Stoddard Rocks
“On a hill, formerly known as Chapman’s Hill, several huge boulders, called glacial “erratics”, comprised of Kinsman quartzmonzonite, were deposited during the last ice age. The largest boulder stands 35-feet tall and weighs an estimated 960,000 tons. When Charles Peirce viewed them for the 1st time, he identified their location when he made his first map of the town in 1902. Stoddard Rocks, as they are known today, are included on the USGS topographic maps”. [1]"
Hillside Rock
Impressive Rock
Picture is from "Erratic Wandering", Jan and Christy Butler, 2018 [2] (Used with permission).
The boulders in Stoddard are impressive in general, but Impressive Rock stands above them all, literally. This single rock is 35 feet tall. The trail to Impressive Rock starts in the legal parking area near Pickerel Cove off of Shed Hill Road. The trail is well marked with silver diamond markers with a bright red border. No bushwacking is needed. You can approach Stoddard Rocks from the West Trail or the South Trail. Both trails are equal in difficulty and distance. I suggest taking one up to the rocks and one down from the rocks. The hike will be approximately 5 miles round trip and you will get to enjoy some breathtaking scenery as well as a few other large boulders in this area. Waypoints are provided to guide you through the well-marked trails. Do not use, or park along, the Private Dodge Farm Road. There are signs posted, please be respectful. Dogs are welcome on these trails as long as they are under control.
This Earth Cache’s 5-mile round trip tour will take you to Hillside Rock, Impressive Rock, and to Humongous Rock and you will need to answer the question at the bottom of this cache description in order to gain credit for this Earth Cache. I highly recommend printing a copy of the map and using a dedicated GPS instead of a cell phone since cell phone coverage is weak to non-existent until you get to the top.
Image from actual hiking tracks by the Cache Owner overlaid on Google Earth.
Recommend following the magenta track up to Stoddard Rocks.
Glacial Erratic[3]
From Wikipedia, the free encylopedia
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare (to wander), and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometers. Erratics can range in size from pebbles to large boulders.
Geologists identify erratics by studying the rocks surrounding the position of the erratic and the composition of the erratic itself. Erratics are significant because:
- They can be transported by glaciers, and they are thereby one of a series of indicators which mark the path of prehistoric glacier movement. Their lithographic origin can be traced to the parent bedrock, allowing for confirmation of the ice flow route.
- They can be transported by ice rafting. This allows quantification of the extent of glacial flooding resulting from ice dam failure which release the waters stored in proglacial lakes such as Lake Missoula. Erratics released by ice-rafts that were stranded and subsequently melt, dropping their load, allow characterization of the high-water marks for transient floods in areas like temporary Lake Lewis.
- Erratics dropped by icebergs melting in the ocean can be used to track Antarctic and Arctic-region glacial movements for periods prior to record retention. Also known as dropstones, these can be correlated with ocean temperatures and levels to better understand and calibrate models of the global climate.
Erratic[4]
From the USGS
"A rock of unspecified shape and size, transported a significant distance from its origin by a glacier or iceberg and deposited by melting of the ice. Erratics range from pebble-size to larger than a house and usually are of a different composition that the bedrock or sediment on which they are deposited".
Northeast-looking photograph of a ~6-foot diameter, sub-rounded granite erratic boulder sitting on an outcrop of schist. The erratic was deposited by the Mendenhall Glacier, seen in the background. Coast Mountains, Juneau Icefield, Tongass National Forest, AK.[4]
Lithology[5]
li·thol·o·gy:: (noun): The study of the general physical characteristics of rocks.
Logging Requirements
- Apply the lesson above and examine the lithology of each of the three rocks cited in this Earth Cache and then examine the lithology of the surrounding bedrock. Decide if these impressive rocks are indeed glacial erratics or not. You must support your answer with observations and that led to your conclusion.
- Take a photo of yourself (or a personal object) in front of one the rocks from the waypoints and upload to the cache Log and identify which rock you photographed. (Please note this is a mandatory requirement and is permitted under the update to the earthcaching guidelines of 10 JUL 19)
Message the answers to me via my geocaching.com profile. You may log this Earth Cache immediately, but I will delete logs if I do not have a message from you with correct answers. If your answer is incorrect, I’ll message back to you for clarification. Remember, Earth Caches are meant to be visited.
Pictures are welcome...if they don't give away the answers. 
This Earth Cache has been made possible by the
generous permission granted by the
Stoddard Conservation Commission.
This Earth Cache is placed here with their permission.
The facts and details of this Earth Cache were compiled with consultations with
Dr. C. Kerwin, Dr. of Geology at Keen State University, and
Dr. M. Cadot, Naturalist Emeritus, Harris Center for Conservation Education,
who both studied this area.
References
[1] Stoddard rocks-pioneer lake from parking lot kiosk, https://www.stoddardnh.org/sites/stoddardnh/files/uploads/stoddard_rocks-pioneer_lake_from_parking_lot_kiosk.pdf
[2] Erratic Wandering, Jan and Christy Butler, 2018 http://www.erraticwandering.com/
[3] Wikipedia – Glacial Erratic
[4] USGS: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1216/e/e.html
[5] https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/lithology