Peakbag Q - What Season Do the Equinoxes and Solstices Count for If Hike Is In Both?

[Driver8]

So, let's say you set out yesterday, on the equinox, at 7 in the morning to bag Isolation. Successful hike, and you get the peak, then return to your car at 5 pm, having hiked across the 12:57 pm transition from Winter into Spring. Does this count as a Spring hike? The "easier" of the two seasons? Granted, as I understand, that it's definitely not a Winter hike. Or does it count for neither, since the hike was not entirely in either season?

This brings to mind an idea for a new list - a "Straddle 48": Peaks bagged on hikes which straddle the seasonal line. Anyone ever do that one? It'd take a while, one would think. For that matter, one could do a Straddle 48 x 4, doing all 48 on each of the four "straddle" days.

 

[Stan]

Depends on who's counting. If you're a purist, you need to go back and start and complete both in the same season. If you're adventurous, you'll only go back if you really like that hike and and can't think of another one you'd rather do ... maybe for the first time.

 

[David Metsky]

For the AMC 4000'er committee, you need to start and finish the hike before the equinox to count it as a winter hike. Otherwise it's a 4 season hike. The rules don't discuss individual seasons besides winter.

http://www.amc4000footer.org/

 

[Driver8]

For the AMC 4000'er committee, you need to start and finish the hike before the equinox to count it as a winter hike. Otherwise it's a 4 season hike. The rules don't discuss individual seasons besides winter.

http://www.amc4000footer.org/

Excellent. Thanks, Dave. I'll be happy with every summit I attain, in whatever season.

 

[RoySwkr]

Eric Savage seemed to be of the feeling that every hike should count for some season, the easier season if spanning 2. While the easier season of each pair may be obvious, this rule is harder to apply if you talk about spanning 2 months as the "easier" month may not be obvious.

I personally would count it only if the entire hike was within that period to be consistent with the "up&down" rule, that is going down in a different season is equivalent to hitching a ride down.

 

[sdways01]

I myself would personally lean towards the hike falling into whatever the easier season is. With the committee only doing 4-season and winter though, it's either fully in winter or it's not.

One thing that has popped into my head related to this though would be a multi-day hike. What if you did a presi-traverse over the course of say 3 days and the equinox was on the 3rd day. While I get that by the rules it wouldn't qualify as winter, but that would a bit hard to take in regards to the peaks from the first day or maybe even the second.

 

[David Metsky]

What if you did a presi-traverse over the course of say 3 days and the equinox was on the 3rd day. While I get that by the rules it wouldn't qualify as winter, but that would a bit hard to take in regards to the peaks from the first day or maybe even the second.

The rules are clear - a hike is trailhead-to-trailhead. Unless you drop to Pinkham or the Cog Base station during your traverse, all the peaks you hit will count as the "least" season. And no, the Auto Road can't be used as a trailhead.

 

[Mike Z]

It should be like a football play. 1 second left, ball hiked, pass down field, caught, run for a touchdown. All after the clock ran out. Score!!!
It's all sports, no matter what you do. You start the play with time on the clock, it is not over till you stop moving.
Seems quite technical. We may need judge Judy to bring some clarity.
Me, I just like hiking!

 

[David Metsky]

As has been said many times on this board and elsewhere, if you don't like the AMC 4000'er committee rules and don't care about their patch then don't play by them. Make your own rules - lots of people have.

 

[TJsName]

The 'Winter 48' is purely a time distinction of when the hike happened, not a condition stipulation. Once could conceivably do all 48 in winter without ever hitting a snowdrift. To me, doing the March grid would be a much more snow-spirited quest.

 

[Tom Rankin]

The 'Winter 48' is purely a time distinction of when the hike happened, not a condition stipulation. Once could conceivably do all 48 in winter without ever hitting a snowdrift. To me, doing the March grid would be a much more snow-spirited quest.

April might be even harder. Fewer people out on the trails, ice, etc. Same thing for late November/early December. But like you said, conditions are more or less everything.