Unsuccessful Season

[Jay H]

Guy: TMI!

Jay

 

[Bob Kittredge]

I hear you

Sometime when I hit the trail and it's raining I tell myself "well, you're paying your dues". But this last spring and summer, I got damn sick and tired of all the #^$$# dues-paying.

This winter my dues-paying has finally returned dividends including a spectacular day on Waumbek last Sunday.

Hang in there. Your time will come.

 

[carole]

I tend to look at it as a rose bush with a few thorns attached, rather than a thorn bush with a few roses. Looks like rose petals are falling as I type.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Having 'failed' to get 2 peaks this winter (Cliff and Redfield, 2 peaks right next to each other), we were rewarded when we went back to both with spectacular views! Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't!

 

[Double Bow]

Half full, half empty

For the folks who don't know me, I'll state the obvious. I'm a goal-oriented guy. I like lists. I like Excel spreadsheets. I'll continue to work on lists and different ways of doing lists for as long as I hike.

Last winter, I set the goal for myself of doing 24 of the 48. I did 25, going out on days that were ridiculously cold and on days when I was sick with strep throat and conjunctivitis. That was a bit over the top.

This winter, I set the much milder goal of getting 13 of the 48 and, if all goes to plan, I'll reach that goal this weekend. More important than those peaks though was the fact that I spent more time with my friends and got into ice climbing.

Some would say that because I'm doing much less than last winter that this winter has been a "failure". I usually top myself from year to year, season to season. To me, though it's been extremely good. It's all on how you look at things and what you get out of the limited time that you've got on this ball of mud. Have fun while you can, even if you don't get the peak you had your heart set on.

 

[BIGEarl]

Afterthought.....

Here I sit at my computer, reading various posts and experiencing a dilemma. The Unsuccessful Season thread has me thinking…. Should I get out a cheap twelve-pack of beer and a couple R.E.M. CDs or go shopping for a book titled “Motivational Quotations” by Frank Barone?

Suddenly I notice something strange. With an ice storm underway outside my windows I see squirrels moving around. How unusual under these conditions. A little bad weather isn’t going to keep these guys down. I shift my focus to the trees and see a couple squirrels making their high-elevation way from tree to tree. The branches have already loaded up with ice. The ice isn’t firmly attached to the branches and is quite unstable. Evidently, this hasn’t registered with the squirrels. First one and then the other rides the express ice elevator to the ground floor. You would think a drop like that would end in at least a little bounce. Nope, hit and stick.

Now, I’m in a pretty good mood. Ready to make some lemonade and attack the driveway before it freezes. I won’t need any help from Frank’s words of wisdom today.

Even under the current conditions there is a silver lining. (Tell that to the squirrels.)

Having traveled some rough road myself, I’ve made adjustments. To a degree I’ve become a one-day-at-a-time kind of guy over the past few years. It seems that if you get everything you can from each day the seasons will take care of themselves. To do this means your focus must be on where you’re headed, not where you’ve been.

In the context of this thread success is a very personal thing, everyone having their own definition. Personal disappointment, not to be confused with failure, strikes me as the main topic. Conditions beyond our control have disrupted our plans, and it is upsetting. Well, either adjust the plans as suggested earlier on by Keith, or find a copy of Frank’s book. Either way stay focused on the future. Too much time spent in the rear-view mirror will only cause a wreck.

The squirrels continued on their mission which included first re-climbing the tree they were in. The fall was nothing more than a minor distraction. (I know, tell that to the squirrels.)

 

[cbcbd]

No matter how hard I try I can never get out enough, period. That's why I just have to move to N. Conway (it's in the works).

It sounds like you need more winter activities

-no cold, no snow (aka, January) - MTB, rock climb
-cold, no snow - ice climb
-cold, snow - bc ski, hike, ice climb, snowball fights
-too much snow (avy danger) - resort ski, ice climb
-too much wind - resort ski, ice climb

or if you really want to have fun then just go out in cold/lots of snow/high winds

But all that being said, it's good practice to set out with plans a,b,c in case things happen and you can't fulfill your plan a - which would be the optimal epic! - but still want to have fun. I usually have about 2-3 things I want to do on any given weekend - I usually end up picking which one in the last minute and that maximizes my chances of doing and accomplishing something I want to do -> although harder to do when you have plans with partners.

It hasn't been a perfect winter (nothing is perfect), but like they say, a bad day outside is better than a good day inside... or something like that

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Many years ago (in my pre-hiking days) we a few years of snow drought, although the weather was quite cold. I loved to ski, but the snowmaking was in its infancy. So, I bought a small ice boat (Lockley 45 Ice Skimmer) and had a great time zooming around the lakes at upwards of 50 knots (yup, nearly 60mph). Ice boats are amazing - can go 3-4 times the speed of the wind - and (at least for this size boat) don't work well with wind speeds much above 20mph.

My version of making lemonade for a few winters.

 

[skiguy]

I am going to agree with Jay H. and cbccd here. Going with the flow IMO is key when wanting to enjoy the outdoors especially in New England. Not only from a perspective of having fun and trying to do what is optimal for the given conditions but also from a safety standpoint.
Living in the North Country I am fortunate enough to have a Bird's Eye view of what is going on for conditions and I am able to seek what activity seems best at the time. Much of the time I am disheartened to see folks trying to jam a square peg in a round hole when it comes to conditions that are not appropriate for the given activity that they want to do; and much of the time that is when they get into trouble.
I do realize that people need to make plans especially if you are going to the Mountains from afar and that a desired goal can really drive an individual to go out on a limb to accomplish that goal; but the Mountains will be there and we all need to be somewhat flexible.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

For the folks who don't know me, I'll state the obvious. I'm a goal-oriented guy. I like lists. I like Excel spreadsheets. I'll continue to work on lists and different ways of doing lists for as long as I hike.

Least someone think I'm not goal oriented. Not picking on you Double Bow. You just mentioned being goal oriented. Just because I don't get to climb the 4K footer and change to something in the lowlands doesn't mean you cannot have a goal. I like to practice makeing fire with a fire drill or alternate methods. I like to track. I like to make a debris hut or a Quinzee, etc. There are lots of goals or lists to make or pursue and get you very involved with the enviroment that don't just involve peakbagging. Not that I don't have my peakbagging list also. Its just that there are so many things that you can do i.e. so many lists that you can make and still have a spectacular time out in the woods.

Just my $.02,
Keith

 

[RoySwkr]

This winter will certainly be a "failure" for me if counted in numbers of peaks or numbers of hikes, I got the flu really bad early on and often sleep 12 hours a day so 6 miles on packed trails is more than I can do. I've had to cancel a trip out West, a hike with a legendary hiker who has been invited to 8000-meter peaks, and a couple of my special projects.

On the good side, I've done a lot more hiking than most residents of New England, I didn't break my leg, there's been less snow to shovel at home than usual so it doesn't matter if I'm a little sluggish, and fewer sub-zero days to run up the heating bills.

 

[pilgrim]

Unsuccessful probably isn't the right word, but there has been a big drop in backcountry time this year. Soon after committing to the winter 4Ks, I decided to also commit to removing the biggest obstacle to mountain hiking that I have: the excess fat I was carrying around. Focusing on the second limited my focus on the first. Scorecard as of today: 2 peaks; 17 lbs. lost, 23 to go.

Seemed like a pefectly good, if late starting, winter to me until a snow snake bit my ski and sent me to the hospital.

An understatement. Your unfortunate experience this winter prevents me from having any self-pity. I hope you are doing well.

 

[Papa Bear]

...Scorecard as of today: 2 peaks; 17 lbs. lost, 23 to go.

That's 23 lbs. or 23 peaks?

Actually in my situation (NYC, no winter gear) I usually change to a running routine from a hiking routine in the cold months. It gets me out and it keeps me (sorta) in shape.

So maybe redefine your goals and you'll have more success.

 

[nyestreet]

Roys post prompted me to throw this in the thread. In August '04 my 2 sons and I went on a dream hiking vacation in Scotland. 18 days. We drove up to Glen Coe from Glasgow the 1st day and did a beautiful hike up 2 Munros on a sunny day (rare in the highlands). The next day it poured and our hike got aborted 2 miles in due to my older son and cotton socks. We later shopped for wool socks in Ft. William and I was anxious for our next hike, Ben Nevis via the CMD arete. This route intrigued me since the 1st time I bagged "the Ben" in '97 via the tourist path. We started up, broke off the tourist path, and circled around the back of the mountain. There was no path but route finding is easy, no trees. We made our way up to the munro north of Ben Nevis and found the knife edged arete. At this elevation it was windy, misty, rainy, just plain nasty. My younger son was afraid he'd get blown off, so we were moving at a (too) fast clip. At the end of the ridge, my older son slipped and hurt his knee. Not a good place for an injury, we had seen exactly 1 other hiker in 2 hours since leaving the tourist path. Well, he was OK, he was squatting and testing his flexability to make sure of this as I stood next to him watching. Suddenly the boulder he was grasping to balance himself pulled out of the earth . My son went tumbling down the ridge as I watched in horror, thinking he was a goner, about a 1000 ft. drop. Miraculously, he stopped falling 15' ft. down the ridge, scrambled up and asked if I was OK. At this point I realized the boulder rolled over my ankle, and no, I wasn't allright. My ankle was VERY sore. We had to continue UP the mountain, as this was the easiest way back. 600 more ft. elevation, then 4 miles down the tourist path to the youth hostel where we were staying. It took 5 hours. Thank goodness for my poles! I learned 2 days later my leg was broken in 2 spots, and hiking for me was done for 3 months. I was bummed. After getting fixed up by a Doc at the local hospital, we made arrangements to come home. So my dream vacation turned into a nightmare. Looking forward to returning. If you're looking for a new list to work on, check out Scotland's Munros. It'll keep you busy for a while. John

 

[Puma concolor]

For me, winter hiking has always been a good mix of successful and unsuccessful summit attempts. That's what is fun about it. Summertime ... ain't nothing to it but to do it. But in the winter, you just never know what you'll run into and whether or not you'll be up for it.

As others have said, if you make enjoyment your goal, you will never fail.

 

[sierra]

I do not look at hikes the way you do at all. I spend alot more time in the mountains then most people. Im talking every week been doing that for 20 plus yrs, to me there are not "bad days" or "good days" in the mountains, Im always glad to be there because its home, I be there before anywhere, hell Im happy in the hills on the worst of days.

 

[SherpaKroto]

Well, although the past year+ has been largely unsuccessful, I just consider this paying my dues for the great times I've had for free. I was fortunate to grow up in northern NH, 2.1 miles from Trident Col on the AT and a short bike ride to the Presis. I'm not getting too many Views From the Top lately, but knowing how many times I've been there keeps a smile on my face.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

I took a two-month hiatus from hiking this winter while trying to resolve a shoulder problem. During this time frame, I have been constantly reminded how close all of us are to really serious life-threatening accidents, such as those incurred by Sherpa K last winter and DougPaul this winter; their positive outlooks in their recovery periods have been a real inspiration to me.