RMC Newsletter - Winter 2004-2005

Randolph Mountain Club Jeopardy
By Jack Stewart

1. Intermezzo Rusticana was:

A. a brief opera written by one of Randolph's early musical residents to be performed at one of the annual dramatic sessions that preceded the modern day charades,
B. a small tributary of Cascade Brook, about halfway up the ravine,
C. a path on Mt. Adams constructed by Eugene Cook, long since abandoned, marked by a rusty tin can,
D. a crude cabin near the foot of King Ravine destroyed by fire in the 1880s.

2. Mt. Sawdust, a large pile of sawdust left by a woodland sawmill in the late 1800s was:

A. near the foot of the Ice Gulch,
B. beside Israel River below Castle and Cascade Ravines,
C. behind the Mt. Crescent House in its early years,
D. not far from the Pond of Safety.

3. Which ravine is not glacial?

A. Bumpus Basin
B. Cascade Ravine
C. Castle Ravine
D. King Ravine

4. What do the following years have in common that was important to the RMC: 1927, 1938, 1969, and 1998?

A. Each had a major storm that seriously damaged the trails,
B. A major new trail was opened during each,
C. A new President took over the RMC in each,
D. A new edition of Randolph Paths was published in each.

5. What do the following prominent past members of the RMC have in common? Louise Baldwin, Phyllis "Peeko" Folsom, Miriam Sanders, Carolyn Cutter Stevens

A. Each served as President of the Club.
B. All were frequent leaders of organized RMC trips.
C. Each one has a trail bridge named after her.
D. Each qualified for membership in the AMC 4000-footer Club.

6. An ambitious New Deal government proposal put forth in the 1930s, which was vigorously and successfully opposed by many prominent Randolphians was:

A. a tramway (similar to the one in Franconia Notch) up Pine Mountain from the vicinity of Mineral Spring.
B. a 4-lane divided toll turnpike through the Randolph Valley, replacing US 2.
C. a large hotel, similar to some of the lodges in Western national parks, on the Valley road, replacing the Ravine House.
D. a scenic road from Randolph to Crawford Notch along the skyline of the Presidential Range, with a branch to the summit of Mt. Washington.

7. Which one of the following former RMC trails was abandoned most recently?

A. Cascade Ravine Trail
B. The Moosebank
C. Bridge Route
D. The Tip-o-the-Tongue Loop

8. The proportion of the total mileage of Randolph Mountain Club trails that lies above treeline is approximately…………………

A. 9 %
B. 17 %
C. 4 %
D. 12 %

9. The four soldiers, for whom the R.M.C.'s new Four Soldiers Path is named, participated in the:

A. French and Indian War,
B. Revolutionary War,
C. War of 1812,
D. Civil War.

10. Which one of the following landmarks, conspicuously visible from many points in Randolph, is not reached by any trail?

A. John Quincy Adams
B. Adams 4
C. Durand Scar
D. The Second Howk

Answers to RMC Jeopardy:

1. C. Named facetiously by Cook for the rusty can which he found and used as a marker (Waterman, Forest and Crag, p. 225)

2. D. "Mt. Sawdust" was conspicuous for many years in the view from the Northern Presidentials near the wild tarn known as the Pond of Safety. (Early editions of AMC Guides)

3. B. Only Cascade Ravine is a V-shaped valley rather than a U-shaped basin with a relatively flat floor and steep walls.

4. A. 1927, November flood, 1938, September hurricane, 1969, record snowfalls, especially in February, seasonal total in Randolph about 350 inches, 1998, January ice storm played havoc with forests and power lines.

5. C. Bridges:
Baldwin, Bee Line over Moose River
Folsom, Bee Line over Carlton Brook
Sanders, Randolph Path over Coldbrook
Stevens, Randolph Path/Brookside over Snyder Book (rebuilt in 2003 after washout)
(Randolph Paths)

6. D. WPA-CCC proposed to build a road along the crest of the Presidentials. Economics probably played as large a role in the abandonment of this project as did the fierce opposition, which included my father. (JWS personal recollection)

7. B. The Moosebank was overrun by the relocation of US 2 (1966). The Cascade Ravine Trail and Tip-o-the-Tongue Loop (Israel Ridge) were destroyed by the 1938 hurricane; the Bridge Route, one of the network of trails near the lower course of Snyder Brook, was abandoned for lack of use in the 1940s. (JWS personal recollection)

8. A. The above-treeline portions of the Howker Ridge, Watson, Upper Bruin, Chemin des Dames, Great Gully, King Ravine, Spur, Lowe's, Gray Knob, Israel Ridge, Randolph, Castle Ravine, Edmands Col Cutoff, Cornice total: about 9 miles of the R.M.C.'s total of 100 miles. (Randolph Paths)

9. B. (Randolph Paths)

10. A. Adams 4 is crossed by Lowe's Path, Durand Scar is on the Scar Loop, and the second Howk is on the Howker Ridge Trail. To reach John Quincy Adams, you have to walk over the rocks from the Air Line.