Mt. Clay - Whites in NH

[Askus3]

For those that have not heard, the NH legislature is considering changing the name of Mt. Clay to Mt. Reagan. It sounds fairly imminent that this change will make it. For those that are not aware of where Mt. Clay is, it is located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire just north of Mt. Washington and south of Mt. Jefferson. It is a little hump in the ridge line on a parallel blue trail to the AT (known as the Gulfside in this area)

My opinion: I don't care if Ronald Reagan has a mountain named after him, but I don't think it should be changed from another name in history. I still don't like the Clinton/Pierce name change futher south on the AT in NH.

By the way, if they must change the name of Mt. Clay the only appropriate name change should be to Mt. Ali !!!

[Blue Jay]

Actually naming "a little hump" Reagan is perfect, because that's all he was.

[RagingHampster]

Oh I dont want to get into responding to the last statement, but I think renaming a mountain is stupid. If you ask me, we should go back to what the natives called each of them. The un-named ones can retain the first names we've given. Next will be renaming the "Atlantic" to the "Big 'Ole 'Dubya-'Dubya".

[Lone Wolf]

Obviously Blue Jay is a pansy liberal Democrat. Probably thinks Jimmy Carter was better than Reagan. I bet he likes the Ditzy Chicks too and all the other Hollyweird types that run their pie holes.

[smokymtnsteve]

.....

[Joel Rash]

Um, aren't the Dixie Chicks from the south? If they were from Hollywood they would be the Cali Chicks or something. While not at all a fan of Reagan, having mountains in the Presidentials named after presidents seems reasonable. If Mt. Clay is named after what they found on it, it isn't a big deal. If Mt. Clay is named after Henry Clay, then I'd say Henry Clay was far more important to the history of our country than Ronald Reagan, and they should leave it alone. And as for the lovely Mr. Carter, while he might not have been the right man for the job at the time, he most certainly has become the most respected and effective ex-president ever.

[Lone Wolf]

Sure Joel.

[Moose2001]

hmmm, this is, after all, the Presedential Range. What year was Clay elected to President? Must of missed that one in my history books.

[Jumpstart]

I think it's an excellent idea to name a mountain in the "presidential" range after a president, especially one as siginficant as Reagan. Ordinarily, the law requires that someone be dead for at least 5 years before such an honor is bestowed upon them, but if they are looking to make an exception to the rule, I'm sure people won't be up in arms. Even with the name change, veteran hikers to the area will most likely still call it "Clay" anyway, so I don't think it's worth getting our knickers in a twist over.

[DebW]

Sometimes the trail namers screw up. Carter became a presidential in 1977, and it's across the valley from the rest! Clay is actually one of those "nothing" mountains that doesn't count as a 4000 footer because there isn't a drop of 200 feet between it and Jefferson - it's just a shoulder of Jefferson by the technical definition. If you care about those things. It does have a nice view into the Great Gulf.

[Moose2001]

just for clarification though.. Carter was names for Dr. Ezra Carter, MD

[Askus3]

Also a clarification! The drop between Jefferson & Clay is at Sphinx Col(Gulfside jct. with the Sphinx Trail). Elevation of Jefferson is 5716 feet. Sphinx col is 4975 feet. Summit of Clay is 5533 feet. Washington-Clay col is 5400 and the summit of Washington is 6288 feet. Thus the drop of less than 200 is not between Clay & Jeffferson, but between Clay & Washington, so it is a hump on the north side of Washington.

A poster on a thread on the AMC Board made this recommendation, "I believe that in the spirit of Ronald Reagan, we should use a small tactical nuclear weapon to blast down the connecting ridge between Mt. Reagan and Mt. Washington, thereby making it an official 4,000 footer. It would become the fourth highest mountain in the Northeast."

[Sleepy the Arab]

Well now, the state does like to rename things but as to whether or not the name takes is up to the AMC. The NH legislature changed the name of Mt. Clinton to Mt. Peirce in 1913. The AMC - in an act of hubris that would pave the way for things to come - ignored the name change until very recently. The very same passive-aggressive tactic caused the "Mt Washington River" to revert to its former name, Dry River. So I wouldn't count ol' Henry Clay out.

And strictly speaking, Mt. washington was not named for a president. Surprise!

[Peaks]

Least we forget, Mt. Eisenhower was formerly Mt. Pleasant

[Jack Tarlin]

Considering Reagan's environmental legacy, and absolute antagonism towards anyone interested in protecting the outdoors, naming a mountain after him in one of the nation's most environmentally fragile areas is ridiculous.

In that he did his best to continually undermine efforts to preserve what remains of America's backcountry, I can think of nobody who deserves this honor LESS.

You wanna name a federal building or airport for him? Fine. Put him on American currency? Sure, but at least wait til he's no longer with us. But re-name a mountain for him in a National Forest in my state that he did absolutely NOTHING to protect? Hell, no!

[Lilred]

Henry Clay was never president, he ran three times, lost each time. He was a secretary of state, I think for Adams.......,
anywho..... I'm a traditionalist. Keep the names the same I say. If the mountain they want to name for him isn't a 4000 footer, well.....I'm sure with the name Reagan, it'll inflate that high in no time.....