Sept 9, 2009
Many may not have heard of
the stone face called "The Watcher" located in Franconia
Notch, NH. The rock profile is situated on Eagle Cliff but is difficult
to see unless one knows the exact location. Even then, binoculars would
be desirable to make out the details. The Watcher is also sometimes
referred to as "The Old Lady of the Mountains". Over the many
years I have been going to this area I have not seen where this stone
face is publicized to any extent at all. I thought once the famous Old
Man of the Mountains fell down in 2003 that The Watcher, aka The Old
Lady of the Mountains, would become more prominant. That doesn't appear
to be the case however, likely because of the lack of obvious view from
the main highway and available turnout/stopping areas.
49 years ago I scrambled
up to a good vantage point and got a picture of this profile. Here is a
scan of my old 1960 slide:
The lake shown below is Profile Lake. There is no trail
to this vantage point and the site is not mentioned in the Appalachian
Mountain Club White Mountain Guide. I'd like to get back to that point
for a modern photo, however I'm no longer 16 years old and my now better
judgement says to FORGET IT! A real scramble it was and it's probably unsafe
due to steep, loose gravel in the final stretch.
Nevertheless, one can still see the rock face and I'll
explain how below. Here's a topo map of the area with the profile
location indicated:
It's basically across the highway from where the Old Man
of the Mountains was located. Perhaps that's why there's a reference to
"Old Lady of the Mountains". The best place to view
the profile is located a short walk from the highway turnout at the
south end of Profile Lake. This turnout is only accessible from the
southbound lane of the highway. From the turnout, a very short walk
leads to the south shore of the lake and a good vantage point to see the
profile of The Watcher. Here's a view of Eagle Cliff from this location:
The main summit of Eagle Cliff is the summit to the right. The
area one wants to concentrate on however, is the summit to the left, about in the
center of the photo. The rock profile is on the right side of that
summit. Here's a closer look at the proper area:
And here's a still closer look where you can actually
make out the profile itself. With a good pair of binoculars, you should
be able to get a similar view:
There's little reference on the web about The Watcher
but I was able to find a copy of a very old postcard of the profile from
the same vantage point shown in my original slide:
An interesting, if not well known, stone face in New
Hampshire.
Rod (NH)
September 2009
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