Hiking the entire list of New Hampshire’s 48 4,000-foot peaks has long been a favorite goal of many Northeast hikers. Now, those hikers may have one less peak they need to climb.
According to the Appalachian Mountain Club, a recent survey revealed that Mount Tecumseh, which had barely made the list at 4,003 feet, is actually 3,995 feet.
Last year, AMC cartographer Larry Garland began using Lidar (light detection and ranging) data to remap the White Mountain National Forest. Lidar is an optical remote-sensing technique that uses laser light to densely sample the surface of the earth. It produces highly accurate measurements of topography such as summit elevation.
Garland has so far surveyed 26 of the 48 mountains considered above 4,000 feet. AMC plans to release the complete findings of the survey once Garland’s work is complete. It’s certainly possible more elevation discrepancies will be found.