AMC Outdoors, September 2006
Imagine two 1979 Lincoln sedans careening toward each other at breakneck speed. As these behemoths collide, their hoods crumple in a cacophony of steel-on-steel grating—now more accordion than automobile. Fluids spurt and hiss forth, seeping through previously nonexistent cracks and crevices. The immense heat and pressure fuse the mangled chassis into a mountainous amalgam of metal.
Fittingly, Lincoln’s premier 1979 model was named the Continental.
Like the head-on impact of two Continentals, collisions between continents also leave a mark. Or, as in the case of New England, enough marks to chronicle the landscape’s evolution from ancient past to the present day. Throughout the region, vast swaths of prehistoric earth exist—remnants of 30,000-foot mountains, massive lava flows, and Amazonian river networks. These marvels didn’t disappear overnight, rather on a timescale that makes the Pantheon seem like it was built yesterday.
Geologic processes occur at a sloth’s pace compared to the light-speed tempo of our society. A human life lasts 80 years; the age of the Earth spans 4.58 billion. In a world where seconds count, such a sprawling time period sounds fantastical. But to the discerning eye that fantasy becomes reality. New England’s enduring geologic marvels inimitably wed past and present, and at three spectacular examples—Kaaterskill Falls in New York, Franconia Ridge in New Hampshire, and the Connecticut River Valley—visitors can stride across eons in hours.
Next: Kaaterskill Falls >>
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