hardest high peak

[Raymond]

I'm glad there's no Gene Danielle of the Adirondacks to declare — as Gene did regarding the illegally-cut path up Peak Above the Nubble — that anyone climbing the peak via the illegal path may not count the peak as officially bagged. If the Forty-Sixers were to void all the climbs made up the Calkins Brook route, there'd be a lot of us turning in our numbers.

I realize that Gene said that the Nubble path was badly designed — I suppose he's been up it to determine this — while Pete says that the Calkins Brook route is very well designed, so these two paths are not strictly comparable.

Does anyone know who cut the Calkins Brook path? What would be the penalty now, ten years later? Wouldn't the statute of limitations have run out? Perhaps that person should ’fess up and serve as consultant regarding future reroutes.

 

[PINPIN JUNIOR]

Hardest or no hardest

Hi Jeenyus.

For Pinpin:

In 1997, november 18, We started to Santanoni Range, but the early snow made a good challenge.
We are able to hike only Panther!
November 21, a wall of snow in Time Square... only Santanoni!!
November 27, with a friend (He never come back with me) We returned a Time Square!!! Wet snow big wind...
November 29, bad choice of road...impossible to go up by the South of Couche!!!!
December 4, We returned, without visibility after Time Square!!!!!
December 7, We returned for the similare conditions!!!!!!
December 17, bivouac at Time Square, 18 too much snow!!!!!!!
December 21, with 4 other friend...easy Wayne pasted the day before and a other group was in this "path".

Fortunately december 21 count to the last day of fall...We safe the consecutive seasons.

Since this time, We hiked every season...now We need only 6 peaks to finish the 32 consacutives seasons.

But We think (in 46 peaks) Emmons it is the must difficult peak in the winter, because the challenge start near the bridge, if You take the decision do not use a skidoo to catch the usual parking.

More stories in other time......

In the 3000 feet Adk, Sawtooth #1 it was the more difficult, but We never finished this challenge.....15 more!!!

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Does anyone know who cut the Calkins Brook path? ....... Perhaps that person should ’fess up and serve as consultant regarding future reroutes.

Many peiople know.

It's not a skill that is particular demand (Watch for Cliff and Macomb in the coming years). A few rules to learn, then simply apply them to where you're going. The skill that is really needed is the politics of getting re-routes permitted. There is a delicate political balance needed there. Remember: The ATV snomobile lobby is looking at avery hiker improvement that is done.....

 

[SherpaKroto]

For me, with my limited (15) peaks, it is Couchie. It was in the upper 80's and despite having great info, succumbed to peer wisdom and believed I had reached Times Square when I reached the spot with all of the marked trees. This despite reading all of the local wisdom (Joel/Tim), the new High Peaks Guide, and looking at Joel's map. I finally stopped, relaxed, read the map and notes again, and realized where I was going wrong. I also wasted 45 minutes in the process (kept heading toward Panther, or thrashing around on old herdpaths). When I reached Times Square, I felt like I had found the Promised Land, and immediately headed down, down, down to Couchie. Once on the lookout before the summit, the return appeared quite daunting. It was. Santanoni and Panther followed, but other than the many false summits on Santanoni, they were not bad at all. FWIW, I consumed nearly 9 liters of water on this trip, starting at Tahawus trailhead and ending at Bradley Leanto. Sage advice to tank up when leaving Panther Brook is all that made this trip possible for me!!!

 

[mavs00]

The results are in.................

I've thoroughly investigated the matter over the interveining 40 days and nights (coincidently ) since Sherpa's post and have come up with the definitive answer.

Actually, for me it depends a GREAT deal on my fitness levels, which have been pretty good the last few years. For non-winter conditions, and taking conditions into account, there are few that have really stood out as overwhelming from a purely physical standpoint. All made me tired, but no real deathmarches.

Whats makes my reply now is that I was just downloading my GPS data for the last few hikes I took it on (Allen was one of them). I was suprised by what I found, and that it was not more prominantly mentioned on here.

The path from the start of Allen Brook to the summit (just over a mile) rises close to 1650' (pretty steep). The last summit push rises almost 1000' in a .5 miles (38% grade). thats a pretty damn steep finish, considering it's over 8.5 miles one way to get there. I actually felt pretty good on Allen, but certainly did feel whooped and weary by the end of the day. No wonder

On that basis, I'd have to say Allen is the hardest single mountain (as a dayhike) that I've hiked in the A-dacks.

------------

As for others, I've done Couchsachraga a few times and didn't find it overly phsyical either time. Mentally though, it's pretty tough. One of the toughest.

The toughest, for me, non-winter hike was S,D,E from Ward Brook in the Sewards. Combines a pretty physical hike with a some nasty mental hurdles (i.e staring back to Seward from Emmons ).

Hardest day in the mountains - A futile attempt at Haystack 24 hours after an early storm dumped 2 1/2 feet of snow. Unconsolidated / unbroken deep powder over zero base. 5 greuling hours to get .5 miles past Slant Rock (from JLB).

 

[woodstrider]

The hardest high peak I've done...

was in the winter on Wright- the wind was fierce. Always is.

 

[rhihn]

jeenyus,

As you can see, everyone has favorite peaks that they "love to hate." Some have pointed out that difficulty is subjective, and depends upon trail conditions, your physical condition, and one's individual abilities and limitations. It also depends upon whether you do it as an overnight or a dayhike. For example, we did Cliff and Redfield as separate dayhikes from Tahawus (due to scheduling), which made them more difficult in some ways (I think) than if they were done from, say, Uphill Brook. Ditto some other hikes typically done in groups. On the other hand, combining a peak with several others could make any one peak seem more difficult, all other factors being the same, if they're done in the same day. I'm also going to go out on a limb and suggest that some people (I include myself here) may have forgotten their earlier peaks and how hard they were, merely because they were early ones. We may have been in less good shape, and difficulties have a way of melting away from memory (or being exaggerated) after a period of time.

Many contenders stand out (in no particular order):

Couchsacraga
Allen
Wright
Sewards (as a group)
Lower Wolf Jaw
Refield
MacNaughton
Blake
Sawtooth
Haystack
Cliff

It all makes for a great thread, but in the end, it's an individual decision.

 

[Adk_dib]

I feel bad now. I have done 23 so far,and all the one's I have left to do are on erverybody's list of the hard one's. looks like I will need to get these 47 year old legs (and lung's) in peak shape next 3 years. I hope to do my 46th on my 50th birthday.