Summit Rituals/Traditions ?

[king tut]

I've moved away from this just a bit but, it happen's one of two ways...

(a) Reach in pack, remove beer and consume (then screw up trying to name peaks correctly)

(b) Call dog over, reach in his pack, remove beer and consume...

(c) Take off wet cotton t-shirt and put on dry one...




Amen.

Wow, using a dog to haul beer up a mountain? Brilliant! I always wondered why people loved dogs so much. Any chance they can haul up nachos or buffalo wings? None of my cats could have ever done that, god bless their souls. I might have to buy one of these dogs now!

 

[arm]

kick back and relax with a tasty summit beverage

appreciate being there with great friends, and the fact that we live close to beautiful mountains

 

[the starchild]

summit antics depend on the trip, weather and whom i'm with

if its a crowded summit i'd usually just check out the summit and then find a quiet spot off the summit to rest/eat/whip out the mtn. chair/admire views/look at map/take off boots and socks/relax

if its a 4K i always get a photo of myself

last nov on a snow covered hight with no wind and blue skies i just layed down and looked at the bluest of blue skies

on owl's head summit (or was it the summit!?!?!?) i took a photo of my friend's watch hanging on the sign (he was camped below unable to summit)

 

[king tut]

I've had times where i was not sure if i would see the top of the mt's again, so everytime i can hike up, I give thanks for the experience, and i soak in the beauty.

 

[Cloudsplitter]

If the peak has an obvious USGS survey bolt at the top, and if the temp is above freezing (I'd look pretty silly getting rescued with my lips stuck to a summit bolt), I crouch down and kiss the marker. I started this one on Algonquin, my first Adk peak, about eight years ago...
-C

 

[Umsaskis]

Once in a while when I reach a summit I shout, "Praise God!" because there is a Sunday School song I used to sing as a kid that said, "I'll shout it from the mountaintops - Praise God!..." and I don't like to be a liar, saying I'll shout it and then never doing so.

 

[David Metsky]

Movie: The Eiger Sanction
Scene: Bowman(George Kennedy) and Hemlock(Clint Eastwood) have just climbed Totem Pole in Monument Valley

BOWMAN: Want a beer?

HEMLOCK: You gonna call room service?

BOWMAN: We got beer.

HEMLOCK: If you hauled beer up this rock, you're insane.

BOWMAN: I may be insane, but I'm not stupid. I didn't carry it, you did. It's in your pack.(Pulls a six-pack of Olympia beer out of Hemlock's backpack.)

HEMLOCK: Jesus Christ, I ought to throw you off this pillar. Besides, it's warm.

BOWMAN: I'm sorry, I thought you'd draw the line at hauling ice.

 

[bubba]

Dave: Touché! This thread could take on a new direction...

 

[g o]

"kick back and relax with a tasty summit beverage
appreciate being there with great friends, and the fact that we live close to beautiful mountains"

amen to that arm!

cranberry on turkey day?

 

[Klutz]

Interesting....verrryy interesting. Yeah, usually by the time I reach a summit, I'm usually pretty sweaty, so I remove the sweaty things(such as the upper under garment and top) and put on a dry shirt, fleece, and windstopper...depending on the time of year. Then I take a good look around, find a spot with a great view and eat! Cause I'm usually pretty hungry by then. Then of course we take the usual pictures of the views and sometimes get someone else up there to take a picture of us.

 

[Mr. X]

Applying duct tape around my feet (see Tom Rankin's Previous Avatar) is the only real ritual I've been consistant with.

 

[Eric Savage]

First thing is to find the absolute highest point to stand on.
Back when I was working on the WM/NE 4000 and NE 100, I would fly the Swedish flag from each summit. Actually had two guys on Katahdin (where I finshed the NE 100) ask if they could pose with me. I asked if they were Swedish and they said no, that it was just something they'd never seen before (this was before flags on the 48) and thought it would be cool to get a picture. It'll probably fly again when I finish the NH 100 and Winter 4Ks but I'm not keen to abuse it on all of them.

 

[spaddock]

If there's a sign on the top and I can reach it I kiss it. If it's spring/summer/fall I tell the summit I'll see it again in the Winter.


-Shayne

 

[blacknblue]

Depending on the hiking companions: summit smootch.

-dave-

Note to self: don't hike with this guy.

 

[blacknblue]

Other than "searching desperately in the backpack for ibuprofen," I don't have any rituals/traditions. I guess having made enough summits that called for a more or less immediate descent has cured me of that! No time for rituals when the storm is impending or altitude sickness is raging.
I do have a tendency, however, to touch the benchmark at the summit and to try to find the trailhead in the valley below.

And just kidding about the above post, Dave! I enjoy reading your stuff and would love to hike with you someday (but no smooching).

 

[MonadnockVol]

It's cold out there

This time of year my only ritual is to start putting on layers ... lots of layers.

 

[jjo]

My routine...

You guys have given me some interesting options. My current routine is simple: Kick back, enjoy the views, have your lunch (I always eat on the top), take some pics and unwind realizing the hard part of the day is usually behind me. The rest is usually "downhill". I also stroll around the top to see the various viewpoints before heading down. I try hard to go back a different way than I came up. The summit is the reward for the effort of climbing up. I also try to be thankful for being able to do and enjoy this type of endeavor. My 2 cents...

 

[RDP]

Just sit and enjoy the views from the top

 

[David Metsky]

Note to self: don't hike with this guy.

You're safe, no worries.

-dave-