What is your "White Whale?"

[TenPeaks]

Boot Spur is my white whale. I went by it once while hiking the Glen Boulder trail to Isolation and decided to save the hike to the spur for another day.

The second attempt was going to be a circut around Tuckerman's Ravine. My wife and I went up Lion's head and made it to the Tuckerman's Ravine trail around 3:00. We decided to head down at that time instead of completing the circuit.

The third time was again via the Glen Boulder trail with some friends. Unfortunately we picked the hottest day of the year and turned around at the boulder due to heat exahaustion.

My fourth attempt was going to be in two weeks, but I found out the other day I have some family obligations I have to attend to.

 

[peakn]

I don't know if these really qualify as White Whales since I only turned back once on each but they are the last 2 of the 48's for me- Owlshead and Whiteface.
Hiked all the way to the bottom of Owlshead slide but had to turn back cause my heels were rubbed raw to the bone (thought the boots were adequately broken in- WRONG). Nothing helped and I knew it would be miserable if I continued. Other than the pain it was still a beautiful day of hiking.
On Whiteface, my partner and I were heading up Downes Brook Tr and had made it to the Kate Sleeper junction. He pulled a calf muscle and decided to start down. I didn't want him going alone so accompanied him down although it was only a mile to the summit from that point.
Although I've been hiking regularly, weather, timing, family obs have kept me from returning to those particular peaks. Hopefully this Fall.

 

[Rejean]

Couchachraga took 3 times in Winter and Cliff took 3 times as well. Must be the C's!

Couch took me 2 times in winter 2006. And Isolation in NH was not funny
with all the brooks crossing (came down from Davis path) and at one point
I told myself that the guy who make that trail was drunk....

Last winter it took me two attemp to summit: Reddington,Horn,N. Brother

It was very hard to schedule a new trip to BSP two weeks after our
first attemp( turn back 1/2 miles from the summit of N. Brother
in a total whiteout).

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

The two Huntington's off the Kanc for the NHHH-winter list, where I am 0-3; followed by Denali, 0-2.

 

[mtnpa]

HotDonna can't get Coe

 

[jniehof]

I don't have any left...I'm sure I'll accumulate a new batch with the HH. In climbing the 48, I had to turn back or cut a peak from the itinerary nine times. I did a Captain Ahab weekend last summer...did the Falling Water-Bridle path loop (finally getting Lincoln) followed by Willey one day, then the Kinsmans the next day.

Willey was the worst, defeating me three times in the course of a couple of months. The first time I cut it out from an Avalon-Field-Tom trip as it was a cold day (nearing zero), my hiking partner was having a lousy day of it, and my knee was starting to act up. The second time the unbroken trail once we left Ethan Pond delayed us too much....and my knee went haywire on the way out. We tried again the next day since we'd gone through all that trailbreaking work, but my knee would have none of it.

 

[Adk_dib]

Cliff & Redfield. Everytime I schedule it, something happens. Maybe next weekend?

 

[MrAmeche]

East Osceola, believe it or not. I've tried to summit three times (twice in winter, once in summer) and have been turned back because of nasty weather or ill-preparedness.

I'll get up there one of these days.

 

[Sasquatch]

Katadin! I have always dreamed of hiking the final steps of the AT and Knife Edge. Long drive, and park rules make what seem an easy enough affair into something I keep blowing off.The kicker:NO DOGS.

 

[SherpaKroto]

I've tried Jefferson in winter a few times in the late 90's. Never made it. I think it was SherpaKroto who, like Giggy, needed a half-dozen attempts or more before he made it as well. I have a feeling I'll be skunked again. But that's ok, makes the eventual victory all the more sweet.

5 times was the charm. Tramper Al and me, geared up with every route finding device that we could carry. Funny thing was that every time we checked our route, we were within 200 feet of where we thought we were: in a whiteout. Very happy to get that one. So happy in fact that we went over to Adams as the sky cleared ever so slightly. I got the most memorable view of Washington when a window opened up for about 3 seconds.

We did the route from Grey Knob cabin. None of that wussy Jewell trail stuff

Now, they are all White Whales... but that WILL change!!!

 

[rocksnrolls]

I've only failed to summit on a few hikes. First was Cherry Mtn on one of my first snowshoe hikes. My hiking partner that day had never snowshoed before so we turned back. I managed to get up there the following winter and figured we had been about a 10th of a mile from the top when we turned back. 2nd was Owl's Head, the only one of the 48 to turn me back on my first attempt. It was in October and when we got to the slide it was pretty much winter conditions. We got about a third of the way up and decided to turn back as we had no traction gear and fealt we were beyond our comfort zone. Managed to get that peak a few months later in full winter conditions and the proper gear. 3rd was West and Middle Osceola. We followed the cable too far downhill and were in such a thick mess we gave up. Got them both the next year fairly easily (well, the whack down to the East Pond Tr was quite a struggle!). The 4th was Passaconaway in winter. Came up from the Kanc via the Oliverian Brook Tr and the Cut Off. Broke trail through several feet of snow from the start of the cut-off and ran out of energy when we got to the end of the Cut Off. It was only another mile or so to the summit but we were exhausted and decided to call it a day. I hope to get up there this winter!