Best peak to end 4000 footer list in NH?

[Jay H]

Moosilauke with Little Chair (r).

Jay

 

[Daniel Eagan]

Of course it's a subjective matter of personal preference, but I would think Lafayette would be cool because of its centrality and views of so many other peaks/ranges. Moreover, there's not typically huge crowds up there, at least not as much as the Presidentials.

My wife and I finished the NE 111 on Lincoln and Lafayette. The peak heightened the emotions we were feeling. You're right, seeing all the other peaks meant a lot more than when we were starting out.

 

[dug]

Of course it's a subjective matter of personal preference, but I would think Lafayette would be cool because of its centrality and views of so many other peaks/ranges. Moreover, there's not typically huge crowds up there, at least not as much as the Presidentials.

hmmm....not to quibble, but I've found Lafayette to be one of, if not the most, climbed peak. One summer day, mid-week, maybe 15 years ago, I stopped counting at 100 people and about a dozen dogs on and around the summit.

I love the peak and not saying it wouldn't be a great one, and it's often one of the few peaks that "non-hikers" I know have hiked...but if you are looking for solitude, I'd look elsewhere.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

On August 9, 2013 the summit steward counted 769 people hiking to/from Lafayette. Gryffin and I were 1 of them Keep in mind the point of the list was to spread people out away from Franconia Ridge and the Presidentials.

Tim

 

[Tuck]

Isolation in winter on my second attempt. I was alone all day. It was just perfect. Was able to stay on the summit for a nice long while and savor the trip.

Tuck

 

[TJsName]

I had a friend finish last year by doing Owl's Head via the Lincoln slide (Chris and Whitney might have inspired that part), but then up to Galehead, over the Twins, Zealand, and finally the Bonds. It was a pretty epic way to go. So I guess that is one more for Bondcliff.

 

[David Metsky]

I finished my first round on Isolation, alone and in the rain. It was pretty cool with me. The second round on Carrigain with friends all finishing their first round - not much for views but a great time. Third round back to Isolation for my wife's finish; no one else there and killer views. It's all good.

 

[Grey J]

If I had planned it all out, I would have chosen Bondcliff which ended up being #47. For one reason or another, I never did get around to Owl's Head which I sure hope to do when I visit this summer. Without obsessing on the goal, I have stayed after it for 38 years, living in 3 different states, none of which are New Hampshire. I've probably dragged it out long enough and better finish now while I can still walk 18 miles.

 

[Raven]

What Tim and Raven said is spot on. My girlfriend Whitney finished her first round on Owl's Head, by going over Lafayette and then down the Lincoln Slide on the way over to it. I was happy to be a part of such a cool finish

-Chris

It gets fun that way, especially on subsequent rounds. I wanted to make Galehead an exciting hike since it worked out to be the final mountain for my fourth round of the 48. I had never done a single day Pemi Loop, so I found a way to make Galehead a really fun day, a really long, really tiring, really fun day.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

It gets fun that way, especially on subsequent rounds. I wanted to make Galehead an exciting hike since it worked out to be the final mountain for my fourth round of the 48. I had never done a single day Pemi Loop, so I found a way to make Galehead a really fun day, a really long, really tiring, really fun day.

Sunday, we did Owl's Head, then continued to 13 Falls, up Franconia Brook, out-and-back to Garfield, on to Galehead, and out Gale River to a spotted car . . . I know you like Owl's Head, so maybe this trip would interest you. You could go up Twin Brook from 13 Falls and skip Garfield if you wanted a shorter trip.

Tim

 

[Raven]

Sunday, we did Owl's Head, then continued to 13 Falls, up Franconia Brook, out-and-back to Garfield, on to Galehead, and out Gale River to a spotted car . . . I know you like Owl's Head, so maybe this trip would interest you. You could go up Twin Brook from 13 Falls and skip Garfield if you wanted a shorter trip.

Tim

That's a good day! How was that remote stretch of Lincoln Brook? I was on Adams Sunday. And yes, I am a staunch defender of Owls Head.

When I did the Pemi Loop for Galehead, that was actually a fallback plan. My original plan was similar to yours but a loop - I had planned on looping over Garfield, Owls Head, and Galehead via Garfield, Garfield Ridge, Franconia Brook, Lincoln Brook, Twin Brook, Gale River Trails, etc. but it was raining hard for a couple days prior to the hike so I bailed out of fear of mud pits in that area and stuck to the ridge instead.

 

[Driver8]

If I had planned it all out, I would have chosen Bondcliff which ended up being #47. For one reason or another, I never did get around to Owl's Head which I sure hope to do when I visit this summer. Without obsessing on the goal, I have stayed after it for 38 years, living in 3 different states, none of which are New Hampshire. I've probably dragged it out long enough and better finish now while I can still walk 18 miles.

I have a friend in CT who has done all but Moosilauke, which was my first. I'd enjoy, when I get to number 48, doing that one with him and others and then going to do Moose with him for his finish and my continuation. It'll be at least my third, as I've already hit the big M again.

 

[DayTrip]

Of course it's a subjective matter of personal preference, but I would think Lafayette would be cool because of its centrality and views of so many other peaks/ranges. Moreover, there's not typically huge crowds up there, at least not as much as the Presidentials.

Hasn't been my experience. Despite the spectacular nature of the Franconia Ridge I rarely do the Franconia Ridge any more because of huge crowds. Last time I did Lafayette was a mid-October sunset hike on a SAT night and I ran into 12 people up top (thankfully I had about 20 minutes to myself before their arrival).

 

[Mark]

When I got down to 8 or 9 peaks left on my list, I set Garfield aside as my final 46er. One of the Bonds would have been nice, but I knew few would have been able to join me for that trip. Garfield was not a hard hike, so other could have come along. As it turned out, it was just me and my favorite hiking partners - my two sons. Garfield turned out to be an excellent final summit. Great views of many of the other summits and a nice shelter in the old fire tower foundation to sip some celebratory single-malt!

 

[tradigan21]

I would vote for Adams or Carrigain. I hiked the Direttissima last summer so I wound up finishing on Cabot, which was anticlimactic to say the least. I made the most of it though.

 

[blacknblue]

I had done a good 2/3 of them before I even really considered "THE 48". As a result, I had already done nearly all of the more spectacular summits. I finished the 48 on a rainy morning, solo, on Waumbek, then went over to complete my 48-solo on Cabot (which I had previously done with a friend).

I wonder how many people decide to do the 48 with little to no experience, versus those who just start hiking for whatever reason, do quite a few of them by default, and then decide to go ahead and complete the list. Those in the former camp likely end on the more spectacular summits, whereas the latter have the opposite experience.

Once I decided to finish, it still took me several years before I got around to Waumbek and Hale and a few others. I just couldn't see passing up places I wanted to go for places I 'had' to go.

 

[blacknblue]

Bond! It's the rarest one to finish on.

Tim

That's probably true. It makes me wonder which are the rarest of the 48 to finish, both for any-season and winter.

Maybe I'll finish my winter 48 on Bond. I got over Bondcliff once, only to find myself in the dark, in a snowstorm, and couldn't find the trail up Bond. It's one of the few remaining winter peaks, so, hmm...

 

[Mike P.]

...Once I decided to finish, it still took me several years before I got around to Waumbek and Hale and a few others. I just couldn't see passing up places I wanted to go for places I 'had' to go.

I agree, as I was finishing round two I had noticed I had done almost all in spring or fall, so I opted for all four seasons. The solo list & solo hiking was more because I was tired of people backing out.

To balance the grid with places I wanted to go, I created my shorter grid list and only listed 29 of the 48 I wanted to do each month. Some with good views but also some of the easier ones as it may take a while. I have a few done in eight months, some duplicates, the list is more of a where to go this month. Without a list, of all the peaks I go to, I've only done Greylock in all 12 months. (took 16x + have 4 duplicates) I've been to Monadnock 22X but never in August. Even my State's highest Mt, 16X but just in six months.

Now, some places just make more sense to go at certain times of the year. For those who prefer hiking in daylight & don't have Chris D. speed, long hikes are best done when there is a lot of sun, six or seven weeks either side of the Summer Solstice.

 

[TJsName]

Bond! It's the rarest one to finish on.

Tim

Using that reasoning (who does Bond without doing West Bond or Bondcliff first) I would think North Kinsman is also a very rare finishing peak, as the Kinsmans are done predominantly from the northern approaches.

 

[Mike P.]

Using that reasoning (who does Bond without doing West Bond or Bondcliff first) I would think North Kinsman is also a very rare finishing peak, as the Kinsmans are done predominantly from the northern approaches.

I agree, North Kinsman would probably be the rarest unless you had done all but the two of them and decided to do a weekend on that section of AT in order to do the NH section of trail.

With the Bonds, weather could keep you off all three, We got as far as Bondcliff before thunder and sleet drove us back into the woods before going back the year after with Dave. (that may have been the reason, not to fail doing it two years in a row) Wasn't my first time but my friend Gary never went back for the other two.