Maine 4000 footer to save for last?

[Kevin Rooney]

FWIW - after you've cranked thru the lists about 6 or 8 times, including once or twice in winter, which peak(s) you ended on for a particular list will tend to blur. So, don't agonize over it too much, nor create logistical nightmares trying to complete them in a particularly unique and clever fashion, lest you be subject to a self-inflicted dope slap at some point in the future.

 

[MichaelJ]

I think that beyond personal satisfaction of finishing a list on a "fine" peak, there are two real things to keep in mind when planning:

a) how much will bad weather affect the hike? For example, saving a Presidential for your final winter peak sounds great, until week after week you can't get up there due to bad weather.

2) who is your accompaniment? Will you be joined by friends? Some peaks simply lend themselves better to group hikes, especially if some are less skilled hikers, or not even hikers at all.

For example, some people save Isolation as it is a beautiful, remote peak. But then they might have to consider if their friends can do the mileage, or if the weather is iffy, if their friends (or themselves!) want to spend that much time out in the heat/rain/blinding snow.

This is not to suggest that you should finish all your lists on Cannon. I'm simply offering that there can be real reasons to plan ahead.

 

[rup]

I've saved the Baxter 3 for last - function of distance from home. The hip arthritis has eased, so maybe this will be the year.

 

[jniehof]

+1 for Bigelows...and try to plan for good weather I finished on Saddleback Horn in a horrible foggy day (my avatar!)

 

[McRat]

You could be one of the few (or perhaps only?) to finish on Spaulding.

It's the Zealand of Maine.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

It's the Zealand of Maine.

I finished on Zealand (winter 48). So did Eric Savage.

Tim

 

[DirtNap]

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

And to those well wishers for the Bonds, I made it out there on Wednesday, rather than Thursday. Success! A modest celebration of high fives.

Bondcliff was spectacular. A really good place to end. It was nice going over to West Bond and being able to look ahead to the cliff to where you're gonna wind up. I wish it were a little warmer, or less windy, but I was still going to be happy regardless of the weather conditions.

Unlike most hikes, even the elevation gain on the way back over Bond Guyot and Zealand didn't bring down my excitement. Now, bring it on, Maine!

 

[MichaelJ]

Congrats on your Bonds 48 finish!

 

[una_dogger]

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

And to those well wishers for the Bonds, I made it out there on Wednesday, rather than Thursday. Success! A modest celebration of high fives.

!

Congratulations! The Bonds are a great place to finish!

I finished the NE115/NE67/NH48 on West Bond -- I was so glad I saved the best for last!

 

[pedxing]

Abraham, Saddleback and Bigelows would all be great choices. As Seeker points out, solitude is more likely on Abraham.

The best choice would depend on how you want to configure your trip - you could get the bunch from the Bigelows to Saddleback in one or two backpacking trips using the AT and some out and back side trips or base camp at Crocker Cirque to do a cluster on day hikes. If you plan to celebrate nearby afterwards, it might come down to whether you prefer Rangeley or Stratton. White Wolf in Stratton is a classic hiker/backpacker spot, but Rangeley is a great town with more choices for places to eat and drink.

 

[Lefty E]

Well I vote for Old Speck cause you can see most ME 4kr's and many NH 4kr's and maybe even a few VT 4krs...seeing where you been is almost as fun as thinking where you ll be going!! Scudders View Guide book includes Old Speck so if you can make a copy of the diagrams and sit in the obs tower you ll know what you re looking at..if the tower is occupied heck just continue south on the Mahoosuc Trail for numerous view points and come out near the Sunday River celebrating spots....true or false, can you see two or four Sugarloaf mts from Old Speck???

 

[Raymond]

That’s not really a true-or-false question.

In my experience, you can’t see much up there. Hazy the first time and foggy the second.

 

[weatherman]

weather trumps choice of peak

I prefer Abraham as my favorite ME peak, because we hiked it in January when the visibility was 100 miles (Washington, check... turn 180 degrees... Katahdin, check) as opposed to the 3 or 4 in haze in August on the Bigelows. We hiked Isolation as my final NH4K and for the drizzle and mudfest that it was, it might as well have been Zealand!

 

[Randalls]

N. Brother. Not really because we chose that peak as our last, but that's how its working out.

 

[Lefty E]

That’s not really a true-or-false question.

In my experience, you can’t see much up there. Hazy the first time and foggy the second.

But you can from the obs tower and the Nh Sugarloaf (which has a great view of its own) is closer to Old Speck than the ski area Sugarloaf in Me..fair weather hikers like myself enjoy that..!