Mount Norwottuck
![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2023) |
Mount Norwottuck | |
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Mount Norwottock | |
igneous | |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Metacomet-Monadnock Trail |
Mount Norwottuck or Mount Norwottock,
Description and history
Mount Norwottuck received its name from Edward Hitchcock, a former professor of geology at Amherst College with a colorful history. Hitchcock coined the term "Scenographical Geology" in 1841 to describe the dramatic geologic landscape of the Holyoke Range. Originally called Hilliard Knob, Hitchcock applied the Native American name Norwottuck to the mountain. Norwottuck is the Indian name of the village of Hadley. Hitchcock is also famous for suggesting that local dinosaur tracks discovered in the Triassic sediments near the range had been produced by an ancient species of bird (the relationship between modern birds and prehistoric dinosaurs would not be established by scientists until the latter half of the 20th century). A summit of the Holyoke Range to the west of Mount Norwottuck is named after Hitchcock.
Many miles of hiking trails cross Mount Norwottuck including the 114-mile (183 km)
From Mount Norwottuck, the ridgeline of the Holyoke Range continues east as Long Mountain and west as Bare Mountain. Formerly to its west was another mountain but it has been razed by quarrying operations. This was Round Mountain. Norwottuck is easily reached via the Notch Visitors Center. Beside the Frost Trail and the M&M Trail, there are a series of local trails that lead to the peak from its south.
Geology and ecology
Mount Norwottock, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of
References
- The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide. 9th Edition. The Appalachian Mountain Club. Amherst, Massachusetts, 1999.
- Farnsworth, Elizabeth J. "Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment." 2004. PDF file. Cited Nov. 20, 2007.
- "Amherst College Library Chronology". Cited from web Dec. 2, 2007.
- The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide. 9th Edition. The Appalachian Mountain Club. Amherst, Massachusetts, 1999.
- Mt. Holyoke Range Historical Timeline. Cited from web Dec. 2, 2007.
- Raymo, Maureen E.Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States. Globe Pequot, Chester, Connecticut, 1989.
- Mt. Holyoke Range Historical Timeline
External links
- J.A. Skinner State Park Map
- Mt Holyoke Range State Park Map
- Hampshire College mountain biking map of the Holyoke Range
- Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club
- The Kestrel Trust
- Natural resource assessment of the Metacomet Ridge
- Geology of the northern Metacomet Ridge region
- State website for Skinner State Park