Boston Globe Article - Winter 4000 footers

[marty]

Hi all,

A work colleague handed me the Boston Globe today, with this article about the New England Winter 4,000 Footer Club, featuring a quote from Eric Savage. Enjoy.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2014/01/07/the-winter-footer-club-members-hike-new-
england-tallest-mountains-most-dangerous-conditions/78GAFPFXhPYCcD7EbKfH1N/story.html

I wonder how many of th 600 Winter 4K members are from VFTT....I know I'm one

Marty

 

[RoySwkr]

Where is Barre, NH?

Fortunately not all 4k have the avalanche danger of Mt Washington, overall the winter 4k is probably safer that what many people did before the lists came out - multiple ascents of the Presidentials and Lafayette

In 1977 there were only 5 winter finishers - me, my sister, a guy I'd done several hikes with, a guy I did a lot of NH100 with a couple winters later, and only one guy I never met (even EdH probably hasn't hiked with 80% of current finishers)

Somebody soon will do 5 rounds the same winter probably personally eclipsing the total sum of winter 4k in some past years!

 

[Tim Seaver]

It's a shame these kinds of articles inevitably over-emphasize the risks and dangers involved, but it seems to be the template for any article or book on the Whites: to start out with a scary lead then work your way back to the part about 64 year old grandmothers engaging in it.

 

[erugs]

I thought that was a strange article. I mean, number two?

 

[TJsName]

From the article:

"They are members of the winter 4K Footer club, hikers who climb New England’s tallest peaks not when conditions are optimal, but when they are most dangerous."

This is just crappy writing.

 

[BobC]

From the article:

"They are members of the winter 4K Footer club, hikers who climb New England’s tallest peaks not when conditions are optimal, but when they are most dangerous."

This is just crappy writing.

Crappy and just not accurate. I've had winter hikes that had better weather than some fall or spring hikes. Last season I hiked to Moosilauke two days before the official end of winter, in 45-degree weather. Hardly the "most dangerous" conditions.

 

[hikerbrian]

"Strange" is quite a generous characterization.

Apparently, to hike in the winter you have to thrive on risk, braving the most "dangerous" weather conditions, knowing that any minute you might be the next body being dug from avalanche debris.

Also, you must train yourself to resist bowel movements.

And if you are a woman, you better either need to lose weight or need to prove something. Also, you better be ready to mace all the men lurking in the shadows trying to get you. I mean, there can't be any women who just plain like to hike, right?

Ugh, anyone know how to unread something?

 

[roadtripper]

From the article:

"They are members of the winter 4K Footer club, hikers who climb New England’s tallest peaks not when conditions are optimal, but when they are most dangerous."

This is just crappy writing.

Agreed. This actually pissed me off when I read it.

 

[iagreewithjamie]

Agreed about the crappy writing. Mt Washington is home of the World's Worst Weather, and claims the world's highest recorded wind speed. Anyone know when that was recorded? It sure as hell wasn't in winter time (I'll save you the trouble - it was April).

I agree with whoever said they've had more optimal days in winter than summer.
Last winter, I had one day with low visibility; this summer, I think I hiked in downpours on every single trip.
I bet you anything there are more "optimal days" in winter than the rest of the year... especially on Washington.

 

[TJsName]

Crappy and just not accurate. I've had winter hikes that had better weather than some fall or spring hikes. Last season I hiked to Moosilauke two days before the official end of winter, in 45-degree weather. Hardly the "most dangerous" conditions.

I've had many conversations about preferred conditions. 20-25 degrees and mostly sunny with a nice packed trail. No rocks, no roots, just a nice smooth trail and endless views. If there is precipitation, it's snow. Way better than 40 degree and rain and wet rocks/roots. It's colder, yes, but not more dangerous overall. Very few places have an avalanche risk in the whites.

 

[weatherman]

"Strange" is quite a generous characterization.

Ugh, anyone know how to unread something?

Yeah, 'weird' would about characterize this. Especially the stuff about bodily functions.
I like the "unread" idea... last month I went with my son who is a fan of arcane stuff to see a screening of the 1978 "Star Wars Christmas Special" and afterward we all wished we could "unwatch" it. Not that this article could be DIRECTLY compared, but...

I got hypothermic once in the Whites. It was July. My fastest 4K was in calendar winter, up Jackson. Piece of cake. Nuff sed.

 

[Snowflea]

Agree: strange.

To me, this was the scariest part of the article:

And just like anywhere else, nature calls at inopportune times. For a woman wearing multiple layers, “bio breaks,” as they are affectionately known in hiker parlance, can be tricky. Experienced female hikers have developed some interesting techniques.... You train your body that you won’t do a number two during the day,”

In 1977 there were only 5 winter finishers - me, my sister, a guy I'd done several hikes with, a guy I did a lot of NH100 with a couple winters later, and only one guy I never met

Roy, I completed Round #1 of the W48 15 years after you. There were still only 9 finishers that year, 1993. My list of completers goes only to 1997. Glancing through the names, I was happily surprised to have shared time on the trails with 9 of the first 100 W48 finishers. I know that #34, 46, and 71 are still gettin' out there...

Sue #173

 

[carla]

Yeah, the "nature calls" commentary was bizarre. Not to get too personal, but as an "experienced female hiker" for many years now, I can attest that taking every kind of "bio break" during winter hikes is not a problem at all.

How strange--I guess the writer must have had a really small sample size and then made the leap to that ridiculous assertion/generalization.

Gimme a break! (pun intended...)

 

[TJsName]

Yeah, 'weird' would about characterize this. Especially the stuff about bodily functions.
I like the "unread" idea... last month I went with my son who is a fan of arcane stuff to see a screening of the 1978 "Star Wars Christmas Special" and afterward we all wished we could "unwatch" it. Not that this article could be DIRECTLY compared, but...

If only you read this first! http://xkcd.com/653/

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I see one positive here... this article should immediately put to rest the idea of trusting a newspaper article for hiking/mountaineering/rescue details.

Tim

 

[erugs]

I'd suggest that one has to be very careful about what they discuss with any reporter. Unless you have final say of the copy, you never know what the writer will decide is most interesting.

 

[Mike P.]

When I usually read a rescue, I get upset at all the comments like, hiking in winter is stupid, solo hiking is stupid, etc. Maybe the first time I've felt better reading the comments after reading an article that was either poorly researched or just in time for a cold snap, written hastily. With one of the recent avalanche rescuees being formerly an employee one of Boston's newspapers, I'd say this way hastily written with some sound bites used from Eric and others to give the overall piece some semblence of credibility.

The W48 list hasn't got me to not hike favorites first, some are easier than the 8 I have left. I can drag my currently very overweight self up Pierce again and enjoy the view, I'm not getting up the Bonds or Owl's Head in the time I'd feel comfortable & the allure of the list won't change that. Hopefully, the 115 this year will motivate the diet and exercise. (15 hours of sunlight and warmth and lighter packs are tempting things to the fat folk )

Weatherwise, other than cold, I've been out in higher wind & fog in the fall on a couple of occasions, on Guyot, (TN) in summer when Tropical Storm Dennis was going by and hail one Memorial Day weekend. I've been on a few peaks in winter in poor visibilty but none with more than a postage stamp area above treeline, or just bare summit. (Garfield, S Twin, Pierce and Liberty)

Agree, a 20 degree day is ideal, pants, a base layer & light fleece, glove liners, maybe fleece gloves, no bugs, no rocks.

Do you have to train your body on bio breaks? (and no, I don't really want to read in a newspaper or online about how anyone, male of female cope. If I'm reading Touching the Void or about Himalaya expeditions it is to be expected.) Isn't common sense when going on any trip away from bathrooms, you should use the bathroom before you go? Training,????

Overall, I'm not that upset about the article, it's mediorce at best. Not sure it will encourage more people or not. Did seem to infer that people should get training to go out in winter.

 

[BobC]

On the one and only hike I did with Ed Hawkins, in 2008, there just happened to be a Globe reporter and photographer along that day. I thought the resulting article on grid hike was pretty good.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/art...kers_take_on_48_40000_ft_mountains/?page=full

 

[Mike P.]

On the one and only hike I did with Ed Hawkins, in 2008, there just happened to be a Globe reporter and photographer along that day. I thought the resulting article on grid hike was pretty good.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/art...kers_take_on_48_40000_ft_mountains/?page=full

That was pretty good

 

[summitseeker]

On the one and only hike I did with Ed Hawkins, in 2008, there just happened to be a Globe reporter and photographer along that day. I thought the resulting article on grid hike was pretty good.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/art...kers_take_on_48_40000_ft_mountains/?page=full

Hi BobC,

Thank you for sharing that article. The writer did a great job capturing some of the essence of what peak bagging is and the community of hikers that participate in it. I really enjoyed the last paragraph and the mention of Ed's affinity for PBRs. I ran into Ed, Becca M, and Wolgang this summer at the Passaconaway cut-off. Apparently I made a decent impression on Ed, because there was a Pabst Blue Ribbon waiting for me on my windshield when I returned to the lot.

It was a kind and welcoming gesture from a true White Mountain legend. Go Ed!!

Z