The East v. The West

[trailbiscuit]

Live in New Hampshire or Maine, halfway between the mountains and the coast with frequent trips out West. BUT...live in Alaska from mid-July to mid-September. Simple really.

Powerball here I come!!!

 

[amstony]

The West- No contest, the views, open spaces and opportunities for adventure are out west. I've been researching this pretty extensively the last couple of years since we plan to move out there. The Mountains, hiking, climbing, weather and lifestyle out there are unparalled by anything back east. If you ever get the chance to fly along the length of the Cascades, drive through Washington, Utah and Wyoming, you'll see what I mean!!

Politics aside, New Englands fine, but I'd be out of here "yesterday" !!

 

[Grumpy]

Good Discussion . . .

Still no contest, as I see it . . ..

G.

 

[afka_bob]

New England

I chose New England about 20 years ago and haven't regretted it for a moment since. I've enjoyed several visits west and north and hope to see more, but I love coming home and living here every day.

In reality, hiking represents such a small percentage of my total time (ideally, it would be more, but still be just a small part) and New England and the Northeast have so much more to offer.

I'd love to live in New York City for a few years. Boston was fantastic. I'm enjoying New Hampshire immensely and could see myself being very happy along the coast of Maine (until last year, I've never lived more than a mile from tide water, and I do miss that at times).

And that's just this country -- there are so many other places around the world that would be wonderful to live in -- I think you could do a lot worse than a small town in the south of France for a good long while, or any number of places in Italy.

The hills and the woods are great, and I visit nearly as often as I can -- but not being able to walk downtown every day if I wanted to: that would be worse for me.

 

[John Graham]

I love the mountains out west and have gone out there frequently, but while I think everybody from the east should go out and appreciate the wide open spaces of the west, I think it is just as important that we leave it for future generations and go back home. The Great Western Desert is just that, and it is much more fragile than our lands in the east. I'm not saying people don't have any right to live out west, I've just seen the smog inversions in the LA and Phoenix Basins and feel I should point out that we should try and avoid loving it to death. If enough people go out to live in the wilderness, it ceases to be wilderness.

 

[Bushwacked]

I've also got to join the no contest for the West crowd. Limited experience, but for the outdoors aspect only, the west is truly spectacular. I can only get close to the expansive feel of the west on beautiful clear days in the limited above treeline spots here in the East.

Been a New Englander all my life and glad I grew up here but I remember my first mountain bike trip near Aspen (don't hate me, I love all kinds of trail use). I had more "wow" experiences in a semi-wow area (by western standards) than a lifetime of hiking out here. And hikes i've done in the San Juans in the fall were unreal.

 

[sierra]

moving

Keven R,
Good luck on your move, you picked a spectaculur area for sure. I love the Bishop,Lone Pine area very much, I think you and your wife made a great choice, best of luck to you and your's.

 

[Peakbagr]

In just the trips I've done, memories that will last a lifetime...

Camping at 11,000' in California's White Mountains and spending a "rest" day hiking in the Bristlecones, looking for the Alpha tree (4,500 years old).
One of the first up the 100 switchbacks above our high camp on Mt Whitney and having the long ridge walk to the summit to ourselves on a spectacular day.
Sunrise on the top of Mt Hood, watching the long, pyramidal shadow cast all the way to the horizon.
The summit of Mt St Helens the first year it was reopened, looking into the steaming cauldron.
A day climbing South Sister in the Oregon Cascades.
2 days hiking and exploring Crater Lake.
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Bumpass Hell, Redwoods, Sequoias, Abbot Pass, Mesa Verde, the entire San Juan range.
Lake O'Hara area of Yoho Nat'l Park.
Climbing White Mt Peak, the highest desert peak in the world (14,200) which was preceeded by a 25 mile above treeline drive to reach the trailhead.

These are just a few of the magical places off the top of my head.

 

[amstony]

A few years ago we bought a piece of land in small town in the Eastern Sierra area of California and will be moving there in a few months. The land is in the upper Mojave desert (hot, dry and sunny for my wife) and I can see the snow-capped High Sierras as well. Will be a couple of hours from Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Death Valley, etc and both of us are looking forward to it for different reasons.

Kevin- kind of hijacking the thread here, but your departure will be a big loss for us East coast hikers and a major gain for the West. The Sierra Club is big out West, (I'm sure you know that), and I hope you lead trips for them out there.

 

[sierra]

bristlecones

Peakbagr,
I love that area, I camped at the gate of the road up White Mountain, what a sunset! after climbing White mountain, I also went to that Bristlecone forest, I was very impressed with those trees, Its hard to put into perspective how old they are, until you look at a historical timeline of what was going on the world while these trees where still growing.

 

[NYBRAD]

Home is where you make it......

 

[Orphic Seth]

How come I spend 15 min. writing a nicely detailed post and find out that my session has been booted and the material unretrievable? Very very annoying. Edit: HA! I just solved it, maybe if I read "Problems Staying Logged In" earlier...

Here goes again:

There's a lot of comparing East vs. West on terms that cannot really be compared. We're talking about two vastly different geographical locations with their own intrinsic qualities, the responses here vouch for that. This isn't about comparing shopping malls.

I originally come from a place far far away with many beautiful mountains that are more than twice as big as ol' Mt. Washington. For quite a bit of time, I did not have the opportunity to ski or hike in New England, and was curious as to how it would match up to my homeland. Finally, about ten years ago, I started to ski in New England. Six years ago, I was able to start backpacking in New England. People often asked me, "Oh man, how can you stand skiing/backpacking/the mountains in New England? It must not compare to where you are from!" And that's the point, it does not compare, and therefor comparing the two places only does a disservice to both!

The skiing in New England is tough, the weather is cold, the snow varied, the trees hard and tightly spaced, the mountains do not offer large vertical gains. But the experience of skiing in New England is completely unique in the world. New England offers its own special character to skiing that nowhere else can replicate. The skiing in FarAway Land is wide open, powder filled, and awe-insipiring. It is special skiing there as well. To compare and say "skiing here or there is way better than here or there" only detracts from the special local flavors one can encounter. The skiing is very different in both places, and very unique to their geographical location.

Hiking is much the same. While one trail on Moosilauke and North Twin might look alike (except for the creepy Sandwich Range woods, or am I alone with this feeling?) New Engand offers expansive hardwood and fir forests, Wilderness, many different wild animals, a secret history (think logging and farming, Native Americans, etc.) and big-mountain weather. FarAway Land offers above-treeline hiking, majestic views, and trails that cling to rocky pallisades thousands of feet high. Again, the hiking and backpacking are so different in each place, to compare on a tit-for-tat level would be a shame.

Where you live is where you live. Learn to love it, learn from it, and experience from it. Depending on how one lives a life, a familiar trailbend can always provide a new experience. Making the decision to leave one geographic area to another should be based on how that experience will enrich and further your life, not based on merits that cannot be fairly compared. As much as I love New England, I love FarAway Land, and they hold very special places in my heart. Wether here or there, I am happy, because both places are so incredibly unique.

O.k., now to copy this in case I get booted again... (that was a good idea!)

 

[sierra]

smart people

Better to keep quiet and be thought a fool, then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

 

[spaddock]

I'm with the No Contest crowd. I've hiked and skiied in Whistler and Banff. Driven through Washington and Oregon, mountain biked in Moab and lived in Colorado for a year.

The northeast has definitely given me the passion for hiking, but if I want to take it to a higher level and start mountaineering, the West is where it's at.


-Shayne

 

[Grumpy]

Careful . . .

"No contest" may not by necessity mean the west wins.

G.

 

[sierra]

Trails

This is a great thread, really has me thinking of the differences of the East and West. One great difference that seemed suttle at first has had really made me greatfull for the move I made west, trails or the lack of.
After many years hiking in the east,I took trails for granted, I rarely bushwacked and I know there are many opputunities to do so, I just never got into it. Out west, espechally in the Sierras, cross country travel is very commen and I found myself traveling over trailless terrain more and more often. After growing up on trails it was at first a little intimidating, but then after getting used to being out off the trails it became very liberating and a sense of adventure took over, the intimidation factor wained and a sense of freedom replaced it. To me being out in the hills with no signs of human contact or man made interferences is what wilderness is all about and now I long for the valleys and peaks that make me route find and search for the best way on my own.
I will say this, as much as I love the West and will continue to explore it, I think the East is a special place as well. I take nothing from the East, as someone put it, they are just different, and to each his own, the Whites and the Adironadacks are great mountain ranges for sure, I think experiencing them both is a win, win situation for us all.

 

[Grumpy]

Ok . . .

Don't be coy, Grumpy. Tell us what you mean.

I've been to the West. And lived in the "in-between." And while I find the West impressive and awe inspiring for all the many reasons cited here (and maybe a few more), my heart and loyalty and preference lies in the NE of the United States. Can't really say why that is. It just is. May be a matter of nothing more than realizing I haven't yet seen and experienced all the NE has to offer, and having very much enjoyed what I've seen so far just want to keep exploring there. And revisiting old, dear places. Could be a case of creeping Old-Fahzism.

G.

PS: Holdstrong and I have been in a few verbal tussles here in the past, but I agree fully with him this time out (see below), that the NE feels like, and is "home." It just doesn't get better than that. G.

 

[Holdstrong]

Here is a vote for the East.

Having traveled all throughout the Mid and Coastal West after college I have to concur with the vast beauty and amazing climbing and hiking opportunities out there.... and if that were all that mattered to me, my answer would be different.

But when I think about where I want to live, about where my "home" is, I find myself placing importance on things like culture, and diversity, and knowledge, and values, and community. For me, the Northeast is where I find all of this. And in some strange way, because this is my "home" - in the truest sense of the word and not just because it was where I was born - it makes exploring it and enjoying its natural beauty that much better.

 

[Mr. X]

Either The West couldn't handle Mr. X or vice versa, I think I am here to stay.

 

[Basurablanca]

I'm with Orthic Seth. So many places have their own unique charms. I prefer to let my experiences in various places serve to enhance my appreciation of all.
Living in the age we live in, we're lucky. We can choose to live in New Enland and travel to Colorado or Montana or Alaska or the Picos de Europa...