where do summit cannisters fall on the LNT spectrum?

Can confirm the doctor's plaque is still there. I try to visit it every year in early May.
 
JoshandBaron said:
Where do summit cannisters fall on the LNT spectrum?

Can confirm the doctor's plaque is still there. I try to visit it every year in early May.
Click to expand...
Is the trail itself in decent shape? Last couple of times I tried it, it seemed to have become a permanent water feature for substantial stretches, including just past the monument (going up).
 
JoshandBaron said:
Where do summit cannisters fall on the LNT spectrum?

Can confirm the doctor's plaque is still there. I try to visit it every year in early May.
Click to expand...

If you use the Adirondack (where there were once lots of cannisters) definition of "non-conforming" they should be removed. I was lucky enough to "leave a trace" before they were removed shortly before finishing the 46.
 
Will said:
Is the trail itself in decent shape? Last couple of times I tried it, it seemed to have become a permanent water feature for substantial stretches, including just past the monument (going up).
Click to expand...

I always cross north of Jumping Brook just before it climbs the slope and take the old rail grade south to the next crossing so I don't have to deal with any of those relocations. The trail aside from the relocations is in pretty good shape for a Wilderness trail.
 
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In the Catskills...

(not the ADKs), some canisters are placed with permission of DEC (and a few land owners). Slide mountain has a plaque that ironically says 'here the works of man dwindle' (honoring John Burroughs).

There is a stone obelisk that honors 'Father Bill' Curtiss on Slide as well.

There is an ammo box atop North Dome (or Sherrill?) that is some kind of tribute to someone who passed away. It's sometimes mistaken for the summit canister.

There are a few Geocaches around as well (but again mostly with permission).

Once in a while we come across other items, my 'favorite' was the Bible under the machete in a leanto! :eek:
 
Tom Rankin said:
In the Catskills...

Once in a while we come across other items, my 'favorite' was the Bible under the machete in a leanto! :eek:
Click to expand...

I recall a very handy door knob affixed to a tree near the summit of Dorset in VT.

And the vintage radio gear atop Fort in Maine.

By the way, four LNT practitioners have taken care of the monolith. Modern Monkey Wrench Gang!
 
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I do wonder how many urns with cremains are stashed around the WMNF?

Guy Waterman reportedly had the boots of his deceased son stashed on one of the sub summits of Lafayette. I expect they were removed after his passing.

I have seen folks letting ashes into the wind from summits over the years. I ran into an old timer several years ago who volunteered at Baxter he attempted to keep the summit clean, he noted that anyone sitting on the summit is effectively sitting in graveyard as many folks elect to use that location to release the cremains of their loved ones. He pointed out that the cremains contain chunks of bone that do not fly off into the wind. He picked them up when he found them and hauled them off the summit and buried them in the woods.

At least we dont have a set of guidestones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones

Of course we do have the NH "summits of shame" with respect to Leave No Trace, Mt Washington and Cannon Mtn, that both use the cloak of state ownership to do anything the state pleases with no significant review mechanism.
 
These are a couple of classes of objects that also qualify but many ignore.

Brass USGS disks, they tend to be along valleys that had active logging and logging railroads and obviously some (but not all summits). I knew one person who was working on finding the obscure ones down in the valleys. My friend mentioned that one of these disks on boulder along the Franconia Brook Trail at one of the stream crossings disappeared a few years ago along with the boulder it was attached to.

Brad Washburn's stainless steel control points for the Mt Washington survey. They are normally set flush on top of rock wide enough to set a transit on at major high points within the boundary of the map. I think they are all 8" long in holes drilled with gas powered rock drill.
 
peakbagger said:
These are a couple of classes of objects that also qualify but many ignore.

Brass USGS disks, they tend to be along valleys that had active logging and logging railroads and obviously some (but not all summits). I knew one person who was working on finding the obscure ones down in the valleys. My friend mentioned that one of these disks on boulder along the Franconia Brook Trail at one of the stream crossings disappeared a few years ago along with the boulder it was attached to.

Brad Washburn's stainless steel control points for the Mt Washington survey. They are normally set flush on top of rock wide enough to set a transit on at major high points within the boundary of the map. I think they are all 8" long in holes drilled with gas powered rock drill.
Click to expand...

The usgs discs at Redrock and Hellgate are still there
 
ChrisB said:
I recall a very handy door knob affixed to a tree near the summit of Dorset in VT.

And the vintage radio gear atop Fort in Maine.

By the way, four LNT practitioners have taken care of the monolith. Modern Monkey Wrench Gang!
Click to expand...

I was looking for the radio on Fort a couple of months ago and could not find it. Traversed the ridge several times. No luck. Did find the bigger stuff, but no radio.
 
No Monoliths but we were starting to get a collection of painted bricks earlier in the summer season.
 
skiguy said:
No Monoliths but we were starting to get a collection of painted bricks earlier in the summer season.
Click to expand...

He's still at it. In addition to that and the kindness rocks, I often find smaller stones with an engraving on one side dedicated to deceased people. There used to be a makeshift Veteran memorial on Garfield but I'm sure that's long gone.
 
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