Hiking Options

[Nate]

The topic came up recently of what one should hike once they've completed the New England Hundred Highest list. Shooting for the remaining peaks on the Fifty Finest list was a popular suggestion, but it begs the question: what do people usually move on to doing once they've completed the NEHH? There's certainly no shortage of mountains and natural areas to explore in New England, but after completing the major lists, what is there left for a peakbagger to do? For people who've conquered all the major peaks relatively early in their hiking careers, how do they wile away the remaining scores of hiking seasons in their lives? (especially if they don't want to keep climbing the same peaks ad nausem?) Do they simply move out west to where there are more challenging peaks than they could ever hope to finish in their lifetimes?

 

[dr_wu002]

I imagine the NE3K's (770 or so) would keep you busy for sometime. You could hike every named peak on the NE USGS maps from all 4 compass points in each of the 12 months of the year. That would be a fun one!

Seriously... make up your own list. I have never done any of the lists but I have some informal Dr. Wu lists that I be working on. Going out west is an option but there's still some challenges in the North East that you can work on. Try this one for size...

-Dr. Wu

 

[Mike]

The topic came up recently of what one should hike once they've completed the New England Hundred Highest list.

After completing the NEHH, I enjoyed hiking the:

NH 3000 FOOTERS
NH 200 HIGHEST
TRAILWRIGHTS 72
YMCA ALPINE CLUB NH 100 HIGHEST

You do need to enjoy bushwhacking to do these ( exception for the YMCA list)

 

[Nate]

Mike, thank you for the the suggestions. In general, for the NH3K and NH 200 Highest, are there definitive lists of peaks, or is it just a matter of consulting the USGS list of the highest points in the state?

 

[dr_wu002]

Mike, thank you for the the suggestions. In general, for the NH3K and NH 200 Highest, are there definitive lists of peaks, or is it just a matter of consulting the USGS list of the highest points in the state?

Part of the fun, I think, is figuring it out yourself. It's a lot of work and I believe a lot of people will not post the list on line for that reason.

-Dr. Wu

 

[AntlerPeak]

Moving west is the best option but not a viable choice for many. I climbed over 200 5k and above in the Cascades and see no danger of running out of new ones anytime soon.

Any list of peaks I have seen online are pretty bogus. They seem to have no regard if the peak counts under local rules as a peak, for instance this one, http://www.mountainpeaks.net/hiking_vermont.html. About 25-30 on this list would not count if you are using the 200 foot col rule that is the norm in Vermont. I think that page would have a link to NH but I doubt it will be much use but it is a starting point.

Notice they only list named peaks, for a true list you have to throw out the non counters and then add in the unnamed that would count. Like the Dr. said it's a lot of work.

 

[arghman]

just a thought, see the other thread I posted

edit: or start studying botany/geology/etc., may put your hiking in a different light

 

[dr_wu002]

Any list of peaks I have seen online are pretty bogus. They seem to have no regard if the peak counts under local rules as a peak, for instance this one, http://www.mountainpeaks.net/hiking_vermont.html. About 25-30 on this list would not count if you are using the 200 foot col rule that is the norm in Vermont. I think that page would have a link to NH but I doubt it will be much use but it is a starting point.

Notice they only list named peaks, for a true list you have to throw out the non counters and then add in the unnamed that would count. Like the Dr. said it's a lot of work.

I don't want to disagree too much because I basically agree. However if you picked up a map and decided that your list was to do all the Named Peaks on the USGS NH map, you'd have quite a list on your hands. It's your list and your achievement, so who really cares what your rules are? As far as I'm concerned, the 200' col rule or a 300' or 500' col rule is not much different that 50'. I don't think that hiking Monroe is any better than Franklin or Ball Crag so if I were making a list, I'd find a way to include both of those peaks.

The prominence lists are fun because then you have something significant (2000' is significant, I guess). I would modify the prominence list to include the 50 or 55 main peaks on that list, and then find a way to include all sub peaks / named peaks on those 50 main peak ridges. Then you have a lot of challenging exploring to do. For instance... for Carrigain you'd include Vose Spur, The Carrigain Sub Peak, The Captain, N, S, NW, E, Middle Hancock and if you're really ambitious you could find a way to include all the peaks on Hitchcock and Huntington. I'm sure you can play with your distance/col rules to include or disinclude almost anything if you're making a list. You just have to be creative and have a sense of the level of challenge/difficulty that you're seeking.

I guess I just look at a map... whether it be NH, VT, NY, or ME and there's no shortage of things that look interesting and fun. Most of those things could make for several trips as well. I can't believe that -- small as the mountains are -- living in the North East you'd ever have a shortage of places to visit in an entire lifetime. I wish I had started hiking when I was 5 because I feel like I lost a good 25 years worth of exploring. I'd like to move out West or to a foreign country some day but at the same time I feel torn because I realize that I'll never ever be done exploring the wonderful mountain ranges of the North East.

-Dr. Wu

 

[roadtripper]

I'd do three things:

(1) a new "list" - the Northeast 111 (as previously mentioned).
(2) redo peaks on the other lists with friends who are working on their lists
(3) visit or revisit all the incredible natural features in New England that aren't on any of the popular "lists"....

****swimming holes (Lower/Upper Ammonoosuc Falls (NH), Bartlet Falls (VT), Devil's Potholes (VT), Step Falls (ME), Smalls Falls (ME), Gulf Hagas (ME), Swiftwater Falls (NH), Buttermilk Falls (VT), Emerald Pool (NH), Diana's Baths (NH), etc. etc.).
****waterfalls (Bash Bish Falls (MA), Arethusa Falls (NH), Angel Falls (ME), Moxie Falls (ME), Moss Glen Falls (VT), Tannery Falls (MA), Kent Falls (CT), Nancy Cascades (NH), Gulf Hagas (ME), etc. etc.
****small mountains/outlooks with big views (Mt. Cardigan, Imp Face, Mt. Kearsarge, Sandwich Dome, Mt. Wachusett, Mt. Monadnock, Tumbledown Mtn, Welch & Dickey, Mt. Willard, Mt. Crawford, Zeacliff, Middle Sugarloaf, Percy Peaks, Mt. Greylock, Stratton Mtn, Mt. Ascutney, Morgan & Percival Mtn's, the Baldfaces, Mt. Chocorua, etc. etc.)
****backcountry ponds & lakes

 

[Mike]

Mike, thank you for the the suggestions. In general, for the NH3K and NH 200 Highest, are there definitive lists of peaks, or is it just a matter of consulting the USGS list of the highest points in the state?

The NH 4000 Ftr committee does not recognize or award completion certificates for the NH100 & NH200 Highest nor the NH3000 Ftr lists. However, lists exist among members of the hiking community for these
"unofficial" lists. The lists change on occasion; for example I've seen five different versions of the NH 100 highest peaks. Most hikers I know consider themselves "grandfathered" with the most recent list available when they start but subsequently go back, after completing their list, and hike those peaks that have been added by other versions.

 

[dr_wu002]

With all due respect to Dr_wu002 - one of the derived benefits of doing lists is that you get to see more mountains, more views, more trails, more whatever as your focus is on 'the list du jour'. Without 'working on a list' the tendency is to think you've climbed more different mountains than you actually have. For example - when I finished the NE 100rd Highest and realized that the 111 goal was within reach, I was quite certain I was at least 1/2 way thru the ADKs because I'd hiked there alot. Wrong! When I sat down with my hiking logs, I realized I'd climbed Marcy 7 times, Algonquin 4, etc., and that in reality all I'd climbed were 6 unique peaks of the 46 'counters'. I believe my experience is representative.

Just because I say I'm not doing the 'lists' doesn't mean that I have not memorized basically all the NE US lists (NH48, NE67, NE100, NH100, ADK46, Fifty Finest, NE111/115, 55 peaks w/ 2000' prominence etc.) and am well aware of what I have and have not done on them. While I am nor pursuing completion of any of these lists as a specific goal, I plan on finishing them all as a matter of course. I love the mountains and I want to visit them. I do however, find the lists (particularly NH48, ADK46) constricting in that it takes an incredibly worthy mountain like Hancock in NH and reduces it to North and South Peak (and maybe Middle) which in my mind is a shame -- there's a lot more to explore there. It works for some people but it's frustrating for me -- I want to go to North West Hancock, East Hancock, The Captain, Hitchcock, Huntington, North of Northwest Hancock, Crystal Ravine, climb the Arrow Slide, Cedar Brook Slide, the various slides in Crystal Ravine, as well as explore the various logging roads that cut into the slopes of the mountain. For me, going up the Loop Trail and down all but eliminates the majesty of this mountain. This holds true for lots of the other peaks on the lists and it's why I've sought to make my own 'list'. Don't though, think for a moment, that I'm not well aware of "where I am" on the various lists.

Again, in deference to Dr_wu002: My schedule permitted me to hike twice a week, year-in, year-out. That means it's quite easy to do 2 complete rounds of the NH4's each year. So - did I ever get bored doing Eastern peaks? No, but one does hunger for other 'peak' experiences in other parts of the country and world.

YMMV ...

Kevin

Again, I didn't mean just the established lists which we've seen can be done in 3 days and change! I meant taking the North East (including Canada) as a whole. I want to move away some day but I also love it here. I think that the NE US 3K's (including NY peaks) would keep you busy for quite a while. Try doing the 3K's from all 4 compass directions. As for some real exploration, I think that a lot of the peaks on this list are traveled a whole lot less than the mountains out west and from what I can see, they are quite majestic as well. I understand what you're saying but I think that with a little trying, you could keep yourself quite busy without ever doing the same trip twice!! But then again, I'm likely to do Crawford Path 4 or 5 times a year because I love it so much. Then again, it never is the same trip twice.

-Frank Bock (Dr. Wu)

 

[Artex]

Don't forget redlining.

Hear, hear!

Also, bushwacking further expands the boundaries. There's lots to explore.

 

[pocahontas]

There are so many trails up many of the mountains that you've already 'conquered' that vary in length & difficulty.

When you take a different trail/route, it really can feel like you're climbing a totally new mountain!

You gain a whole new perspective, & it's fun to see what intrigue & challenge the other side of the mountain might hold!

We've also found that car-spotting opens up a whole new list of possibilities for climbing trails w/o having to descend by the same route, or to the same spot.

Whatever you decide to do, HAVE FUN!

 

[sweeper]

Hike all the trails. After finishing the NE 4ks and basically a soloist I held off work on the NEHH so I got an old map and highlighter out and started to figure outwhat trails I haven't been on. Now I'm a trailbagger.

 

[Puma concolor]

Do I ALWAYS have to be the one to mention State Highpointing as the next great list????

Seriously (but not too seriously), I think there are different kinds of peakbaggers. Some find one list they love and do many variations on it (all seasons, all directions, all months etc.). Others bag as many lists as possible within the same geographical region (NEHH, NEFF, NH 100 etc etc). And then wanderlust peakbaggers like myself kind of like to jump from one mountain range to the next. Southern Sixers are next after I'm done with State Highpoints. Wahoo! Lots of mountains to explore. I could live six lives and never hit them all.

Adventure is where YOU find it and it could take a little trial and error before you figure out what inspires you.

Happy hiking.

 

[Puma concolor]

What is Florida's High Point?
Magic Mountain?
I "rode" it but have not climbed it......

Britton Hill (AKA Lakewood Park) - elevation 345 feet. Mostly Class IV.
It's on the panhandle only a mile or so from the Alabama border. I was there in May.

 

[jn316]

new ways to hike old mountians

Often the quest to bag many peaks means hiking fast.
It's amazing how much you see even on a familiar trail on a previously climbed mountain if you hike as slowly as you can.

Or, for a goal, combine peaks in a special way in a special time:
all the 5K peaks in one season, or in one year.
all the peaks named for botanists, or presidents, or women.

 

[percious]

Do I ALWAYS have to be the one to mention State Highpointing as the next great list????

Seriously (but not too seriously), I think there are different kinds of peakbaggers. Some find one list they love and do many variations on it (all seasons, all directions, all months etc.). Others bag as many lists as possible within the same geographical region (NEHH, NEFF, NH 100 etc etc). And then wanderlust peakbaggers like myself kind of like to jump from one mountain range to the next. Southern Sixers are next after I'm done with State Highpoints. Wahoo! Lots of mountains to explore. I could live six lives and never hit them all.

Adventure is where YOU find it and it could take a little trial and error before you figure out what inspires you.

Happy hiking.

Seriously, Im with mark on this one. I would think about moving to Colorado if I were you.

-percious

 

[Raymond]

Mark, do you know—and if so can you describe—the exact location of the District of Columbia's high point? My son and I went to the fort when we were in Washington several years ago, but couldn't figure out if the high point was inside the chain link fence or not. Or where it might have been if along the fence anyway.

I saw a list online that had the latitude and longitude coördinates, but that's no help to GPS-less me.

 

[Peaks]

so many lists, so little time

There are always more peaks to climb.

Certainly Hiker Ed was working on doing all the 4000's in every month of the year (did he finish?). And, as others have stated, try doing the peaks in winter, if that's your thing.

Then, there is the 46'ers and the 111. Others start High Pointers. There is even a list of the highest point in each county.

And don't forget about the 3500's in the Catskills.

Thus far, I have tackled the NH 4000's, then the NE 4000's, then the 46'ers. 2 more for the 111. Next, the Fifty Finest sounds interesting. Maybe I'll finish the hundred highest at some point.