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?
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?