Why are there still summit registers?

Summit registers remain on a few peaks of the N.E. Hundred Highest. The conventional practice is to remove a register once a trail becomes established to the top.

Here I make the case for removing all summit registers.

For the NEHH peaks, "trail-less" is a misnomer. Current herd paths are de-facto trails. By an overwhelming margin, peak baggers follow established herd paths marked by flagging tape and the GPS tracks of those who have gone before.

I base these remarks on recent experience.

White Cap--trail and well-defined herd path to summit
North Peak Kennebago Divide--trail and herd path, though hard to follow at col with White Cap
Cupsuptic Snow--well-defined herd path to top, except when passing through grassy areas and short fern area
Elephant--herd path to summit, though not well-defined when passing through logging area at the col between SW knob (official summit) and NE knob
Vose Spur--herd path sometimes well-defined, sometimes less so, but with an abundance of flagging tape

Flagging tape is found on all of the above and is especially heavy on Vose Spur. There I encountered a group who apologized for adding their own flagging. They wanted to be certain of returning the way they came, claiming they always remove the tape on their way down. They asked my opinion about removing old flagging. I said they could remove it as it was not needed. In the end, they added only a little new tape, as there was already a good deal of it.

Conclusion: the transformation of herd paths into full-fledged trails is inevitable and cannot be stopped. Removal of summit registers should begin now.

What is the case for keeping summit registers on NEHH peaks?

Who is responsible for maintaining the registers?

I can not answer your questions for New England, but in the Catskills, the Catskill 3500 Club has stewardship of the canisters on our trailless peaks. We have a permit issued by the DEC. Some of our peaks are in the category you describe, some are still (almost) truly trailless. Herd paths will inevitably form over time on logical routes and near summits.

I suspect it is the AMC in New England, but I am not sure.

I don't see any harm in them. As one who thinks GPS is for sissies they help confirm my location . When I have the leisure to linger it's fun to read through them. I've come across an occasional register on mountains not on any list that I'm aware of. Perhaps for the NE 100 Highest the distinction is whether it is a maintained trail. I expect the 4000 footer committee is behind them. What is the objection?

The Hansel and Gretel method of navigation is unacceptable by the committee's rules and by the leave no trace ethic though, like fools' name and fools' faces, they show up in the strangest of places.

Does Vose have more flagging now? I was there on June 16, and while there was some flagging, it was infrequent and could not be counted on for reliable navigation.

As for registers / canisters / jars, I don't personally have a problem with them. Yes, one could argue that this is a "trace left". I find them to be satisfying to find and also enjoy reading through the past register entries. No idea if any official body manages them. From what I read on NETC, it seems like some people are taking it upon themselves to recognize summits.

Mid-August 2016 flagging is almost continuous on Vose Spur, from Carrigain Notch Trail to summit.

Personal reason to see registers removed, because for most of my bushwhacking career no trails, no herd paths, no registers. Much of this experience was prior to the year 1980. Present-day, I am most distressed by the sheer number of flagging markers and cairns.

I must admit I enjoy reading through the registers. And I did benefit from the flagging. On a couple of occasions I was bushwhacking and caught sight of tape that got me back on the herd path. On Vose Spur I shudder thinking about that bushwhack without benefit of herd path. My stamina for steep and strenuous buswhacking is not what it was forty years ago.

I don't bushwhack (yet), but would removing the registers really impact the other issues at all? I was under the impression that people were after the summits themselves, so pulling the registers wouldn't lessen traffic, let alone change the behavior of the folks who make the trip.

Wow, there was certainly not that much when I was there. :/ While I didn't depend on it, it was useful for at least getting myself back on the general track of the herd path, which I found difficult to follow in spots below the talus field. And yes, I also found that to be a very strenuous whack. I think it's 1,600' in a mile or something like that.

Sanbu said:

. Current herd paths are de-facto trails.

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I guess I missed the trail to Scar Ridge

Sanbu said:

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What is the case for keeping summit registers on NEHH peaks?

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many people really like them, but if YOU don't I guess they should be removed

I appreciate some sort of sign at the summit but really could care less about the register.

I do feel that sharing of GPS tracks have contributed to more distinct herd paths but it just may be the major increase in use.

I count myself in the "keep it wild" camp, but when it comes to summit canisters & signs, I don't they significantly impinge on it. The marking of summits, whether with a cross, a cairn, a canister, or sign is an old practice that spans continents.

I have come to enjoy reading through the summit registers of New Hampshire and Maine. Typically, unless the bugs are terrible, I'll take as seat, munch on some food, and read through all of the entries before adding my own. You come to know a cast of recurring characters and it, at times, feels like you are completing your peakbagging journeys together, even though years or decades may separate you in time.

And, I do think they ultimately help to limit herd paths, by clearly identifying the summit—though sometimes they are clearly not at the true highpoint. On a recent Adirondack bushwhack, I spent quite sometime poking around the summit area of a peak just to be sure that I was not on a false summit bump. A summit sign is a suitable alternative, especially when a peak becomes more popular. Once a clear route has been defined and becomes semi-maintained/maintained, unmarked trail, I would agree, with the OP, it's time for the canister to come down & a sign put up in its stead.

On the other hand, the tape is trash and must go.

I've done virtually no bushwhacking but I agree on the tape. That annoys me seeing tape all over the place and it does seem like there is more of it, even on maintained trails (I presume as markers to find camp sites or other such features in thick areas, openings in the trees to get to a trail above treeline, etc). I can see the need to use it in tricky areas so you can find your way back but take it down on your way out (or use alternatives that degrade in nature like crepe paper suggested in some mountaineering books). I've run into tape in some places, mostly in the Dry River Wilderness, and I certainly wouldn't trust it as "correct". I think it is very individual to whoever put it up and doesn't always seem to lead you where you want to go (at least it hasn't for me in the places I've come across it) so I generally don't trust it.

I answer your original question with a question: Who are the self-important jackasses who have seen fit to vandalize/steal the registers? I started with the trail-free but listed peaks around 1980, with some older, venerated peakbaggers of a generation past, the majority of whom at least seemed familiar with one another. Spotting the jar (as it usually was then) was a highlight of every climb, and examining with recognition the entries in the register was a lot of fun. Tapes were something that seemed to come along later. That aside, on the many wooded, rounded summits where the highpoint is not obvious, the jar/canister saved a lot of trudging around, which seems like a good thing. Today, there are more peakbaggers and fewer entries would be familiar, but little else has changed except the self-righteous zeal of few spoilsports.

Amicus said:

I answer your original question with a question: Who are the self-important jackasses who have seen fit to vandalize/steal the registers? I started with the trail-free but listed peaks around 1980, with some older, venerated peakbaggers of a generation past, the majority of whom at least seemed familiar with one another. Spotting the jar (as it usually was then) was a highlight of every climb, and examining with recognition the entries in the register was a lot of fun. Tapes were something that seemed to come along later. That aside, on the many wooded, rounded summits where the highpoint is not obvious, the jar/canister saved a lot of trudging around, which seems like a good thing. Today, there are more peakbaggers and fewer entries would be familiar, but little else has changed except the self-righteous zeal of few spoilsports.

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The canisters are fine with me. As already mentioned they are fun to read and a good way for the patch collectors to keep track of official recognized Summits. The existence of tape is another situation in my opinion. My understanding has always been that if you need it place it on the way in and remove it on the way out. Leaving it is not only contrary to LNT but also an infringement to the next person's experience. When I was doing most of the NE 100 Highest in the 70's and 80's there was very little flagging if at all on any of the peaks. If there was any it was quickly removed. Of course there were less than two hundred of us tramping around on these peaks at that time and ethics were easily policed among the community. As far as GPS tracks being shared it is unfortunate IMO that folks have been publicly posting them. Not long ago it was discussed on this board and agreed that if tracks were to be shared it would be done via PM. I think this was a nice compromise which helped preserve an analog experience for those whom wanted it.

skiguy said:

[...] The existence of tape is another situation in my opinion. My understanding has always been that if you need it place it on the way in and remove it on the way out. [...]

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If people feel that they need to use tape to mark their way in then maybe they should consider using a gps instead?

When 4 of us Vose Spur a few years back, we all had pockets full of flagging. I have, and always will, remove it when and where ever I see it. Unless it's on trail where it's done USFS or AMC trail crews. I've even removed it from the Engine Hill whack. That's in wilderness for crying out loud. A ridiculous amount of effort is being done by some to mark that route.

Including driving nails with reflective tape into trees.

Including driving nails with reflective tape into trees.

Given the height up in the tree is sure looks like someone is maintaining a winter trail, possibly for skiing.

I think of flagging as litter!!!! I like canisters and summit signs - someone can avoid the actual summit and sign if they are offended. Plenty of list-less objectives are unmarked if you are offended by summits. Flagging, on the other hand is SELDOM in just one location.

With regard to summits, I agree that it's a good idea to have something marketing the highpoint, as the impact of people searching probably far exceeds a few pieces of metal in a tree.

With regard to flagging, I think folks should avoid taking down flagging tape unless they know it to be bushwhacking waste (and yes, I too have collected pockets of tape from Engine Hill and Black Pond). There are other instances in which tape is for crew survey, potential boundary marking, timber harvests, and other non-hiking uses.

rocket21 said:

With regard to flagging, I think folks should avoid taking down flagging tape unless they know it to be bushwhacking waste (and yes, I too have collected pockets of tape from Engine Hill and Black Pond). There are other instances in which tape is for crew survey, potential boundary marking, timber harvests, and other non-hiking uses.

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Those should be clearly marked, or they are fair game...

TEO said:

I count myself in the "keep it wild" camp, but when it comes to summit canisters & signs, I don't they significantly impinge on it. The marking of summits, whether with a cross, a cairn, a canister, or sign is an old practice that spans continents.

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There have been times where I was not sure where the actual summit was due to thick brush, broad summit, etc. so the canister provided me assurance that I actually made it to the actual summit. In fact, I think it was on East Kennebago where I could not find the summit canister, so I returned to do it once more where I found it. I too, enjoyed reading the register...especially to find out the last time someone had been on the peak.