Ways to Hike the 48

vftt.org

Help Support vftt.org:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
The only real irredeemable is Peak Above Owl's Head; for that one you want low flood danger if you do it the traditional way... Or maybe the right way is to detour to Owl's Head proper - there's got to be a view from the top of that cliff.
The Owls Head bump above Black Pond doesn't have much of a view - no more than the summit. The top of the slide is pretty good.

However if you use the traditional route via Greenleaf Hut and Lincoln slide you pass some good viewpoints along the way :)

One method not mentioned - the hikes at night (the midnight guy usually camped near the summit). One guy has done them by his rule which is you can hike part of one direction in daylight on the longer ones but some trailrunner ought to be able to climb Bonds entirely at night.
 
One method not mentioned - the hikes at night (the midnight guy usually camped near the summit). One guy has done them by his rule which is you can hike part of one direction in daylight on the longer ones but some trailrunner ought to be able to climb Bonds entirely at night.
Are you referring to the guy who did the 111(115) all at night?

I'm personally working on a night time 46 list, the N46. I use the rule that you have to start after official sunset and get back to the trail head by official sunrise, pretty simple. I have broken the rule many a time or done the half dark one way many times, in which case I don't count the peaks. For that list anyway.;)
 
Look at the picture of Giggy. What do you think he's doing!?

-Dr. Wu

That's easy...he's working on barfing after a hard night of quaffing on all the 48!
 
Last edited:
Climbing them with a dog (the same dog each time). Somehow, I can't motivate myself to do the paperwork to get recognition for doing the 48 myself - but when Loki (my current hiking dog) is done, I'm sure I'll apply for her right away.
 
Dead on the 48

In your will, stipulate that you are to be cremated and your ashes divided into 48 portions. Your heirs must then see that a portion is spread over each of the 48 peaks before they can collect their inheritance.
 
Are you referring to the guy who did the 111(115) all at night?

I'm personally working on a night time 46 list, the N46. I use the rule that you have to start after official sunset and get back to the trail head by official sunrise, pretty simple.
Someone told me that FH used the one-way rule sometimes, but I'm not sure it's true and he may have redone some later. The only time I met him was twilight, I was nearly back to the road and he was just starting.

Using sunset-to-sunrise eliminates subjective questions of whether it's dark enough (I consider it dark when I can no longer distinguish color) but it gives you perhaps half an hour at each end that DMV for example considers daylight for use of headlights. That extra hour of time is probably more useful than the extra light on the longer trips.
 
The only real irredeemable is Peak Above Owl's Head; for that one you want low flood danger if you do it the traditional way. Maybe the "right way" is to circle around it counterclockwise before going up the slide, thus making a *really* long approach. Or maybe the right way is to detour to Owl's Head proper - there's got to be a view from the top of that cliff.

If there's a right way to do Peak Above Owl's Head, it's as a traverse in order to maximize the pain and ensure you stand on the high point.
 
Someone told me that FH used the one-way rule sometimes, but I'm not sure it's true and he may have redone some later. The only time I met him was twilight, I was nearly back to the road and he was just starting.
I'm not sure on any of Fred's rules but besides doing the 115 in day, night and winter I believe he was the first to finish the ADK 46 monthly. The 46er locals have always referred to it as the monthly instead of the Grid which I believe is the more accepted term in the Whites and Catskills. He also finished his first round in '73 and I'm told finished the monthly only about 3 years later. That is a heck of a goal back then when many ADK peaks were truer bushwhacks and he had to of been breaking the whole way to most with what would be considered "lesser" gear by today's standards. He also is well known by his nickname of "cat eyes".

In one of those big list oddities there was actually 2 people who completed the monthly on the same day on different peaks. Tom Haskins and Gary Koch in Dec '06. Gary is getting closer to his 46x46 goal of which he'll be the 3rd, I believe has around 38. I've done quite a few hikes with him and he is about as class an individual as you'll meet. His father still gets around town in his early 90's so I think it's in the bag for Gary who is in his early 50's.

I find the hardest thing with the nightly isn't hiking in the dark but that you have to give up 2 regular days of hiking or start one day in the dark and hike for 12-20 hours and then (for me) take a long drive home. I once worked 12 hours, went home shower/ ate then drove to the ADK did some peaks, then drove home showered/ ate and went back to work for another 12 hour day. Had a smile on my face that day but was a bag of poo the rest of the week.:eek:
 
One method not mentioned - the hikes at night (the midnight guy usually camped near the summit). One guy has done them by his rule which is you can hike part of one direction in daylight on the longer ones but some trailrunner ought to be able to climb Bonds entirely at night.

Entire 4k hikes at night (i.e., darkness) would be easier at the beginning of winter, assuming that there is not much trail breaking to be done.
 
er, ahem... how about more than just a kiss? ... ;) bwaaaaaahahaha ...

Snuggle Bagging the 48.......you have to do a make-out session in the summit vincinity.....

Dr Wu and I have been working on the 12 x 67 since last year where we started on Old Speck ;)
 
Snuggle Bagging the 48.......you have to do a make-out session in the summit vincinity.....

Dr Wu and I have been working on the 12 x 67 since last year where we started on Old Speck ;)
Bag-assing the 67? I think most people have seen this one for proof:

2642537290064090481S425x425Q85.jpg


-Dr. Wu
 
  • Like
Reactions: MEB
im plan on doing them all with shorts on!
i think im at about 30/44 (or is it 48? or 46? or 100? 111? or 35? or...)
im not a list person so i guess it doesnt matter to me.
 
Top