Easiest Hike that you thought.....

[Gandalf]

I don't know about "easier", but the Santanonis were a lot less muddy than I had anticipated last July. In all seriousness the Bradley Pond trail was drier than I've seen the Phelps trail...of course the weather had been hot and dry for a week or two leading up to that point.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

Mtnpa - I've seen that video too. I think National Parks always err on the side of caution because they attract people who aren't experienced hikers. Sometimes I'm a worrier and reading/watching that stuff can get me worried, but after the fact I wonder what all the hubbub was about.

 

[professor]

I was actually kind of surprised by Allen. Most of the approach was pretty flat, and the route was easy to follow after the post-Floyd shakedown. I guess I got psyched out by the Richard Bern sagas of a few years ago.

 

[rhihn]

Cliff Mt. in the Adirondacks. Yes, Cliff. Not easy by any means, but not nearly as difficult as we were led to believe by many of the horror tales we had read. I'm referring to the summer route. I found the winter route to be much harder, but that was mostly my inexperience with winter mountain hiking.

 

[BrentD22]

Chocoura

For some reason I thought that in winter it was going to be a challenge for someone that doesn't get out much anymore. In fact I was kinda bumbed out when I got the the Jim Liberty Cabin so quickly. I do have to say that the summit cone was WAY more compicated for many reasons than I would have thought.

 

[Rob S]

Another vote for Washington via Huntington Ravine. Hiking solo that day, as I began the boulder scramble right below the fan, thoughts of who would find my body if I fell began to creep into my subconscious. But when I got to the first steep pitch and reached for a handhold, I felt the surge of pure adrenaline and realized that I had this huge grin on my face. Needless to say it was a blast, and not very difficult at all. Like Jessbee, perfect weather was a bonus.

 

[grouseking]

I took a long trip headin up Willey from Ethan Pond trail and traversed the rest of the official 4ks and then went out thru Zealand Notch and back on the Ethan Pond trail to the car. That whole trip got rough at the end, but I was extremely concerned about the ladder section on Willey, which turned out to be an awesome climb (well they wern't wet or icy and the look brand new). I had heard scary stories about the ascent of Willey on that side, but I was pleasantly surprised and was able to enjoy the view from the top instead of needing mouth to mouth.

grouseking

 

[dentonfabrics]

I am not the fastest - or slowest - but I was utterly amazed at how easy I found a Zealand - Lincoln Bond's Traverse to be - i was expecting a death march, but perfect weather and good hiking companions (Rols and cantdog), (and a very early start) made this a dream trip!

Being so psyched to be standing on Bondcliff probably helped a lot too!

That's good to hear. That hike in is my plans for '06. As for me, I thought Flume via Osseo was the easiest 10+ miler I've ever hiked.


bob

 

[MadRiver]

That's good to hear. That hike in is my plans for '06. As for me, I thought Flume via Osseo was the easiest 10+ miler I've ever hiked.


bob

My wife, a friend, and I plan to do this hike as well in '06. What's 19.5 miles when you are with friends.

 

[Furry]

Gotta be my first trip up Washington (via Ammo) as a newbie in 1996. We had done Kathadin (up Cathedral) the year before and thought that was killer. So, with the idea that Washington was even higher (oh my goodness!! ), we thought it would be soooo much tougher. When we reached the summit, we all thought "Hmmm, that's it?!?!?" Thus began the peakbagging.........

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Santanonis

I don't know about "easier", but the Santanonis were a lot less muddy than I had anticipated last July. In all seriousness the Bradley Pond trail was drier than I've seen the Phelps trail...of course the weather had been hot and dry for a week or two leading up to that point.

I agree with Gandalf that conditions can be a big influence. The first time I did the Santanonis was in mid-August during a very dry summer. The mud on the trail and paths was not as bad as I had been warned about, the Couchy swamp was basically dry, and there were virtually no insects. Navigating Times Square was a piece of cake -- I was solo which eliminated any arguments about the right path, or maybe I just guessed right. Another factor I did it as an overnight and two half day hikes (camping limit was 4000' at the time). Knowing that I had extra time should it be necessary eliminated any need to rush. Perhaps as a result I bagged all three easily in much less hiking time than many long dayhikes have taken.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

Two highpoints, both at altitude:

Humprhreys in AZ - 12,633'; 4,000 feet vertical. No acclimization before attempt. Ascended, ate lunch on summit, and descended in less than 5 hours.

Mt. Elbert in CO - 14,440'. Got back to camp so early I drove out to Breckenridge for lunch. And it was a near white out above treeline.

 

[timmus]

Both hikes on the two days trip to the Sewards.

The first day I thought Donaldson Emmons and Seward would be too much for me, turned out the company was so good that I didn't even realize I was hiking, even with the heavy rain.

Second day seemed impossible to go through because I didn't sleep at all (heavy rain got into my bivy sac ), I didn't eat much too because I was not feeling well, and all I knew about Seymour is this : 5 miles or so approach before climbing I don't remember how much vertical feet.
And I did it, pretty easily, in a good mood, laughing each time I was falling (tiredness).

Maybe the hiking part seemed easy because everything else that week-end was crazy. Sometimes good crazy, but also a lot of bad crazy.

 

[Mike P.]

I'll have to amend my answer some. Easiest by Far, PA highpoint, Mt. Davis

From the gate I parked at (& slept at in my truck in the rain - don't ask) the road gains very little evelation & a mile or so later you are there. After climbing the tower you get to read why the nearby peaks look higher but are not.

For those of you looking into a Lincoln Woods Zealand Traverse, check out Dave M.'s site, he has a TR in there from 2002. Pick a sunny day, right Dave & Sherpa K.

 

[skidoc22]

Another vote for the Santanonis

The first three determinents of the difficulty of this hike - conditions, conditions and conditions. I was a bit dissapointed in the Couchie swamp this summer, didn't even look like I went thru mud. I think from all the horror stories and that I was so pumped to get all three that day it felt much easier than anticipated. It probably didn't hurt that we did Allen from Flowed Lands with two ten yr olds a few days b4. It was also helpful that there was a trip leader (ADK hike) who was great at keeping the group moving. I imagine in poor conditions it could turn into a nightmare as many can attest.

 

[eddie]

Seward Range (Donaldson, Emmons, Seward) from the Caulkins Brook path. This approach pretty much tamed these mountains because you can always bailout halfway from either approach. The original approach always made you come all the way back to Blueberry Trail.

 

[Raymond]

I dare say most of them turn out to have been easier than expected. But not all.

(The White Mountain 4000-footer) Owl's Head Mountain (although maybe it shouldn't count as easier-than-expected if I didn't go all the way to the ultimate tippy-top point) and the Dix Range were the first ones I thought of.

 

[jfb]

I'll pick the Crawford Path to Mt. Washington. I had wanted to do the entire Path for a dayhike and attempted it on a nice September day. From the summit of Mt. Pierce, Mt. Washington looked to be pretty far away but I just took my time and enjoyed the walk, eventually making it to the top in just under book time.

 

[kmac]

Mt. Washington via Huntington Ravine. Was prepared for a more difficult climb based on the WMG description with reference to one of the most difficult hiking trails in the Whites. It was just plain fun.

I have to agree with you!! Lots of fun and no where as difficult as the book describes.

 

[^MtnMike^]

Mt. Washington via Huntington Ravine. Was prepared for a more difficult climb based on the WMG description with reference to one of the most difficult hiking trails in the Whites. It was just plain fun.

I'll second this. I had this one a lot scarier/harder in my head than it ended up being in real life.

^MtnMike^