Freedom of the New England Hills

[Tom_Murphy]

Another factor for winter travel is the overnight lows.

I aborted a planned five day trip after one night a few years ago because the overnight low that first night was -18 F. That night and the next morning were a real eye opener & kind of scary even though I was camped pretty close to the Zealand Hut. Huge difference between the single digits and -18 F.

 

[David Metsky]

If the list doesn't include skiing from the summit of Mt Washington to the car I'm not interested.

 

[skiguy]

Freedom of the Hills =Knowing ones own abilities and limitations. In other words heading out, enjoy oneself and others, return home, repeat......

 

[jfb]

A New England list should include challenges in each state. I'd like the list to include leading all 5 pitches of Whitney-Gilman, at least five gullies in Huntington Ravine, skiing the Thunderbolt Trail (MA), rock climbing at Ragged Mountain (CT), ice climbing in Smuggler's Notch (VT) and bouldering at Lincoln Woods (RI).

 

[sierra]

I think Freedom of the Hill's was referring to one's love and dedication to being able to be in the mountain's. This goes hand and hand with the skillset to achieve all your goal's while exploring the mountain's. After year's of heavy backpacking and hiking, I knew I wanted to have the skills to both tackle tough NE climbs as well as go out west and climb the 14ers in CO and CA solo. I took 5 years to train on technical routes. I ended up with this, I can lead 5.10, A2+, grade 3+ ice, mixed routes, and excel on long snow climbs. This proved to be a sound plan. I have 20 plus routes on Cannon, 3 gullies in Hunnington's and over 40 14er solo's in CA and CO, some in winter. I think the most important skill, is the ability to combine all your skillset, and have the ability to move over varied terrain, knowing when to ply the most effective technique for what you are encountering.

 

[Chugach001]

A New England list should include challenges in each state... bouldering at Lincoln Woods (RI).

Challenge??

Another vote for skiing something. For me trees were a much harder skill to master than anything else.

 

[jfb]

Challenge??

Yup. Bouldering is one of the "Games Climbers Play."

 

[hikerbrian]

Freedom of the Hills =Knowing ones own abilities and limitations. In other words heading out, enjoy oneself and others, return home, repeat......

Well, certainly many people feel that way, and the List, Grid, and Redline all fit into that mentality quite well. But what I'm suggesting is sort of the opposite: figure out your limitations and then take active steps to overcome them. I personally like to learn, and this list keeps me focused on what I don't know.

 

[Driver8]

If you're looking for difficult, why not add a late January backpack traverse of the Mahoosuc Range to the list you're compiling of things I likely will never do.

As to rock-climbing in CT, I'd say ascending the Chin of Sleeping Giant would be prettier than Ragged, with a lot more spectators, though I don't know about the difficulty of the several routes.

Personally, I'll be thrilled to complete the 48, the 67, and the 100 highest, for the most part in the months from May to December. I almost got Pico in January, but had to settle for April. ...

 

[hikerbrian]

Sierra, yes my first trip to the North Cascades about 10 years ago was eye-opening, that is for sure. 5 years in CA also helped put a clear focus on all of the things I didn't/don't know.

Tim, I know you're asking about a patch tongue in cheek, but it gets to a key point, which is that this list isn't meant to be a measure of accomplishment; i.e. I completed the "Freedom NE" list, therefore I've accomplished something. Instead, it is meant to illuminate an individual's shortcomings (not in the pejorative sense). One can look at the list and think, "I'm a pretty good backpacker, but I certainly could not hike a straight line from Lincoln to Bondcliff, so maybe that's a skill I want to work on for the next year or two." Maybe you've done some winter trips, but you're not confident/competant enough to embark on a presi-traverse, how can you improve your skills in order to make a good style attempt?

Upon completion of the list, rather than receiving a patch, what you get to do is stand on the top of Lafayette or maybe Isolation or any other prominent peak in any season and look all around you with the knowledge that anything you can see is attainable to you. You're only limited by your imagination for new routes and objectives. It's all available to you. That's the "Freedom of the New England Hills" that I'm talking about.

 

[bignslow]

What you get to do is stand on the top of Lafayette or maybe Isolation or any other prominent peak in any season and look all around you with the knowledge that anything you can see is attainable to you. You're only limited by your imagination for new routes and objectives. It's all available to you. That's the "Freedom of the New England Hills" that I'm talking about.

I like this statement a lot. I know that I have personally been trying to move from a role of strong hiker to that of more of a mountaineer, so I think that this is a very good description of where I would like to go as an outdoorsman.

 

[skiguy]

Well, certainly many people feel that way, and the List, Grid, and Redline all fit into that mentality quite well. But what I'm suggesting is sort of the opposite: figure out your limitations and then take active steps to overcome them. I personally like to learn, and this list keeps me focused on what I don't know.

What I am suggesting is Freedom is obtained once you have learned and demonstrated what you didn't know. Maybe I am not gripping your self imposed paradigm but I do know what freedom of the Hills is to me personally. IMO it is just that self imposed goals and challenges and meeting them. What might be one's Freedom is most not likely an others.

 

[Tom_Murphy]

Upon completion of the list, rather than receiving a patch, what you get to do is stand on the top of Lafayette or maybe Isolation or any other prominent peak in any season and look all around you with the knowledge that anything you can see is attainable to you. You're only limited by your imagination for new routes and objectives. It's all available to you. That's the "Freedom of the New England Hills" that I'm talking about.

This description kind of reminds me of how I approached my progression for winter backpacking.

- camped out in the backyard (Central MA) after a snow storm, melted snow for water for supper and breakfast
- hiked around the neighborhood in my snowshoes and backpack and then camped out in the backyard
- car camped at Hancock CG and day hiked to Black Pond
- camped overnight near Black Pond
- camped 2 nights relatively close to Zealand Hut & did day hikes
- abort a planned 4 night trip after one night due to temp outside my ability
- camped 2 nights in the Little River drainage & did day hikes

Each trip builds on the previous one. An intermediate goal is a PEMI valley traverse using the XC sking route. Another is spending a few winter nights at Chimney Pond or Katahdin Lake.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

And did you add items to your list (skills or trips) which you feel enables you to claim the Freedom of the New England Hills? I, for one, would enjoy seeing an ordered progression of skills or trips which would ultimately lead you to claim success. This is where I was going with the reference above to the Pemi Loop attempt in the blizzard... would you include that as a gate to achieving your Freedom of the New England Hills?

Tim

 

[hikerbrian]

I do know what freedom of the Hills is to me personally. IMO it is just that self imposed goals and challenges and meeting them. What might be one's Freedom is most not likely an others.

Absolutely agree, it's a personal list and requires personal reflection. This is just my version. I could imagine a person standing on Lafayette and thinking, "All of these peaks are available to me, I am free" even if they only hike on trails in the summer. Similarly, I have no intentions of completing some of the mixed rock/ice routes that were recently put up on Cannon cliff. Inteligent people could argue my list is soft. Or hard. That's what subjectivity gets you.

Still, I think this list captures most of the skills that can be gotten in the northeast (notable exceptions being mixed climbing and skiing). And it captures some real classics. And it opens up a huge world of opportunities outside of New England. These things are worth something to some people and are not worth so much to others.

 

[Tom_Murphy]

I, for one, would enjoy seeing an ordered progression of skills or trips which would ultimately lead you to claim success....to achieving your Freedom of the New England Hills?
Tim

I view this concept as a quest having no end, no finish, no final resolution. Each trip/skill opens the door to new paths. The possibilities expand rather than contract.

Freedom of the Hills is a journey without a destination.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

At some point, won't you run into the natural limits of New England? The weather only gets "so cold", the wind "so high", the visibility "so low", the trip "so long" (well, you can stay out an arbitrary number of days, but...) leading (enabling) you to leave New England... or simply tack on days to length, or wait for possible small % changes in the "so cold|windy|visibility" measures.

I guess you could simply exist year round with a backpack and a tent in the mountains living off whatever you can find.

I know, for example, I am missing several things which could apply in New England. I don't ice / rock / mixed climb; I don't backpack; I don't back-country ski; I have limited bushwhacking experience... the latter being the one I am interested most in expanding.

Tim

 

[sierra]

Sierra, yes my first trip to the North Cascades about 10 years ago was eye-opening, that is for sure. 5 years in CA also helped put a clear focus on all of the things I didn't/don't know.

Tim, I know you're asking about a patch tongue in cheek, but it gets to a key point, which is that this list isn't meant to be a measure of accomplishment; i.e. I completed the "Freedom NE" list, therefore I've accomplished something. Instead, it is meant to illuminate an individual's shortcomings (not in the pejorative sense). One can look at the list and think, "I'm a pretty good backpacker, but I certainly could not hike a straight line from Lincoln to Bondcliff, so maybe that's a skill I want to work on for the next year or two." Maybe you've done some winter trips, but you're not confident/competant enough to embark on a presi-traverse, how can you improve your skills in order to make a good style attempt?

Upon completion of the list, rather than receiving a patch, what you get to do is stand on the top of Lafayette or maybe Isolation or any other prominent peak in any season and look all around you with the knowledge that anything you can see is attainable to you. You're only limited by your imagination for new routes and objectives. It's all available to you. That's the "Freedom of the New England Hills" that I'm talking about.

That last paragraph hit home for me. I still remember my first 4k ( Liberty). I remember looking over the vast mountains and thinking, OMG look at all those peaks, I felt small, lost and overwhelmed. I also new that one day, I would know them all. Now when I sit on a summit and someone ask me " Do you know what that peak is?" I answer yes and think of Liberty way back then.

 

[TJsName]

That last paragraph hit home for me. I still remember my first 4k ( Liberty). I remember looking over the vast mountains and thinking, OMG look at all those peaks, I felt small, lost and overwhelmed. I also new that one day, I would know them all. Now when I sit on a summit and someone ask me " Do you know what that peak is?" I answer yes and think of Liberty way back then.

Yeah, I have the same feeling now too. Although now I'm also aware of how much more there is to learn about the Whites. (those 'known unknowns').

 

[sierra]

Yeah, I have the same feeling now too. Although now I'm also aware of how much more there is to learn about the Whites. (those 'known unknowns').

I agree, my dog is working on the 4k's and I'm doing peaks I haven't done in many years, using routes I've never done, it's kind of fun.