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Maps, Guides, T-Shirts and
Much More The Randolph Mountain Club produces a variety of items for sale to the general public, including maps, guides, logo T-shirts, and other items. The general goals of the merchandising program, as agreed upon by the Board in 2007, are "to sell good stuff at reasonable cost, to increase RMC recognition, and to generate some income for the Club." Club policy, in the interest of safety, has long been to price maps and guides as inexpensively as possible so that hikers, notoriously low spenders, can afford to purchase them. Other goods are marketed to help subsidize the Club's activities. Maps and Guides. Randolph was at the center of early trail development in the northern Presidentials. The Ravine House, beginning in the mid-1870s, had been the hostelry frequented by early pathmakers William Gray Nowell, W. H. Pickering, and Samuel Scudder, some of the original founders of the Appalachian Mountain Club in 1876. Other trail pioneers - Cook, Peek, Sargent, and Cutter - soon made their summer headquarters at the Ravine House, eventually followed by J. Rayner Edmands in the 1890s. The AMC had a broad mission that included explorations, cartography, adventures in distant places, creation of, and improvements to, paths and camps, as well as organized excursions by its members.
The first detailed map distributed by the AMC of the complex network of trails on the northern peaks was Cutter's blueprint map, entitled "Map of Northern Slopes of Madison Adams and Jefferson," dated January 1898. An interesting feature of this map was its orientation: south was at the top, with the map laid out as if viewing the mountains from a rocking chair on the Ravine House porch. Cutter hung a copy in the hotel, and to it added constant notes about changing trail conditions, particularly when trails were obliterated as logging operations spread across the northern peaks. The first AMC Guide to the Paths and Camps in the White Mountains was published in 1907, accompanied by a new Cutter map, Map of the Northern Peaks of the Great Range and Their Vicinity, White Mountains, N.H. ii Both maps and guidebooks were widely distributed to hikers in the Whites. The Randolph Mountain Club, founded in 1910 at the urging of Selectman John Boothman, was established to reopen local paths, which had been damaged by logging. The RMC's first efforts were limited to trail clearing and, beginning in 1912, the maintenance of Club shelters open to the public. Because the AMC had published relevant guides and maps, there was no need for the RMC to duplicate the larger club's efforts. RMC leaders did develop an inexpensive pamphlet that concentrated on the Randolph area. This guide was meant to serve the patrons of the community's three hotels: the Ravine House, the Mountain View House, and the Mt. Crescent House. The goal, as stated in the introduction, was to act as:
First printed in 1917, Randolph Paths was written by Frank H. Chase (librarian of the Boston Public Library) and Louis F. Cutter. The 27-page pamphlet contained brief information about the Randolph area, the RMC and its three camps (Cascade, Perch and Log Cabin). There were listings of view points and waterfalls, distances from each hotel to points of interest by various trails, round trips that could be accomplished in a day, one-night camping trips, and day trips "with use of railroad or motor." By rail, one could range as far afield as Bemis, Whitefield, or Bartlett. The pamphlet cost a nickel and was intended as a supplement to the AMC guidebook; in fact, it was designed to fit into that guide's pocket. iii The second version of Randolph Paths, compressed into 24 pages, was slightly revised by Cutter and Arthur Stanley Pease (classicist and then president of the RMC) and reprinted in 1927. A new section, "Approximate Altitudes," was added. The third edition was published by Cutter and Pease in 1931 and sold for 25 cents. Five pages of ads from the three hotels, the Shorey Studio, and Curtis Hardware helped defray printing costs. Although the area covered was now limited to the Crescent Range and the northern peaks, the text had been expanded to 83 pages. There are new sections on potability of water, fires, the Appalachian Trail (then in the planning stages), walking times and a listing of other nearby ranges not described. The bulk of the text, "Randolph Paths and Places," was arranged alphabetically. Entries included a short description, and for trails, listed distances and walking times. Interestingly, there was no mention of the 1927 natural disaster, when record rainfall and concomitant landslides obliterated much of Cascade Ravine with the resultant destruction of the RMC's Cascade Camp. A supplement, printed in 1934, detailed a number of changes, including new trails (Inlook, Kelton and Cliffway) and improvements or new trails created by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the US Forest Service. The supplement sold for 15 cents, or together with the 1931 printing, for a quarter. In the 1917 pamphlet, its authors stated that "It is the intention of the Club to supplement this list of paths and trails by a large-scale map of the Randolph Valley." However, it was not until 1944 that Louis Cutter, at age eighty, created such a map of Tama and Mossy Glen. Based on his 1917 map, but without contour lines, this large-scale (1:10,000) version covered the intricate trail network south of the Hill road to a point a little south of Tama Fall. Its western boundary was a bit west of Appalachia; the eastern, Randolph Station and the Post Office. Aimed at the hotel clientele who arrived by train during World War II, its limited view may also have been Cutter's way of encouraging his aging peers to keep on walking. The map was reprinted at least three times in subsequent years.
By the 1950s, Cutter's 1917 Northern Peaks map was no longer for sale by the AMC. This map, with a scale of 1:40,000, had long been the standard hiking companion of Randolphians, for it covered the local area from the north (Pond of Safety and Ice Gulch) southward to Mt. Washington. In the late 1950s Klaus Goetze and the Frueh family were already talking about the need for a new version of the northern peaks map. After exploring various alternatives, Klaus wrote to Nancy Frueh on Christmas Day, 1963:
Goetze next investigated using
the 1908 Cutter map as a model, writing "I still am enamored
of it, notably of its range and size," but by the late 1960s
he had settled on a map largely based, in size and coverage,
on Cutter's 1917 map. Extensively revised by Robert Holloran,
this was published in 1969. The first printing sold for 75 cents,
and by 1970 there were only 500 left, the project already having
made a profit of $60. The Board decided to sell the remaining
copies at $1 each. The map was revised and reprinted as supplies
sold out, until 1995. In 1996 iv a color map using new technology, Randolph Valley and the Northern Peaks of the Mount Washington Range, was created, largely by Doug Mayer, Professor John DeLeo of Lyndon State College, and DeLeo's students. New data from Bradford Washburn's laser mapping project were used. For trails north of Route 2 new data were collected by Lyndon State College's students using GPS receivers; control trails were also surveyed using GPS receivers. The mapping process was completed by Jason Heinrich of Microdata, Inc. of St. Johnsbury, VT. Three thousand copies, printed on Tyvek stock, were sold for $3 at various outlets. Fifty unfolded and numbered maps on high quality paper were printed for sale at $50 in an attempt to recoup some of the more than $9,000 expended on the new map. More maps were printed in 2002 and 2003 to maintain an adequate supply until the new trails in the Randolph Community Forest were completed. In 2003 cartographer Jon Hall provided a preliminary 8.5"x11" black and white map of the Randolph area north of US Route 2, showing the new Underhill and Four Soldiers paths, to accompany an article about the new trails in the RMC Newsletter. A greatly expanded (154 pages) and illustrated Randolph Paths was produced in 1998 v. The new volume, still pocket size, maintained the alphabetical organization, but now was divided into three geographical areas (south, and north, of Route 2; and outlying trails). A lengthy introduction covered the activities of the Club and gave a short history of the trails, camps and the Club as well as additional tips about hiking. Jack Stewart again was the principal organizer, but with substantial help from winter users, especially for the additions on winter hiking. Publication was facilitated with a loan from the Randolph Foundation. A completely new version of Randolph Paths (eighth edition) was published in 2005, edited by Doug Mayer, Steve Smith, and Judy Hudson. The guide features entirely new trail descriptions, gathered by a team of a dozen RMC volunteers. An expanded introduction reflects the increasing interest in winter activities. Trails history (Judy Hudson), geology highlights (Dyk Eusden), and mountain flora (Brad Meiklejohn) are also included. The trail descriptions are organized alphabetically, and a separate alphabetical Points of Interest is included. A loan from the Randolph Foundation helped defray printing costs. 2,000 copies of the volume were printed, and sold (together with a new map) for $17. A revised map was planned for inclusion with the new guidebook, but as Doug Mayer told it, there was a fly in the ointment:
Cartographer Jon Hall basically recreated the whole map from scratch. He updated the GPS data, including verifying the new Randolph Community Forest and National Forest boundaries. His incredible volunteer labors, consuming untold hours both on the trail and at the computer, should not go unrecorded - and numerous digital copies of the map exist, safely tucked away, in several locations. The reverse side of the map features four, large-scale vistas with peak identifications, drawn by Randolph artist Tim Sappington from photos. Three thousand copies of the map were printed on Tyvek stock. The map sold together with Randolph Paths, or alone at $6. By August 2008 more than two thousand copies had been sold, with 355 copies left on hand vi. The map has become standard equipment for hikers in the Randolph area. In 2004, as part of the opening of the Underhill and Four Soldiers trails in the Randolph Community Forest, the Club published its Guide to the Cultural and Natural History of the Four Soldiers Path, an interpretive guide by Doug Mayer and Dave Thurlow (with help from Clare Long) that provides interested hikers with a fascinating tour of the cultural, historic and natural history through the lands traversed by the path. Line drawings by Tim Sappington and Ginger Beringer enliven the descriptions. In 2003 Al Hudson was appointed RMC archivist. Since then he has transcribed, edited and published a series of volumes issued under the RMC Archive imprint and marketed through the club's website. The first, Spur Cabin Registers (2004), contains transcriptions of two log books (1900-1915) from the Torrey and Moore families' cabin on Nowell Ridge. There followed Randolph in Appalachia, 1876-2004 (2004), which provides a comprehensive annotated bibliography of articles pertinent to Randolph that have been printed in the AMC's journal. 2005 marked the appearance of An Outline of Trail Development in the White Mountains, 1840-1980, an edited (with Judith Hudson) version of a Guy Waterman unpublished manuscript containing 15 maps. Merchandise. The RMC's first experiment in merchandising started in the late 1960s, when an embroidered patch that depicted an idealized Crag Camp was sold at Crag Camp during the summer. The idea originated around 1965 with Peg Arnold, who had embroidered special patches for three Crag caretakers: her son Bill, Peter Bowers (who was Bill's co-caretaker in 1963) and Guy Stever (caretaker in 1966-67). Bill still has his original, sewn on an old windbreaker. A somewhat battered cabin, walls sagging inward, with a recognizable front porch and smoke curling from its chimney, is nestled in a green background. This was clearly the prototype of a probably Swiss-made badge showing a much squarer building and a towering mountain, that our then nine-year-old daughter stitched to her pack around 1974. Bill remembers that his mother, who was on the Board from 1965-1969, had made the arrangements for ordering the patch, probably from a Swiss firm. Patches remained very popular, and in August 1975 the Board decided both to reissue the Crag patch and to design an RMC patch for members. Joan Rising became the "patch" front person. Her quest consumed many months - first a fruitless exercise to determine where the original Crag patch had been produced (queries to firms in North Carolina and finally Switzerland), then locating a Swiss company that would agree to manufacture an affordable badge. Several versions of the Crag patch were created by Altoco AG in St Gallen: one with a stream running by the north wall (rejected); the cabin without a chimney, featuring a snow-capped alp (rejected); and finally the cabin with curling smoke in a green, mountainous landscape. These patches of Crag were last ordered in 1982. Subsequent demand seems to have been small, and the patches disappeared from our inventory. The search for an appropriate RMC member patch began in 1975. The original concept was rejected (no trace of it remains), and in August 1976 Joan begged artist Roy Woodard to create a watercolor for the badge. Roy painted a circular design with the summits of Madison and Adams, a spruce tree in the foreground - the quintessential view from Randolph Hill. Thus the germ for the now traditional RMC logo was born. Joan expended tremendous effort (documented in a lengthy correspondence with the polite H. Zuppinger) in getting an acceptable rendering of the watercolor from the Swiss firm. The first version, very garish in bright greens and blues with cotton-candy clouds, led Roy to complain, "Leave out the clouds if you can't make them like the original." The charm of Roy's painting lay in the subtleties of its colors, and translating this into embroidery was a real challenge. Joan said recently that with today's technology, patch making would be a snap, as one can now reproduce an original design perfectly, so long as you load your sewing machine with the right colored threads. Negotiations with Switzerland continued, by air mail, and finally in 1979 the first member patch was made available for $4 (production cost had been $2.75 apiece). In 1986, the first T-shirts were designed and readied for sales which began in 1987. The Woodard logo was transformed into a line drawing that altered the outline of the original design. Since then, this logo has been marketed in many sizes and colors. A gray shirt decorated with a green line drawing of the old Gray Knob was produced in 1988. A new line of cool-max T-shirts was developed with line drawings on the back and a small RMC logo in front: Jamie Maddock introduced a view of Gray Knob in 2004; a winter view of Crag Camp in 2005. A long-sleeved T followed in 2006 with the vista from Lookout Ledge (from the 2005 map); and a long-sleeved cotton shirt (sketch by Tim Sappington) honored the Stearns Lodge's opening in 2007. Superannuated trail signs were first sold in 1972, when signs were hawked at the Annual Meeting for $5 apiece. Periodic auctions today on the Club website generate considerably more revenue. In 1984 Mike Pelchat designed a bandana showing the RMC trails network; profits initially went to support AVSAR, the search and rescue team on which RMC personnel often serve. Other sales items have included neckties (1991- 150 at $20), polo shirts with an embroidered RMC emblem, embroidered baseball-style caps (1992 - $9), winter fleece hats, and a poster of King Ravine and Madison reproduced from a Randolph brochure designed by Roy Woodard in 1938. The success of sales items has varied considerably. Sure sellers have been the map, Randolph Paths, hats and T-shirts. As the success of sales items increased, managing them became a larger chore. In 1984, Barbara Wilson was appointed "Custodian of Supplies" to handle the increasing traffic. During the summer season sales became a job for the treasurer, who had to tote boxes of goods to the 4th of July Tea, the Annual Meeting and the Picnic. A substantial portion of sales in recent years has been generated at special events, e.g., the 4th of July tea, the Moose River duck race, and the winter square dance. After Edith Tucker became treasurer in 1994, she moved the inventory to the airlock at Cold Brook Lodge, allowing people to help themselves, while leaving appropriate payment in a box. Tucker also fulfilled mail (and early internet) orders, for years subsidizing the shipping costs as a contribution to the Club. Beginning in summer 2003 with the second issue of the RMC newsletter, an order blank for goods has been included in the newsletter. The website also is used to market merchandise, with the ability to shop on line added after 2005. By 2006, the Tuckers had tired of the continual clutter in their airlock and asked the Board for a new solution. Mike Micucci, then owner of Moriah Sports in Gorham, took on the responsibility, setting up an RMC room where our products could be displayed and sold. This arrangement has continued following Mike's sale of the store to his brother-in-law Steve Jackson. Maps and Randolph Paths are sold by the AMC; these and hats are also available in Randolph at Lowe's Store. Mike Dickerman of Littleton (who runs a wholesale outfit and local publishing house, Bondcliff Books) has also marketed RMC publications. Thanks to Joan Rising, Doug Mayer, and Bill Arnold for sharing their recollections for this article. I am interested in any additional comments, corrections, anecdotal materials, or relevant photographs that my readers might have. Please contact me at 111 Amherst Road, Pelham, MA 01002; (413 )256-6950; or by E-mail at <abhudson@anthro.umass.edu> Judith Hudson has been coming to Randolph since the age of four or five. Her parents, the Drs. Stephen and Charlotte Maddock, first visited Randolph in 1923 or 1924 at the invitation of the Cutter family. Active members of the RMC, Judy and her husband Al have served in a variety of RMC jobs, including the presidency. Al is currently the Club's Archivist, and Judy is working on a history of the RMC. Footnotes: i For a detailed description of map making in the Presidentials, see Adam Jared Apt's "Tolerable Accuracy: A History of White Mountains Hiking Maps," in White Mountain Guide: A Centennial Retrospective, compiled by the Staff of AMC Books, edited by Katharine Worth, Boston, MA: Appalachian Mountain Club, 2007, pp. 170-196. ii This map was the first of Cutter's maps to place north at the top. iii Hikers could easily supplement the pamphlet by purchasing the AMC guide or Cutter's 1916 or 1917 AMC map, now entitled Map of the Northern Peaks of the Mt. Washington Range, White Mountains, N.H. iv The RMC used color printing before the AMC first converted its maps to color in 1998. Personal communication from editor Steve Smith. v Printed as the 'sixth' edition. Unless one discounts either the 1927 or 1931 revisions as mere reprints, this was really the seventh edition. vi About 450 additional copies were in the pockets of unsold Randolph Paths.
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On
behalf of the AMC, its members had begun mapping the mountains
as early as 1877 i. The results were reproduced for distribution
to the membership, hiking maps (in the 1880s) and later guidebooks
(1907) for the region. For many years the principal mapmaker
was Louis Fayerweather Cutter, a "Raviner" whose earliest
map in 1885 had begun a whole new era for cartography in the
White Mountains.
In
1952 Randolph Paths (yellow cover) was revised, chiefly
by Jack Stewart. Changes to the general information included
sections on Hazards (safety advice), Trail Markings, Starting
Places, and a new section, "Suggested Trips from Randolph
and Vicinity," was added. Descriptions of paths and places
were updated, with a few additions (e.g., "The Bear Pit").
Again subsidized by local businesses (17 pages of ads were printed
at the back), this edition kept its text within 83 pages. Stewart
again revised the guide in 1977 (green cover) retaining the basic
organization of the 1952 edition. An update in 1992 (grey cover)
was printed in 1000 copies that sold for $3 wholesale; $4 retail;
or $5 mail order.