Sufferfest 2007 - 36 Hour Peakbagging Fun

[Mats Roing]

This is supposed to be a fun and friendly comp to see how many 4,000-footers you can bag in 36 hours

* Starting Saturday July 21 at Trailhead of your choice
* Need to be back at the parking lot where Webster-Jackson Trail comes out by Crawford Notchat 6pm Sunday July 22.
* One peak deduction for every 10 minutes you're late back.
* Designated driver allowed and highly recommended (make it a requirement?)
* 1,2 and 3 hiker categories. For the 2 and 3 hiker categories you count the total number of peaks the group bagged (for example Lisa and BigEarl bagged 18 peaks each and Mats was kind of tired and only did 15 gives a total of 51 peaks for the team).
* Designated driver reports back progress to hiking HQ so we can update progress on VFTT

I think the 36-hour would utilize the weekend properly and people can still drive back home in daylight. Hopefully the designated driver takes care of the driving for the most part.

Afterwards we can go to Fabyan's in Bretton Woods or some other good local joint

E-mail me team members and drivers and contact info (cell phone).

Looking forward to see you!

Mats

 

[Mats Roing]

Mats, I know you're calling it "Sufferfest" but what in the heck is the Vaseline for? Ugh!

We may be up for this so long as you alleviate our fears concerning the Vaseline.

We need to add a dog category!

I hope the thread won't be derailing into a discussion about usage of vaseline......

 

[albee]

This is an interesting idea. "Sufferfest" - I like it. Maybe we could swim across Lake Winnipesaukee afterwards! What is the prize for bagging the most peaks? A lifetime's supply of vaseline?

Oh, and by the way, Mats uses vaseline to prevent blisters on his feet. He also prefers chomping on raw garlic instead of Power Bars. Says it keeps the black flies away...

I hope Fabyan's doesn't mind a bunch of sweaty hikers falling asleep in their dining room on a Sunday night!

 

[marchowes]

Oh god am I ever IN!

 

[Mats Roing]

Oh god am I ever IN!

Sounds good, wanna go solo or put a team together?

We should probably also have a sign-up sheet for volunteer drivers. It could be very exciting to be a driver also

With 36 hours, hikers can also have some sleep if they want.

 

[sapblatt]

Let me know if you ever do the opposite - fewest peaks in 36 hours - that I could do.

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

I don't feel like making any decisions right now...Whose team am I on?.....and how many peaks should I try for?

Who needs a driver...just hike for 36 hours.

 

[Dugan]

We need to add a dog category!

Is this necessary? It is one thing to decide to do these things to our own bodies. It is quite another to ask these things of our dogs.

Just because they will follow us unto death does not mean we should lead them there.

 

[Mats Roing]

I don't feel like making any decisions right now...Whose team am I on?.....and how many peaks should I try for?

Who needs a driver...just hike for 36 hours.

* With teams I was thinking that people hike together - good for safety purposes as well. It's an interesting idea with teams with individuals doing their own thing....need more drivers though

* Drivers need to obey all traffic rules - any evidence of speeding results in automatic disqualification.

* One obvious route choice would be to bag the Willeys, then do the Pressie traverse, someone is picking up on the north side and then do Moriah-Carter-Wildcats....that's 17 (18 if you go down and scoop up Isolation).....maybe time for more after that?

* With or without pushups? With or without backpack on?

* The key thing is to make it fun and interesting with safety in mind

 

[marchowes]

I personally like the idea of doing teams who go after different things. maybe make it interesting and not allow overlap within teams? unfortunately interesting is the only good thing that could come out of such an idea, complicated and annoying and the others

 

[JeffAndrews]

I really like the idea of a two person, one car team with each team member going after different peaks.

Half of the fun would be figuring out the logistics!

Unfortunately, I am old and couldn't even function for 36 hours straight when I was young. I'm lucky to manage half of that now. I would need to plan in time to sleep. And lots of it.

 

[albee]

Can you do the same peak multiple times? I was thinking of just going up on Franconia Ridge and yo-yoing back and forth. I could probably get about 37 peaks by doing the traverse from Lafayette to Flume and back 6 times...

Could we allow NEHH peaks as well? That way, we would reduce the impact on the most heavily used mountains and trails... maybe people would do a Kilkenny Range traverse rather than a Carters-Cats traverse.

Maybe we could attach point values to mountains to make it more tactical:

Franconias, Presis, Carters and Cats are worth 1 point each,
Bonds, Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Trips worth 1.5
Hancocks, Osceolas, Kinsmans worth 2
Hale, Tecumseh, Cabot, Waumbek worth 3
Zealand, Owl's Head or Carrigain worth 4

(By the way, I am totally not masochistic enough to even consider participating in this... but it is fun to help make the rules!)

 

[SherpaKroto]

Mats, I'm interested to see how it goes. Good luck! You're a better man than I am!

If you add beers per peak, I think giggy might be coaxed into joining in!

 

[nartreb]

Other than the 5 AM start (that's just masochistic, I don't mind hiking for 36 hours but don't make me get out of bed that early), it's highly tempting. I'd need a driver, though. Any teams forming up?

 

[Mats Roing]

Other than the 5 AM start (that's just masochistic, I don't mind hiking for 36 hours but don't make me get out of bed that early), it's highly tempting. I'd need a driver, though. Any teams forming up?

Thanks Albee for your input. It's a good idea to grade the peaks differently depending on effort it takes to bag them. However it will create arguments about how it should be graded. I think we need to keep the rules as simple as possible.

Nartreb: We could do 6am to 6pm instead if participants prefer another hour of sleep.

Maybe the easiest is to do 3-person team with one of them being a designated driver. The two people can hike however they want. Just have to consider more complex logistics to keep track of people on different routes.

People can put together their own team and those who would like to join a team we can help to put teams together. Hikers who needs a driver should offer the use of their own car to a driver so as to stimulate volunter drivers.
Volunteer drivers could be a bottle neck.

And again very important that participants and drivers abide to proper conduct on the trail and on the roads.

We don't need categories for dogs, cats, birds, insects, fish etc. Although I might bring a can or two of volunter sardines with me. What I'm saying is that we do not exclude participants due to number of legs, arms, weight, sight, race, color, religion, hearing, swearing etc. However, designated drivers are required to have a drivers license

I have about half a dozen interested people so far. If I end up matching teams together it might be a very good excercise in teamwork with planning and executing in stress and fatigue with unknown people.

If Frodo and Tim Seaver decide to hook up with Michael Schumacher as designated driver, they may do so. And people may sleep as much as they want (not while driving though). The key thing is to have fun and behave.

In a week I'll start to put teams together for those who are not forming their own. If you enjoy this type of event without wanting to participate - please volunteer as a driver. And hikers - be nice to the driver

Let me know if you are interested as hiker or driver

Mats

 

[sapblatt]

Maybe we could attach point values to mountains to make it more tactical:

Franconias, Presis, Carters and Cats are worth 1 point each,
Bonds, Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Trips worth 1.5
Hancocks, Osceolas, Kinsmans worth 2
Hale, Tecumseh, Cabot, Waumbek worth 3
Zealand, Owl's Head or Carrigain worth 4

(By the way, I am totally not masochistic enough to even consider participating in this... but it is fun to help make the rules!)

Not participating in this either - one idea is like what they do in thouroughbred racing - make the younger, fitter hikers carry extra weight. If you are under thirty and have no excess body fat you get two cinder blocks put in your pack. If you are overweight and over forty someone else can carry your pack!

 

[mountaingirl]

Count me in for turtle group

I love this kind of thing, just I'm a better candidate for the "fewest peaks" group.

 

[nartreb]

What I'm saying is that we do not exclude participants due to number of legs, arms, weight, sight, race, color, religion, hearing, swearing etc.

So hiking with a canine doubles your score, and hiking while carrying three fleas quadruples it?

OK, so some rules are needed: participants must complete the hiking portions under their own power (ie, fleas must hop off and walk to be counted). The AMC 4K club peakbagging rules apply re roads, bicycles, etc. (eg, no auto road on Mt Washington)
No single participant can count the same peak twice. (This way there's a strategic element in planning the itinerary - you can't just traverse from Lafayette to Lincoln and back a hundred times. Do you go for easy peaks, peaks that are near each other, peaks that are near major roads? Each team decides for itself - is adding peak X to the plan worth the effort? No need for peaks to be worth different numbers of points, I suspect different strategies will lead to some very different lists. )

I think the logistics will be challenging enough even with teams hiking together (and as Mats said, that's a lot safer after hiking nonstop for 36 hours). But teams are certainly allowed to split up. (Teams may use at most one designated driver, even if they split up. But hitchhiking is allowed.)

I'm assuming that any form of resupply is allowed. (You can cache food, drinks, gear, etc anywhere, or have your supply train meet you on the trail or on the road as often as you like)

Oh, and if you're in your thirties and have a cormorant for a VFTT avatar you get a ten-mile head start. ;D

 

[JohnL]

......there's a strategic element in planning the itinerary - you can't just traverse from Lafayette to Lincoln and back a hundred times. Do you go for easy peaks, peaks that are near each other, peaks that are near major roads? Each team decides for itself - is adding peak X to the plan worth the effort? No need for peaks to be worth different numbers of points, I suspect different strategies will lead to some very different lists. )

I would also think you could have different starting points but keep the finish line the same. There are several ways to police an even start if you don't want to keep it on an honor system; cell phones, time stamps on digital photos, synchronized watches from several official starters.

Another thought would be to hold this on the following weekend. There is a full moon on Sunday the 29th. Full moon hiking, particularly along an open ridge, would be an added plus to hold the interest during the long dark hours.

Very interesting concept. Not sure I'll be up for it but it's a neat idea.

JohnL

 

[Mats Roing]

Let me know if you ever do the opposite - fewest peaks in 36 hours - that I could do.

There seems to be a great interest for fewest peaks in 36 hours......I think we should have a price for that as well. And a price for "most interesting route finding"!