Mt. Ascutney Earthcache EarthCache
Hidden : 9/17/2007
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:





NOTICE: Mt. Ascutney CLOSES every October and opens every April.

Mount Ascutney is a Monadnock.

A monadnock or inselberg is an isolated hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In southern and southern-central Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a kopje from the Afrikaans word: koppie. In fact the word koppie is itself frequently employed in written South African English.

Monadnock is an originally Native American term for an isolated hill or a lone mountain that has risen above the surrounding area, typically by surviving erosion. The name was taken from Mount Monadnock in southwestern New Hampshire (USA), in Jaffrey. The name is thought to derive from the Abenaki language, from either menonadenak ("smooth mountain") or menadena ("isolated mountain").

The word inselberg is German for "island mountain"; the name was originally coined to describe the abundant such features found in southern Africa. The term monadnock is more usually used in the US.

Inselbergs are typically, though not only, formed in tropical areas. Volcanic or other processes may give rise to a body of rock resistant to erosion, inside a body of softer rock such as sandstone which is more susceptible to erosion. When the less resistant rock is eroded away to form a plain, the more resistant rock is left behind as an isolated mountain. If the inselberg is dome-shaped and formed from granite-gneiss, it can also be called a bornhardt.

Park Overview:
In 1935, the state of Vermont, with federal public works funds, purchased a 560-acre parcel from Weston Heights, Inc., and a 640-acre parcel from E.J. York. In 1938, an additional 300 acres were purchased from the Bicknell estate. This 1500-acre tract was the original area in which Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Work Group SPI began the development of Ascutney State Park in 1935. Subsequent land acquisitions have brought the total to about 2000 acres.

The original park, being the summit road, the stone toilet buildings, campsites 1 to 18, and the ranger's quarters had all been completed by 1939 when the CCC camp moved to Okemo. The stonework is all of Ascutney granite. The ranger's quarters and entrance are at an elevation of 550 feet. The summit road winds a steep path through mixed hardwoods to a parking lot in a saddle between the south peak and summit. A foot trail takes you the additional 344 vertical feet to the summit.

Excellent viewing is offered from points along the summit road and trail. The original fire tower with the cabin removed has been relocated for excellent views in all directions. Another excellent view is found at Brownsville Rock, 1/4 mile by trail northwest of the summit. This is also the hang gliding launch site.

The park has 39 wooded tent/trailer sites and 10 lean-to sites that are arranged within two camp loops. Each loop has a rest room providing modern plumbing and hot showers ($). There is a sanitary dump station for RV's, but no hookups. There is a small picnic area at the foot of the summit, and a picnic area and shelter part way up the summit road.

To log a find for this cache you must email us the following information/answers and upload the photo:

1. Determine the elevation change of the mountain by measuring the altitude at the visitors center/main gate and at the parking area where the summit hiking trail starts.

Drive to N 43 26.047 and W 072 26.430.

2. Name three migratory birds that pass this mountain.

Post a picture in your find log of you and/or your group with your GPSr from N 43 26.035 and W 072 26.435 at the picnic bench area with the valley in the background.

3. Drive to N 43 26.399 and W 072 27.154. How far is the summit in miles from this point?

I request that you email your answers to me on the same day that you log your “found it” log. (This does not have to be the day you visit, just the day you log the find on the computer.) I also request that you do not log a “found it” log unless you have actually visited the site of the earthcache and sent the answers to me. The only person who really benefits from your visit is YOU.

Each cacher is required to send the required information and not rely on another cacher to provide it. Failure to follow this procedure will result in a deleted log. It is not my job to keep track of your group.


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We became Platinum Earthcache Masters on September 17, 2007.

We were the first to request and receive on July 2, 2011 the Emerald Discovery Award for finding 500 or more Earthcaches.

We received the Diamond Discovery Award on June 17, 2012 for finding 1,000 or more Earthcaches.


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