Poll - Do you bushwhack?

[carole]

While there is some disagreement as to whether bushwhacking or going off trail is proper and that the 'sport' is becoming more popular I will ask this - Do you bushwhack? You can add your reasons as a comment.

 

[sapblatt]

I have not yet...but when the 48 are done, and the 100 begin, I will have too.
I am probably doing the Fort in BSP soon, so that may be my first. I need to go with those who know more than me...just about everyone here!

 

[ADK4Life]

I will bushwack or go trailess out west. Generally here in the east the trails take you up the routes worth ascending.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I have not yet...but when the 48 are done, and the 100 begin, I will have too.
I am probably doing the Fort in BSP soon, so that may be my first. I need to go with those who know more than me...just about everyone here!

Well, it was already stated recently somewhere, but Fort is not really a bushwhack, at least not by my definition.

Maybe the poller needs to define bushwhack. Is it:

- Going where there is absolutely no trail - e.g. perhaps to a wreck site
- Using an unmaintained herd path - e.g. the Owl's head approach
- Either of the above
- Something else ?

 

[MichaelJ]

Or ... does "bushwhack" even mean following someone else's directions, whether you find the herd path or not.

I'm thinking of comparing, say, heading over to Fort or Redington-from-Crocker, to trips like Post'r Boy's Hancocks-to-Carrigain with Carrigain Pond and the Captain.

 

[bobandgeri]

In order to complete the NEHH one must do several bushwacks. Only a few involve true bushwacks, as many have well defined herd paths. The ones that come to mind as true bushwacks are PAtN, Scar Ridge, Cusuptic Snow, and Kennebago Divide.

 

[carole]

Oh, come on, guys
If some asks why do you hike do you have to have a well defined explanation of a hike? Like do you need to gain so many feet of elevation, or does it need to be so many miles? Did you plan the hike or did someone else and you’re just joining? Is it a 2-3 day Pemi loop or 8 hours?

I consider a bushwhack off-trail navigation. If someone considers the herd path (with blazes and cairns) on Owls Head, or the well defined route to Nancy, a bushwhack than so be it. But I hope they would include that in their reason comment. Some don’t find those well defined herd paths so therefore end up bushwacking or not following a trail to the peak.

I’m just interested in seeing the stats on off-trail use, even if you follow some one else’s lead you’re still off trail. But you can put that in your comments also.

 

[SherpaKroto]

Maintained trail, road or herd path or other manmade path = not a bushwhack
Anything else = bushwhack

Sometimes yes, mostly stick to trails. Will be doing more whacks soon I hope, as they are very rewarding to me.

 

[Pucknuts61]

So far, I have only done so in winter.

 

[Brownie]

Cross Country

Uh Oh, I am afraid to step in on this post.
Is it safe yet?
Are the guns down?

I voted that I occasionally hike off trial, mostly out west by necessity to reach trail-less summits, passes and cols, but never “bushwhacking” to get there.
All travel is “cross-country” on open rocks and ledges or snow fields.
Same for Presidential open talus regions here.

Brownie

 

[dms]

Lately, all the time. I have done all the 3k peaks in NH and VT and have only 14 more in ME to complete the New England 3's. Of the 14 in ME I have left, half are trailed peaks and half bushwacks. I've been working on this list for 25 years, and almost don't want it to end. I really have enjoyed the bushwacking part of it, and I often repeat peaks to help friends out and provide company. I've met some great people who enjoy this pursuit, and I know based on the reaction to my thread about the ME 3's I am soon to meet some more great people!

 

[cooperhill]

Maintained trail, road or herd path or other manmade path = not a bushwhack
Anything else = bushwhack

SherpaK,

I guess abandoned trails would fall under your definition of "not a bushwack"? I would say it depends on the condition of the abandoned trail (Firewarden's trail on Hale vs. Dicey's Mill Cut-off). Just curious.

That said, I hike mostly on "maintained" trails. I would like to do more bushwacking in the future.

Chris

 

[mudhook51]

Here in the cats , we have lots of good bushwacks, many of the 35, plus most of the others over 3000'. No cairns, no herd paths on many. You really need map and compass skills, Winter is the most fun.

 

[PhillyGeo]

Only for antler sheds.

I have been know to bushwhack for miles and miles and miles if I think there might be antler sheds in the area. Honestly, I do more now that I have improved map& compass skills and a "waypoint the car" GPS.

 

[sweeper]

Every chance I get. I spent yesterday morning following a new game trail.

I now live on the edge of a LOT of woods and the dog and I have started to take some serious walks. We climb a hill shoot an azimuth to the next and go. Some day I might even break down and buy a map of the area.

 

[arghman]

I posted on the other bushwhack thread that some of my bushwhacks are as a land steward. It really gives me a chance to get to know a piece of land in its entirety. I've visited one 200-acre parcel at least two dozen times and there are still some areas I haven't been to, though I can find my way around w/o a map or GPS for the most part (except in a few areas that were logged 5-7 years ago, and that are getting overgrown by birch and raspberry/blackberry, and are rather disorienting for some reason). There are no formal maintained trails; all the trails are woods roads (some of which are growing in quick) -- depending on the time of year & what I'm doing (plant inventory vs. boundary walk vs. trail patrol), I might spend anywhere from 10%-80% of my time on a given day off-trail.

Quite a different perspective than following a linear trail.

It has also greatly improved my ability to read the terrain from a topo map. (e.g. the series of V's in a set of contour lines which indicates water flow even if a stream is not marked)

edit:
re: bushwhacks for hiking purposes, I don't like them unless they're short (<1 mile, even that can be heinous) or are below the spruce-fir zone; if I'm alone I won't go out of sight from a trail.

 

[RoySwkr]

I didn't vote because I didn't feel any of the choices were appropriate. While I do at least some bushwhacking on over half of my hikes, I don't do over half my hiking as a bushwhack, but occasional bushwhacking doesn't fit either. For instance I have done 10 different bushwhack routes to the Bonds (plus some repeats) but most of the mileage on those hikes was done on trails.

 

[luv2hike]

Fort and Redington were challenging enough for me. I thought all along they were bushwhacks and now I'm finding out they were not technically bushwhacks. Help!!! I'm worried about the remainder of the "Bushwhacks" on the 100 highest list. Maybe if I wait long enough to finish the list there will be clearer herd paths.

 

[mavs00]

Kinda hard to pick one choice that neatly fit my activity. This year over 50% of my summits have had significant bushwhack portions along the hike. Last year, only about 10%. Next year, probably will see even more than this year. It' s fluid thing, depending on what I'm working on, and what I want to do. I am very much enjoying a good bushwhack these days.

There is another variable too. Like other places, many ADK bushwhacks involve combination trail/logging road and bushwhacking within the same hike. For example, I recently hiked Little Santanoni and it involved little more than a 16 mile (RT) walk on a non-improved non-vehicle road combined with a 3 mile (RT) bushwhack up and down the peak. I considered it a bushwhack peak, but in reality, less than 15% was actual, pure off trail navigation.

All the same, I picked about 50%, cuz that's where I'm at right now. Maybe I'll answer it again next year

 

[jjo]

Bushwacking can be a really fun part of BPing. More adventure. Often in winter and occasionally follow game trails. In earlier days, better than 1/2 was bushwacking...Now a little more sensible