Larry Davis climbed Monadnock every day for almost eight years.....2850 consecutive days! He told
me his best time up was just over 28 minutes. His best time descending was 14 minutes! He said the worse weather he ever dealth
with was in late March......the 28th or 29th, I forget. The wind was so intense he had to drop his pack because it was
acting like a sail, pushing him about. He had to weigh it down with heavy bolders or the wind would have blown it away. Larry
is one amazing guy, and 'though he doesn't climb every day now, he's seen on the mountain quite often. There's a well constructed
cairn, with a built in seat, on the White Dot Trail, just below the jct. of the Cross, that Larry built. I refer to it
as Davis' seat.
Fran Rautiola climbed Monadnock 14 times in one day in 2001. I believe he was 56 years old at the
time! When I asked him why 14, he simply said, "I've got fourteen kids." Fran quite often hikes the White Dot Trail
after work. Fran really moves. He can climb to the summit and back in much less time than it takes most people just to summit.
Fourteen times is pretty unbelievable, but Fran's record was broken last summer by Garry Harrington.
Garry is one of the top rated runners in New England. He nailed 16 trips to the summit and back in 24 hours. I had a feeling
that if anyone could beat Fran's record, it would be Garry. He's young, tall, and thin and moves like the wind.
Way to go, Garry! Fran told me he accompanied Garry on the 14th trip and he was still making great time at that
point. However, he slowed considerably on the last two trips. Yeah, I would imagine so!
Mount Monadnock is said to be the second-most-climbed mountain in the world. At last count, Monadnock
State Park registered 95,000 visitors. And, that's a comparatively low figure. The park record is 125,000 visitors. All
that traffic takes its toll on the mountain. Erosion is becoming a real problem on may trails. Volunteer with
the MMC to help maintain trails and keep Monadnock an enjoyable adventure for all. Get
out, get dirty, learn proper maintenance techniques, and give something back. Monadnock Trail Week will be held again this
year July 21 - 25. Sign up with the MMC to get training before the event.
On a clear day, you can see Boston, Mount Washington & the Presidentials, and Mt Lafayette
& the Franconia Ridge......with the naked eye. On a spectacularly clear day, you can see the black smoke rising from
the cog trains on Mt Washington! You can also see Mt Mansfield, 120 miles distant.......binoculars help!
Thoreau's campsites of 1858 and 1860 on Monadnock are well documented. Both are hard to find,
but are described well enough to locate by process of elimination. Join an MMC guided hike, learn
about the history of Monadnock and discover some of its "secret" places.
Monadnock was named by the Algonquin Indians. It means: "a mountain that stands alone."
There were two major fires on Monadnock that left the summit bare. The first was around 1800, when
a farmer was burning brush on the Troy side and it spread to the mountain. It burned for two or three weeks and killed the
turf. I think it may have happened in 1801, judging by the oldest date found chisled into the rock. The trees all died
and blew down, making a perfect home for wolves. Sheep farming was very profitable then, and the wolves ate well. The
second fire was set intentionally to erradicate the wolves, sometime between 1810 and 1820. Join the MMC and learn
more about the history of Monadnock.
