By Cynthia Prairie, republished with permission from October 20 The Chester Telegraph

New Hampshire lost its iconic Old Man in the Mountain to gravity in 2003, but four years ago, Vermont apparently gained the Gassetts Gorilla.

The Gassetts Gorilla is more accessible than the Old Man was. The Old Man towered above us, looked away from us and seemed pleased with his lot in life. The Gassetts Gorilla on the other hand is well-grounded. And his pursed lips and strong brow give a sense that he is a bit of a skeptic, maybe much like ourselves.

The granite profile, which can only be viewed on Route 103 heading south from Ludlow, was spotted several years ago after the state finished cleaning up the huge rock outcropping on Route 103 just north of Route 10 to prevent it from further falling into the roadway. (Editor’s note: According to our very own Stacia Spaulding, who holds a Ph.D. in Geology, the profile is not granite, but garnet-mica schist. We stand corrected!)……

Read more at the Chester Telegraph, an online daily community newspaper serving Chester and surrounding towns.