Freedom of the New England Hills

[TJsName]

I was thinking back to this thread a lot this weekend. I had an ambitious itinerary that I wasn't able to fulfill, but I still had a great day despite lacking the physical stamina to complete the plan. I thought a lot about the freedom aspect of this thread, and the difference between my ability and my opportunity. I kept coming back to the sentiment that while I have a high degree of control over my ability, I have far less control over the opportunity. It made me feel very fortunate to be in a position that I have health, time, resources, and a place available for me to find pleasure and solace in my life. I suspect many of us here have moments on the trail or in the woods where we feel fortunate/lucky/blessed to be where we are, while recognizing that not everyone has the same opportunity as us.

 

[hikerbrian]

It made me feel very fortunate to be in a position that I have health, time, resources, and a place available for me to find pleasure and solace in my life. I suspect many of us here have moments on the trail or in the woods where we feel fortunate/lucky/blessed to be where we are, while recognizing that not everyone has the same opportunity as us.

Could not agree more. In the 3+ years since starting this thread, I've seen several people I know lose their ability to enjoy the outdoors. Life is short and (hopefully) sweet. Best not to lose sight of that. I'll never take my physical abilities for granted, and when I lose them I hope I can say to myself I didn't squander them.

Over the past 2-ish years, I've almost completely given up technical climbing, and I'm not sure I'll ever go back. That feels like a loss - to leave Moby Grape and O'Dell's on the table. Sigh. People I know keep dying in technical climbing accidents. I'm not a huge fan of dying.

In fact, of my original 5 objectives, the only one I've completed is the winter Pemi-loop. I've been weathered off of Baxter, and weathered off of the Presi-traverse 4 times now (but I've got another shot in a couple of weeks!). So alas, I believe this New England bucket list shall remain mostly empty. Or partly full, ya know, depending on how you see the world...

 

[DayTrip]

It's a heavily used saying/cliche but to me it rings true: it's about the journey, not the destination. Not achieving the original objective does not always make the experience a failure. On the smallest of "mountaineering" scales, when I look back on completing the 48 4,000 footers saying I did the entire list is nowhere near the top in terms of the value I got out of doing it. To your original thought years back about what constitutes having "Freedom Of The Hills" I don't think successfully checking off items on a to do list would be the measuring stick I would use. Based on what I've read about your exploits over the years you more than possess those qualities even though you've done little of the self imposed list you offered up.

 

[hikerbrian]

It IS absolutely about the journey, and that was the impetus for creating my personal bucket list several years back. Somewhere in the 6 pages of responses, I wrote specifically that none of the items on this particular list could be done by a casual person off the street, even a person in top physical condition. All of those particular goals would require months or years of effort to hone the skills in order to attempt any of them with a reasonable safety margin. And it has always been that process of building skills and knowledge that has kept me coming back to the mountains. I mean, other things too: solitude, requisite focus, self-reliance; but I've always loved the personal growth component of trying new things in the mountains. For me, having these goals is nothing more than motivation to remain focused on continuing to build skills. There is no 'patch,' and no one cares anyway. I suppose this whole topic is an offshoot of the question, "Why do you go into the mountains?" For me, it has always been about building new skills. But that is changing now, and it feels weird.

 

[sierra]

I find myself at a cross roads as well. I noticed it last year going into the winter. I had lost the desire for long cold arduous treks. Content now for easy day hikes. I also gave up technical climbing sometime back. To be honest, I only took it up for one reason. I wanted to go out west and solo a lot of 14ers via some of the class 3 and 4 routes. My thinking was, that if I learned how to lead 5.7 rock and grade 3 ice, I could safely solo any of the 14ers. Alas, I got caught up in both sports and continued climbing for ten years, surpassing my original goals. My plan worked like a charm, as I had zero issues out west on the high peaks. I now just hike and enjoy just being out there with a casual approach. Looking at many small peaks, I always ignored and there are a bunch, so new ground is in my future. I even considered buying a small boat. I kind of would like a hobby, that does not require so much physical exertion. Just cast off, fish for some trout and cruise around some lakes and swim. I just might be getting old now. Although, while dialed down a bit, I'll keep on hiking.

 

[DayTrip]

I find myself at a cross roads as well. I noticed it last year going into the winter. I had lost the desire for long cold arduous treks. Content now for easy day hikes. I also gave up technical climbing sometime back. To be honest, I only took it up for one reason. I wanted to go out west and solo a lot of 14ers via some of the class 3 and 4 routes. My thinking was, that if I learned how to lead 5.7 rock and grade 3 ice, I could safely solo any of the 14ers. Alas, I got caught up in both sports and continued climbing for ten years, surpassing my original goals. My plan worked like a charm, as I had zero issues out west on the high peaks. I now just hike and enjoy just being out there with a casual approach. Looking at many small peaks, I always ignored and there are a bunch, so new ground is in my future. I even considered buying a small boat. I kind of would like a hobby, that does not require so much physical exertion. Just cast off, fish for some trout and cruise around some lakes and swim. I just might be getting old now. Although, while dialed down a bit, I'll keep on hiking.

Cool. I went through a brief fishing addiction in my early 20's when two of my uncles got a place about a 1/2 mile from Conway Lake. Went pretty much every weekend and fished and drank like troopers from Fri night to Sun afternoon. Good times indeed. If there is an equivalent Freedom Of The Lakes benchmark I nailed that one.

I guess I'm a late comer to the world of mountaineering so I'm on the other side of the curve. As I learn more and more I want to try more and more stuff and wonder if I have waited too long to jump in the "deep end of the pool" (technical climbing, winter camping, etc). I wish I had stumbled across the 48 4,000 footer list when I was fresh out of high school. Knowing how it changed my hiking experiences and desires in my mid 40's it would be nice to rewind the clock to my mid 20's when health, time and lack of responsibilities were not obstacles. As much as I'd like to try technical climbing with ropes, hardware and all that stuff I think maybe the risk/reward ratio is beyond what I would attempt now. Too conservative I guess. Certainly not taking it off the table yet though.

 

[DayTrip]

It IS absolutely about the journey, and that was the impetus for creating my personal bucket list several years back. Somewhere in the 6 pages of responses, I wrote specifically that none of the items on this particular list could be done by a casual person off the street, even a person in top physical condition. All of those particular goals would require months or years of effort to hone the skills in order to attempt any of them with a reasonable safety margin. And it has always been that process of building skills and knowledge that has kept me coming back to the mountains. I mean, other things too: solitude, requisite focus, self-reliance; but I've always loved the personal growth component of trying new things in the mountains. For me, having these goals is nothing more than motivation to remain focused on continuing to build skills. There is no 'patch,' and no one cares anyway. I suppose this whole topic is an offshoot of the question, "Why do you go into the mountains?" For me, it has always been about building new skills. But that is changing now, and it feels weird.

That is the beauty of it. It goes way, way beyond just walking around. I think of my hike this past weekend to Carrigain. I tossed and turned from 12AM-2AM, waiting for the impending hangover to take hold from the day out with the wife SAT. Got out of bed at 2AM, lingered long in the hot shower thinking about going back to bed. Managed to get in the car. Clung to my coffee on the ride imagining fun things I could do that didn't involve the 2 mile road walk or that climb. Figured I could snooze at the trailhead and then head into town for a burger and a few beers. Got my gear together at the trail head and was walking the road, silently cursing it every step of the way. Zero desire to hike. Hit the trail, got to the climbing, thought about turning around pretty much every time I stopped to catch my breath. And man was I making lousy time. Way behind schedule. I should turn around. Then I hit the Signal Ridge. $%#ing awesome. And all the previous hours of unmotivated drudgery disappeared. Another great and unique day in the woods.

Before I started "the list" and hiking on a serious basis I would not have done that. When my alarm went on I would have shut it off and rolled over, assuming I would have even considered setting it at that unholy hour in the first place.

 

[sierra]

Cool. I went through a brief fishing addiction in my early 20's when two of my uncles got a place about a 1/2 mile from Conway Lake. Went pretty much every weekend and fished and drank like troopers from Fri night to Sun afternoon. Good times indeed. If there is an equivalent Freedom Of The Lakes benchmark I nailed that one.

I guess I'm a late comer to the world of mountaineering so I'm on the other side of the curve. As I learn more and more I want to try more and more stuff and wonder if I have waited too long to jump in the "deep end of the pool" (technical climbing, winter camping, etc). I wish I had stumbled across the 48 4,000 footer list when I was fresh out of high school. Knowing how it changed my hiking experiences and desires in my mid 40's it would be nice to rewind the clock to my mid 20's when health, time and lack of responsibilities were not obstacles. As much as I'd like to try technical climbing with ropes, hardware and all that stuff I think maybe the risk/reward ratio is beyond what I would attempt now. Too conservative I guess. Certainly not taking it off the table yet though.

I used to fly fish a lot in the mountains after my hikes. I actually studied the entomology and I have a hatch chart that covers the Whites from spring to fall. Total make up is 3 boxes of flies about 30 different patterns and bugs too. I would show up at the classic holes and all the rich guys would snub me when I asked what was catching. About an hour later, they were asking me what to use. As far as technical climbing and it's risk/rewards. It's actually a safe sport with the modern gear, although things like rock fall and weather are uncontrollable factors. I had some close calls on Cannon in regards to rock fall and almost got killed in a major slide on Poko-Moonshine in the Dacks ( that is one creepy cliff). If your safe and careful, it's pretty safe. But, I used to teach some people how to climb and I would explain it like this. Make a mistake bowling and it's a gutter ball, then you go home. Screw up on the cliff, you might not go home at all. It seem to get their attention.

 

[DayTrip]

I used to fly fish a lot in the mountains after my hikes. I actually studied the entomology and I have a hatch chart that covers the Whites from spring to fall. Total make up is 3 boxes of flies about 30 different patterns and bugs too. I would show up at the classic holes and all the rich guys would snub me when I asked what was catching. About an hour later, they were asking me what to use. As far as technical climbing and it's risk/rewards. It's actually a safe sport with the modern gear, although things like rock fall and weather are uncontrollable factors. I had some close calls on Cannon in regards to rock fall and almost got killed in a major slide on Poko-Moonshine in the Dacks ( that is one creepy cliff). If your safe and careful, it's pretty safe. But, I used to teach some people how to climb and I would explain it like this. Make a mistake bowling and it's a gutter ball, then you go home. Screw up on the cliff, you might not go home at all. It seem to get their attention.

Is climbing like that possible solo? Did you ever do that? I guess my biggest hurdle to doing it is whether or not it can be done without leaving thousands of $$$ in climbing stuff screwed to the walls behind me. Could become a costly hobby (and a hidden bonanza for anyone climbing behind me )

 

[DougPaul]

Is climbing like that possible solo? Did you ever do that? I guess my biggest hurdle to doing it is whether or not it can be done without leaving thousands of $$$ in climbing stuff screwed to the walls behind me. Could become a costly hobby (and a hidden bonanza for anyone climbing behind me )

Perhaps you are thinking of free soloing? Most climbers these days leave little gear behind.

climbers definitions:
* solo = climbing alone
* free solo = climbing alone without protection (ie no ropes, carabiners, nuts, pitons, etc)
* anchors (protection) = attachments to the rock (eg nuts and pitons) which anchor the rope going to the climbers
* fixed anchors/protection = protection left in place for other climbers
* leader = the one who goes first, placing protection as needed
* second = the one who goes second, generally cleaning (removing) the protection as he goes
* clean climbing = climbing leaving no (minimal) gear or trace behind

The main ethic these days is clean climbing: A leader places protection and his second removes (cleans) it, thus leaving nothing (or as little as possible) behind. A roped soloist can also do the same, but must climb each pitch 3 times: up placing protection, down and back up cleaning the protection. A free soloist, of course, doesn't place any protection.

Fixed protection is typically used on popular climbs where constant placement and removal of anchors would wear the rock and alter the climb.

I think most climbers start with partnered climbing and some choose to move on to soloing (roped or free). Difficulty of the climb is important here--someone who uses protection on difficult climbs may be willing to free solo easier terrain.

In general, one avoids leaving any gear behind so the gear costs are mostly initial cost plus replacement of worn out gear.

It should be obvious without saying, but a slip or broken hold when climbing without protection can easily result in serious injury or death. Protection greatly reduces (but does not totally eliminate) the risk. And some routes are more dangerous than others depending on difficulty, ease of protection, how secure the anchors are, loose holds, the amount of falling rock, etc.


“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”
― Ernest Hemingway

Doug

 

[sierra]

Is climbing like that possible solo? Did you ever do that? I guess my biggest hurdle to doing it is whether or not it can be done without leaving thousands of $$$ in climbing stuff screwed to the walls behind me. Could become a costly hobby (and a hidden bonanza for anyone climbing behind me )

I took a class with a guide to learn how to rope solo, but I decided after a few climbs it wasn't for me. All my technical climbing was done with partners. I rarely left gear behind, but I have in dire situations like the climb I described on Poko-Moonshine. On that day, I was glad to leave it to get the heck off the wall. I was lucky in that I always found gear. I did a route on Cannon once that someone had rappelled in what I can only guess was a bad day. I found 4 fixed rappel anchors as I climbed, probably over 200 bucks worth of gear. I also carried old chocks and hexes that were marked for leaving behind when needed. A lot of the times, you can get away with just leaving webbing and a few biners. The only routes I solo are snow climbs and class 3 and 4 routes out west. There is fall potential, but the routes were well within my skillset.

 

[DayTrip]

I took a class with a guide to learn how to rope solo, but I decided after a few climbs it wasn't for me. All my technical climbing was done with partners. I rarely left gear behind, but I have in dire situations like the climb I described on Poko-Moonshine. On that day, I was glad to leave it to get the heck off the wall. I was lucky in that I always found gear. I did a route on Cannon once that someone had rappelled in what I can only guess was a bad day. I found 4 fixed rappel anchors as I climbed, probably over 200 bucks worth of gear. I also carried old chocks and hexes that were marked for leaving behind when needed. A lot of the times, you can get away with just leaving webbing and a few biners. The only routes I solo are snow climbs and class 3 and 4 routes out west. There is fall potential, but the routes were well within my skillset.

I would definitely need classes. I've read of solo attempts on stuff so I figured there must be a method for doing without leaving tons of gear but it never got into specifics like that. I doubt I'd do huge routes like up Cannon but I'd like to some day be able to bushwhack around and have the ability to attack some smaller formations to climb a trail-less knob a remote slide or whatever. I plan to bushwhack a lot this year when Winter ends so I guess I'll reevaluate after I've seen the types of issues I run into and whether it is worth pursuing.

 

[hikerbrian]

I figured out this past summer that technical climbing isn't fun for me anymore. Not right now, anyway. It's not something I can do casually and still feel safe, and I don't have the time/desire to really commit. And I'm ok with that.

I will say, however, that nothing has made me a better, safer SCRAMBLER than technical climbing. Before I started climbing, I had no idea how to judge how difficult and dangerous anything beyond hiking was. Now I understand quite clearly the difference between class 2 (fun!), 3 (fun or scary, depending on how heavy my pack is), 4 (terrifying), and 5 (I'm taking a rope), and what I'm comfortable and safe doing. There is a lot of value in that. For me, gaining competence in the technical stuff is what made me competent with the non-technical stuff. It's probably analagous to the way hiking and backpacking in the winter makes you a better 3-season hiker. After you've been out in some dicey winter situations, nothing in the summer is scary. Ok, except lightning. That's still scary.

 

[jfb]

As much as I'd like to try technical climbing with ropes, hardware and all that stuff I think maybe the risk/reward ratio is beyond what I would attempt now. Too conservative I guess. Certainly not taking it off the table yet though.

It could be fun: http://exumguides.com/ublminxportfolios/grand-classic/

 

[srhigham]

climbers definitions:
* solo = climbing alone
* free solo = climbing alone without protection (ie no ropes, carabiners, nuts, pitons, etc)
* anchors (protection) = attachments to the rock (eg nuts and pitons) which anchor the rope going to the climbers
* fixed anchors/protection = protection left in place for other climbers
* leader = the one who goes first, placing protection as needed
* second = the one who goes second, generally cleaning (removing) the protection as he goes
* clean climbing = climbing leaving no (minimal) gear or trace behind

Doug

Perhaps irrelevant to this discussion, but I'll add the following two definitions because they didn't exist back when I (briefly) climbed, and it took me a long time to figure out what was meant:

*trad = "traditional" climbing...no protection at the beginning, you place all your own as you go
*sport = sport climbing...protection permanently attached to the rock (by drilling/epoxying, etc.) that the climber clips into (certainly the antithesis of "leave no trace". )
Crags are usually one or the other.