Best peak to end 4000 footer list in NH?

[bikehikeskifish]

I agree that it is difficult to have South Kinsman without having North Kinsman. I would assume, perhaps incorrectly, that more people leave the Bonds for the end than the Kinsmans, so if you get into a scenario where you abort at West Bond or Bondcliff, that favors Bond.

Tim

 

[TJsName]

I agree that it is difficult to have South Kinsman without having North Kinsman. I would assume, perhaps incorrectly, that more people leave the Bonds for the end than the Kinsmans, so if you get into a scenario where you abort at West Bond or Bondcliff, that favors Bond.

Tim

The aborted Bond attempt (from either end) would leave the possibility of finishing on Bond. I'm guessing there are more of Bond attempts (resulting in either W. Bond or Bondcliff) than S-N Kinsman traverse attempts ( resulting in S. Kinsman). I would also think that anyone purposely saving a finishing peak would be more likely to save the Bonds vs the Kinsmans. Given how accessible the Kinsmans are, I would also suspect the S. Kinsman is not very high in the rankings for one's finishing peak (although it is quite a nice peak!) just based on convenience. That is assuming most peak-baggers are coming from the south, which might not be accurate.

It's fun to think about!

 

[alexmtn]

I agree that it is difficult to have South Kinsman without having North Kinsman...

Just don't scramble up NK's summit boulder until you're ready to 'have' the peak.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Just don't scramble up NK's summit boulder until you're ready to 'have' the peak.

Yeah, well here's a related anecdote on that subject.

I wanted to finish both the NE67 and NE100 on the same peak at the same time. I went to Baxter with 6 peaks to go. Due to weather considerations and the desires of my companions, we did the two Katahdin peaks the first day, leaving me only North Brother to complete both lists as I desired. So, I stayed as low as possible, skirting the woods/talus when crossing North Brother on the way to Fort. The rules say you can only count the peak once per trip, even if you go over and back, so I thought it was cool to put Fort at #99 and North Brother at #100. Eric Savage did question it, asking how I got to Fort w/o going over North Brother. I got the feeling I was breaking some unwritten rule

Tim

 

[TJsName]

Yeah, well here's a related anecdote on that subject.

I wanted to finish both the NE67 and NE100 on the same peak at the same time. I went to Baxter with 6 peaks to go. Due to weather considerations and the desires of my companions, we did the two Katahdin peaks the first day, leaving me only North Brother to complete both lists as I desired. So, I stayed as low as possible, skirting the woods/talus when crossing North Brother on the way to Fort. The rules say you can only count the peak once per trip, even if you go over and back, so I thought it was cool to put Fort at #99 and North Brother at #100. Eric Savage did question it, asking how I got to Fort w/o going over North Brother. I got the feeling I was breaking some unwritten rule

Tim

Haha - that's great! You could have pulled a Patriots and just declared yourself ineligible before reaching the summit, although that loophole has now been closed.

 

[alexmtn]

Eric Savage did question it, asking how I got to Fort w/o going over North Brother. I got the feeling I was breaking some unwritten rule

As Eric puts it: It's a game, and games have [written] rules. If you hadn't flipped those peaks, you wouldn't have had the 'capstone' finish you desired, and your approach to doing so was fully compliant. And what fun is a game if you don't try out all the moves?

 

[TomK]

I got the feeling I was breaking some unwritten rule

Tim

Might have just been sore they didn't think of it first


TomK

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Might have just been sore they didn't think of it first


TomK

Yeah, or one of them is the only (other) one to do it

Tim

 

[Willoughby]

I finished on Garfield, because I wanted a view into the Pemi and also into Northern VT (towards my namesake). I made that choice when I was about 2/3 through. Did the hike with a friend (Diapensia) and we had dramatic views of the clouds in the Pemi... never saw South Twin and as I remember Vermont was just a rumour. Still a great day.

By the way, I split the Bonds: Bondcliff from the south, then Zealand-West Bond-Bond from the north. I had hiked Bondcliff several times before I ever did a traverse. Most of my hikes are solo and so car-spotting isn't an option... in fact I did the traverse by hiking from Lincoln Woods to Galehead hut the first day, then coming back to the car over Galehead-S Twin-W Bond-Bond-Bondcliff. A long, tiring, exhilirating day!

I'm 75% through a second round (although some of the 4Ks I've hiked 4 times) and I know which peak I want to finish on... but I'll report on that here when I finish. And maybe I'll finally get around to sending my paperwork to the committee!

 

[bcskier]

I finished on Garfield, because I wanted a view into the Pemi and also into Northern VT (towards my namesake). I made that choice when I was about 2/3 through. Did the hike with a friend (Diapensia) and we had dramatic views of the clouds in the Pemi... never saw South Twin and as I remember Vermont was just a rumour. Still a great day.

By the way, I split the Bonds: Bondcliff from the south, then Zealand-West Bond-Bond from the north. I had hiked Bondcliff several times before I ever did a traverse. Most of my hikes are solo and so car-spotting isn't an option... in fact I did the traverse by hiking from Lincoln Woods to Galehead hut the first day, then coming back to the car over Galehead-S Twin-W Bond-Bond-Bondcliff. A long, tiring, exhilirating day!

I'm 75% through a second round (although some of the 4Ks I've hiked 4 times) and I know which peak I want to finish on... but I'll report on that here when I finish. And maybe I'll finally get around to sending my paperwork to the committee!

I think you ought to go with Willoughby's suggestion. He was the 48th reply to your question.

 

[NorthShore]

Owls Head gets a bum wrap. I did Owls Head towards the end, but it was not my finish. The weather started a little wet and ended halfway decent, but it was a great day and a great hike. If that had been the finish, it would have been an awesome finishing memory.

My finish was on Moosilauke on a beautiful day with a sizeable group of friends. We avoided the crowds (except for the summit) by taking Beaver Brook both ways. That was a very nice finish, but I can't say that Owls Head wouldn't have been just as good.

Any one of the peaks could be ideal for the finish...it depends on your perspective (and also on the weather )

...Besides, why finish on a marvelous peak if the weather is terrible ... if it is terrible you might as well go to Owls Head!

 

[summitseeker]

Owls Head gets a bum wrap. I did Owls Head towards the end, but it was not my finish. )

Hi Northshore,

I haven't seen you since flags on the 48, but I can guess that a lot of people would agree that OH doesn't get the accolades it deserves.

That being said, there is a pretty recurring theme with it being towards the end of people's list as they finish. The low hanging fruit is usually picked first.

In my experience on the first round it was Cabot, Owl's Head, and the Bonds that got checked off nearly last. Ultimately I finished my 48 on Carrigain on a day with no views, lol. IMHO the only "bad" peak to finish on is one that is unsafe under the current conditions at that time. I wouldn't want to finish on a Northern Presi if the forecast was dangerous, but as always, to each their own.


Z

 

[bikehikeskifish]

On Z's point, it is a good idea to plan the end game to include a few nice weather peaks along with a few not-as-nice weather peaks. More important in winter, and more so if you are doing a single season winter 48 (or have a time constraint such as moving out of New England, or returning to school, or what have you.)

Tim

 

[dug]

Owl's Head was 2nd to last for me. Personally, I think it deserves the rap it gets!

 

[Grey J]

As I understand the directions to Owl's Head are as follows;
Walk forever, get your feet wet, turn right on the unmarked trail, and when you reach the summit, continue on to the summit.

 

[RichS]

As I understand the directions to Owl's Head are as follows;
Walk forever, get your feet wet, turn right on the unmarked trail, and when you reach the summit, continue on to the summit.

From one who's been to the summit twice, but never been to the summit, these directions resonate.

As to the best peak to finish, the 48th is the best! And anti-climactic. If it's easy, invite friends. If not, take a selfie and call someone if your cell phone works there!