Always watching.

In the midst of the crazy season and world we are living in, a reminder of love within local legend and the power of community is more an important than ever. 

Geology or Abenaki Wobanadenok legends aside; the Old Man of the Mountain was a beloved feature that stood tall in Franconia Notch in the heart of the White Mountains. In the Algonquian language Wobanadenok means “the the place of the high white or crystal/mica mountains”, which many of us know as the White Mountains. New Hampshire adopted this icon as their identity and holds on to it still to this day.  

Although I was in elementary school, my seasonal trips north lead me to end up calling these mountains home. Crossing through the notches felt like a gateway to another world; a passage through a portal to an alternate realm. Mountain regions often feel this way. The Old Man was always there standing tall guarding our passage into the mountains. 

If you aren’t from New Hampshire or aren’t old enough to remember, there once stood a colossal, craggy profile etched into the granite cliffs, a face of stone watching over the valleys below. Known as the “Old Man of the Mountain” or “The Great Stone Face,” as the Abenaki people called it. This ancient formation captured the imaginations of those who gazed up at its silent, noble profile. 

Despite European settlers finally viewing this in 1805, the Abenaki people, who had lived near these mountains for generations, saw this natural wonder as more than a mere accident of geology. While it may have been created by water inside of the exfoliating granite, for the true inhabitants of this region, it was Nis Kizos, a local leader, who was waiting for his beloved wife, Tarlo, a woman he met from another tribe to return home.

Long ago, as the Abenaki elders told, Nis Kizos and Iroquois woman named Tarlo had been inseparable. Nis Kizos became a strong leader and went to represent his people at the “Great Gathering”, or Kchi Mahadin. This is where he met Tarlo. Together they went back to his village, until an illness struck her people and she went home to help her family. He swore to her he would wait on top of the mountain, now Cannon Cliff and wait for her return. Every night he lit a fire hoping to guide her back. 

As the season began to get colder Nis Kizos people were starting to worry since they had yet to return. His brother, Gezosa was sent to bring them back. Refusing to leave until Tarlo returned, he sent Gezosa away. Winter hit and illness took the lives of many, including Tarlo and her family. 

Nis Kizos brother was sent back to give him the news in the springtime. His fire had burned out and he was nowhere to be found. On his way back down he turned back to the mountain to say a prayer to Kchi Niwaskw or the “Great Creator” and that’s when he saw Nis Kizos’ face etched into the mountains. He hadn’t left.

When Tarlo was called away by the spirits of the sky he descended to the earth to wait for her heartbroken yet devoted. Settling in the rugged cliffs of the White Mountains, he took the form of a giant face, watching over the land, endlessly hoping for Tarlo’s return.

For centuries, the people saw Nis Kizos’ face in the granite of the mountain, a steadfast reminder of love and loyalty. Travelers and settlers who came to the area heard the legend and began to call him The Old Man of the Mountain but he remains The Great Stone Face to the Abenaki people and believers of this legend. His watchful profile became a symbol of resilience and patience, a testament to the Abenaki belief that Nis Kizos would wait as long as it took for Tarlo to return to him. For the state it became a symbol as a reminder of strength and fortitude.  

Generations passed, and the Great Stone Face continued his silent vigil. But in 2003, it happened. During the stillness of a May night, the Old Man of the Mountain crumbled and fell from the cliffside devastating the local residents and tourists alike. But to the Abenaki and those who cherished this legend, this was no mere accident or erosion of stone.

It was believed that, at last, Tarlo had returned, and Nis Kizos no longer needed to wait. His spirit was freed, and he could finally join his beloved in the sky once more. To this day, even though the physical form of the Old Man of the Mountain is gone, the spirit of Nis Kizos and the enduring love of the Great Stone Face lives on in the stories of the mountains. And New Hampshire continues to stand on his strength and resilience. They have resurrected his life through a metal sculpture monument along Profile Lake to help visitors bring his stature back to life.

When at the south end of Profile Lake if you look back, there’s still a granite feature looking over the valley. Known popularly as “The Watcher”, some call her “The Old Woman of the Mountain”. I like to think that this is Tarlo. When the Old Man of the Mountain fell they were united again. So she now sits atop the valley as a reminder of continued resilience and the strength of love in a community.

Let’s become reunited as a community.

- Luke