hiked out?
Interesting question and one that made me ponder 20+ yrs hiking and climbing in the Whites. If your goal is one ascent of each prominent peak, I guess you could hike out some areas if you tried. My personal thoughts on this is that you cant begin to know any mountains unless you climb them many times. On every new climb of a peak youve done before, you see things you missed on the previous ascent. Diferent seasons and different conditions lend to this as well.
It wasnt until after my 100th ascent or so, of Mt. Washington that I started to feel very close to the mountain, MT. LIberty is another example for me, as is the Franconia ridge and the Northern Presidentials. Its like meeting a girl, at first, its the small things that catch your eye, but only after time you develope a deep devotion and a sense of familiararity that in itself becomes what you love.
People who climb peaks once see the surface as with all mountains, its only after spending much time, storms, failed attempts, snow, rain, peope you meet who make your day, clouds swirling around you on the summitt, wildlife you meet, these are all some of the things that lend to your mountain experience.
I could never climb out the Whites, every ascent, every peak is a new adventure, after hundreds of ascents of Washington, sometimes at home I catch myself thinking, what am I missing on the rockpile today?
