‘List’less hiking

[carole]

I read and see so much about hiking but most relates to lists. I have nothing against this but have gone the other way and hike with no list to guide me. I know there are others out there like me who are hiking ‘list’less. I’d like to hear your thoughts on why. Have you no interest in lists, finished working on lists, quit working on lists, or some other reason? This isn’t a question on why someone pursues a list but why some may not.

I have completed several lists and enjoyed it along the way but I think I became disenchanted perhaps with the idea of pursuing more and more lists and the purist thinking that one must touch a specific spot for a hike to ‘count’, etc. I found for a hike to count for me I wanted to enjoy it for that hike in itself. I also found that I didn’t enjoy long drives at the beginning and end of a hike but rather was more satisfied exploring areas closer to home so that the time available to hike was mostly spent hiking and not driving. I don’t like the expense of the gas either and would rather spend (or save) my money elsewhere. I also enjoy going where few others go because it’s not on a list. I probably have other reasons I’m not remembering at the moment, but I look forward to hearing from others who are ‘list’less.

 

[Puma concolor]

I'm certainly very guilty of being a peakbagger but most of my hiking around the Northeast anymore is - as you say - listless. Just don't have the time or will to tackle any of these bushwhacking lists so I pick and choose what I feel like doing - many of my Northeast hikes are repeats, some are new and some are in winter. Still working vigorously on State Highpoints (41), but that's a one week a year kind of thing these days. It's all good - lists, no lists. Don't much matter in the grand scheme of things. ["Do what you like, like what you do. Life is good."]

 

[sapblatt]

This should be taken as my thoughts on hiking and not an indictment of how others may choose to hike...

I finished the 48, and I know which ones I have done multiple times and in certain seasons. That being said, I just really do not care anymore about the lists - I am a hiker, not a peakbagger, power hiker, speed hiker, etc. I like to get outside and spend times in the Whites. The other lists, and seasonal lists are of marginal interest to me, mainly due to the reality of the situation - I am not a hardcore winter guy, I cannot get to Maine, VT, or NY readily and I really am not into bushwhacking. So I hike - sometimes the same places, sometimes something different and other times I am hiking with a friend who is working on a list. I was consciously trying to keep hiking fresh and interesting and stress addled by worrying about lists and hiking times vs. book time.

My sole addiction, and it is really minor is that I like to redline -but, the area I am working on will take me a few more years (I tend to get to that region a few times per year) and I am in no rush to finish(until I get close I suppose.) I am sure at some point I will notice that I have done 40/48 for a second round, or I may get my children into the list and I may get list driven again - for now, it is just me trying to get out as much as I can!

 

[Hillwalker]

Every hike is different

Hi Carole, Remember me? I'm the guy who used to run Mt Major every afternoon in the mid eighties. Lived in Keewaydin Park during that period. Anyway. I have been hiking in New Hampshire since my summer camp days in the late forties. I am only one summit away from completing the 48, and likely never will. I hike for the sheer pleasure of the views, the forest, and the solitude. Every time I hike a familiar trail, it feels like the first time. To accomplish this one must concentrate on the the process of hiking, not the product of summiting and ticking a list. Solitude? I find that in my AT Corridor Monitoring duties. Out there on the edge there is usually only you and the boundary.

http://www.atcboundary.blogspot.com/

I recently spent two weeks working on the AT boundary between the Maine state line and Mt Success. Let me tell you, that is some wild and beautiful country.

I personally don't think that hiking to a list is taking the road less travelled.

 

[kmorgan]

Well, since there are so few mountains on Long Island (zero) any hike that isn't flat or close to it involves a drive for me.

At first the semi-local hikes in Harriman and Cold Spring were nice, but some of the guys I hiked with had patches that said stuff like "3500 Club", "ADK 46'r", etc., and when I asked about them I learned about lists.

Before getting involved with groups and "lists" the only trail I'd heard of was the AT. Upon starting my 3500 quest I was introduced to more varied experiences in different terrain. One of the things I like about hiking a 'list' is the learning. I get to experience a full range of the area the list encompasses and keep a mental list (that word again!) of the ones I liked most.

This allows me to revisit my favorites and share them with friends and family who may not be hiking for a list, but want a good experience.

Kevin

 

[Zimmer]

I've been hiking since I was a kid -- a few decades more or less -- and until very recently, I've been a happy, non-goal-oriented listless hiker. I typically have one day off each week -- free from work and family obligations -- and hike whatever happens to strike me that particular day, so long as I can be back down in time to pick the kids up from school. Though I hike at a good clip, I also prefer hiking to driving, so there are certain mountains I've done a dozen times, and others further away that I've not done at all. Some days I feel like doing something with a nice flat approach that I can jog; other days I'm less energetic and want something that has pitch the entire distance so I have an excuse NOT to jog.

We've been hiking with the kids since they were small; I decided to do the 4000-footers with them so as to see some different terrain, and because when they were a bit younger, the promise of a patch for their backpacks helped keep them motivated. After many listless years, I'm glad to have a kick in the butt to do a few hikes I've not been motivated to bother with before due to driving distance.

My solo weekly hikes are still strictly self-motivated, but the hikes with the kids tend to be more list-oriented.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

I am currently listless. I felt lists were great as I was seriously getting into hiking. Much like following a curriculum in school. But at some point I felt like I had graduated and needed to set my own course. So I am not really interested in hiking any more lists to completion.

Perhaps that is strange because I am sort of responsible for the recent Catskill HH list, having found the last four 2980' peaks to tack onto the Catskill 3000' list (98 peaks). I am also actively preparing a Catskill 200 list which several have expressed interest in climbing. I constantly pore over maps looking for interesting stuff to hike. The peak lists I have prepared are an inadvertent byproduct of being a map geek.

For my own hiking I tend to use lists as "a la carte menus". I choose to hike those that sound or look interesting, but I do not feel an obligation to climb the others. I would rather have the freedom to hike interesting locations which are not on any list. My available hiking time is always inadequate to satisfy the stuff that excites me, so I can't justify climbing a peak merely because it is on a list.

We are coming into my favorite season, autumn foliage. I feel it is far too short to spend any time bagging peaks, or to plan in advance for a specific hike on a specific day. I'll largely use the foliage conditions to determine where I will hike on any given day. No doubt I will hit some summits, but most of the destinations will not be peaks.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I'm a list guy. I've got 20-30 lists that i'm working on. I do it in the inverted way, however. I climb a peak... well.. just because... Then I look to see what list that peak is on, then I add it to my list of lists.

You see, I climb a peak because a I want to climb with a friend, or because it looks interesting, or... well... just because...

I,ve got a bit of a problem now...There are a whole bunch of peaks I've climbed, and I haven't been able to find what list they are on.....and it's killing me!! I have to find what list they are on.....because I'm a list guy.

 

[NewHampshire]

I kind of went to the no-list state I am in because I wanted to be free to visit places far and wide. Granted we have gotten to the point where every little hill, knob and mountain has found itself onto some list or other. Going "list-free" has allowed me to move into the surrounding states (and enjoy some fine hikes on the Metacomet-Monadnock trail in MA and Pleasant in ME.) I have also gotten to enjoy some fine hikes here at home too. Sharing other peoples adventures in their quest for attaining peaks has been a joy too, so in a way I get to work a list without working a list .

But I must admit I am falterin as of late. Recent adventures in the deer woods, combined with a recent Hale bushwack, has put the off-trail (a.k.a. bushwacking) bug in me and I am now looking to casually persue the NHHH and 3000 footers.

Brian

 

[forestgnome]

Carole, a very interesting question. Before I found VFTT in late 2004, I really didn't even know about the list thing. I'd heard of the 48 list, but it didn't mean anything to me. I thought all hikers just liked being in the forest because it's so special and beautiful. I was surprised to learn how many people are in it for a list and a patch. I hiked for years before I even heard of the idea.

There really is no reason that I don't do lists. The whole list idea just doesn't register in my heart. There is no reason for me to do lists, so I guess that's the reason. I just like hiking through the forest. Lately I've been trolling the old logging roads, ski trails and snowmobile trails. I'm hoping to catch bulls rutting, or maybe a moose in a bog surrounded by those beautiful swamp maples (as I did yesterday at sunrise ). There are always new things to see on a trail I've hike a hundred times.

Also, I'm a bit spontaneous. Often, I don't even decide on a hike until I'm on the road. I often start hiking a trail to a peak, then I'll see a bowl or a drainage that looks intersting and leave the trail. If I "needed" to reach the peak I'd never explore those places. To me the peak is just another spot on a mountain. There are many other places on the mountain where there's a whole lot more to experience and enjoy.

So, I'd say the reason is that there is no reason.

Happy Trails

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

A few years ago i wrote an essay on Peakbagging: A Personal Perspective in which I describe my journey from peakbagger to hiker (in summer). In winter I still feel the excitement of attempting a second round of the 48, but as my fitness goes down the 5,000 footers seem higher every year, and the Bonds and Owlshead seem remoter

 

[Gris]

It's been said before

Lists are a good way to get to places you otherwise wouldn't. But, i'm not a list guy - the old familiar is OK with me and I like to backpack preferrably somewhere where there is running water and a peak with a view nearby...

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Lists are just like tour books of a given area. They call out certain sites among the others that are noteworthy for one reason or another. Like a menu, you can order what you want from them. (Redlining menus would be a fun hobby!)

Hiking lists is like collecting stamps, or visiting all 50 states and filling in the pins on the map, or on your RV. Lists are a natural way for humans to relate to things. Performance reviews list your accomplishments, and list your goals.

If I went grocery shopping the way forestgnome goes hiking, who knows what I'd end up buying, or even what store I went to!

I am looking forward to completing the NH48, but I'm not necessarily looking for a patch, or even the awards ceremony. I like to finish things I've started. That said, I'm willing to take time out for other hikes (like Cardigan yesterday...) and to cycle and fish and ski and swim and the Red Sox, etc........

Tim

 

[Oldsmores]

People apparently enjoy lists, but I've never been a list person. If having a list gives you motivation, that's fine. I've been hiking in the Adirondacks for 40 years, and I'm not a 46'er and probably never will be. I've climbed some of my favorites more times than I can keep track of, and I really don't have any desire to climb some of the trailless peaks that are completely wooded (no views - I like views). I'm just one of those hikers who lack direction, I guess - not in a navigational sense, but in a motivational sense.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

*phew* There are others out there .... I swore that Steve and I were the only non-list people on VFTT.

No particular reason why I don't do lists (and who knows, maybe some day I will). I think I just can't be bothered. *shrug*

 

[Rik]

The part of this conversation I find most interesting is the people that say they don't use lists so they can "be free" to hike whatever they want. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. I work on lists but don't feel tied to them or bound by them. If I do a hike that is on a list great and if I feel like hiking something (or with someone) not on a list then that is what I do. I don't feel any pressure or urgency to completing a list so never feel bound by it or like it is something to be "free" of. I think part of the "pressure" comes from putting a time frame on a list. Like say "i'm going to do the 48 by next fall". Then every time that person goes hiking they feel like they need to progress towards that goal. I just feel like eventually the lists will be completed because I like to go to new places and see places at different times of the year.

 

[grog]

my wife

My wife makes lists for me- I hate lists.

grog

 

[dug]

Since I completed the only list I ever really had any chance or interest in completing, I really do just go to whatever my mood, weather, partner, etc. dictates. Often, we are driving up 93 with the maps out wondering what to do. If it's crappy, maybe we'll just hike to Shoal Pond or something. Sunny & hot? Long hike to a hidden waterfall. Have my dog with me? Stay off most popular trails and make sure there is lots of water on the trail. Cool, dry, clear day? Head for treeline.

No agenda.

 

[onrhodes]

My 2 cents.
A list can be a good way to start something. It gives you some ideas and it gives you a goal. As I have stated before, I started my 4K list as a way to keep busy while taking a break from bike racing and my wife completing college, so I needed something inexpensive.
The list gave me a goal to keep my motivated and it was a good way to introduce me to hikes I would have probably never done (the original reason for the list if I am not mistaken).
I of course have completed it and will do some peaks again and again. I've done Welch-Dickey probably 6-7 times in my life because it is fun and was close to PSU at the time, not because it was on a list. We do the Pompelli Trail to Monadnock just about every winter just to kick off the start of the season after going through the Food Holidays.
I've always liked being in the woods, and I agree with the earlier comment that people like to have something to strive for.
I'd say now I just want to do some of the more remote peaks and stuff with views. I don't think I would hike 1 way anymore for a hike with no views at the top. I'm sure I will, but hitting something like Zealand or the Hancocks is not a "must" in my life. I'd rather hit something with a "reward" at the end (i.e. a view).

 

[dr_wu002]

but hitting something like Zealand or the Hancocks is not a "must" in my life. I'd rather hit something with a "reward" at the end (i.e. a view).

Do the Arrow Slide on Hancock if you want something fun with a view.

Slide bagging. Didn't Neil write a book on it?

-Dr. Wu