You know you are a peakbagger when

[audrey]

You sprain your ankle on Waumbek and can't get your foot into your boot the next day. You wonder if they carry big boots at Foster's. Everyone goes to climb Adams and leave you crying and cleaning the motel room.

 

[erugs]

You feel very connected with the people and positive responses on this thread.

 

[roadtripper]

You're almost done with your backwards-and-barefoot-during-winter 4000-footer list!

 

[Raymond]

MichaelJ, I suppose Gene Daniell and Eric Savage have the statistics, but, the way I remember it, a few years ago Eric said that the stats won’t be made public because there’s a fear that they would become skewed. For example, someone could see that no one has ever begun or ended on a particular peak and intentionally set out to change that.

Would that really be so bad? It doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me. After all, every year we read in ‘‘Adirondack Peeks’’ that there were a handful of peaks — and they are identified — that not a single person among the year’s new Forty-Sixers climbed as either a first or 46th peak, despite the complete list of Forty-Sixers with their first and 46th peaks being available online.

Perhaps there is one peak among the 48 that has never been anyone’s opening or closing peak, and once that changes, all will be revealed. We can only hope, ’cause I’m curious, too.

 

[Raven]

Where's MY team?

Some recent hikes within the past 5 months:

-Adams and Madison. Why? If you've hiked them, I don't need to tell you. Adams "counted" for two lists I keep track of but I went up Madison just because it's Madison and it had snow all over it....I lost count of both of these summits at 10. Adams is totally a holy mountain IMO. I will climb it as long as I can.

-Cannon. Rainy day with good company. Totally a peak bag trip - a fun day anyway.

-Upper Inlook and Dome Rock loop. I just like this loop when I feel like a mid range day and want to be out.

-Washington. FOTF. It counted for a list but that's not why I did it.

-Caps Ridge Trail about halfway up before finding a great spot to sit, relax, and enjoy. Then down.

I do alot of hikes that don't get recorded anywhere other than in pictures and my mind and am looking forward to getting back out to places that "don't count" like the Kilkenny Ridge Trail and doing a few cool looking bushwhacks. However, I also keep track of the grid, seasonal, solo48, solo W48, W48 bag nights, and have considered that it might be a worthy endeavor to try to hike the 48 with a different person each time....admittedly I was thinking female companionship. Ask me how that's going.

Peakbaggers and Nonlist Hikers are like peas and beans. We're a little different, but we're all just legumes. We should both be keeping our eyes clearly on those carrots.

I simply love the mountains - so do all of you.

 

[Red Oak]

I do alot of hikes that don't get recorded anywhere other than in pictures and my mind and am looking forward to getting back out to places that "don't count" like the Kilkenny Ridge Trail. raven quote...



[/QUOTE]

The Kilkenny area is magical! I like to go there during the summer to avoid the crowds in a lot of the whites.Rogers ledge is awsome and maybe the most controversial mountain one can climb in n.h.Percy peaks and the wild river area are great.When I was 16 I bushwacked across the whole northern part of the state West to East.That was my favorite hiking experience ever in n.h.I was brought up to believe peakbagging was evil and anticool.I am however most def. a shameless peak bagger.I also believe any lists that are not winter dont really mean ........I tell all I can the hiking season is dec.21 to march 21.The rest of the time is the off season.

 

[Adventurous]

MichaelJ, I suppose Gene Daniell and Eric Savage have the statistics, but, the way I remember it, a few years ago Eric said that the stats won’t be made public because there’s a fear that they would become skewed. For example, someone could see that no one has ever begun or ended on a particular peak and intentionally set out to change that.

Would that really be so bad? It doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me. After all, every year we read in ‘‘Adirondack Peeks’’ that there were a handful of peaks — and they are identified — that not a single person among the year’s new Forty-Sixers climbed as either a first or 46th peak, despite the complete list of Forty-Sixers with their first and 46th peaks being available online.

Perhaps there is one peak among the 48 that has never been anyone’s opening or closing peak, and once that changes, all will be revealed. We can only hope, ’cause I’m curious, too.

I'm a numbers geek so I couldn't help myself...for years, I've been copying all the 46er data and have put tables together of start/finish peaks, years to complete and number of completions by year. Through 2010, there aren't any peaks that nobody has finished on but there are two that are still in the single digits...South Dix and Upper Wolf Jaw. The most popular start finish combination is Marcy/Allen but Whiteface is the most popular peak to finish on. It's also interesting to note that more than 50% of the start/finish combinations have not been completed yet.

I would love to see the NH data...

As far as being a peakbagger - I loosely work on lists. I'm honestly happier with the freedom of not having a list. I regularly skip summits when I'm backpacking unless there's going to be a view.

 

[Raymond]

A few years ago, I checked for Giant/Whiteface combos; there weren’t as many as I expected to find.

What is the third least-popular 46th? Donaldson?

I think they’ve said that Isolation was the most common final peak in the Whites, but it seems like a lot of people anymore want to finish on Carrigain.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

The two times I went to the April dinner ('09 and '10), Isolation and Carrigain were the top two finishing peaks. I think Isolation is still ahead, but I didn't go in 2011...

We could start a thread to find out where people here started and finished.

Tim

 

[Raven]

........I tell all I can the hiking season is dec.21 to march 21.The rest of the time is the off season.

That's my favorite time of year to hike...actually it's really from the time it gets cold until the time it gets muddy. October to April probably. Hiking in snow last weekend was the greatest feeling....

We could start a thread to find out where people here started and finished.

On topic: you know you are a peakbagger when you're really interested in the stats on starting and finishing peaks. That thread is a good idea - if we opened it to include various lists and differentiated winter lists as well, it would be really interesting if people shared that info.

peakbragger glory

 

[JacobH]

I'd guess most people don't start on West Bond, South Kinsman or South Twin, simply because the most common route involves going over other peaks to reach them.

I'd also guess that few end on Lafayette.

I started on... Lafayette.

 

[una_dogger]

I'd guess most people don't start on West Bond, South Kinsman or South Twin, simply because the most common route involves going over other peaks to reach them.

I'd also guess that few end on Lafayette.

I started on... Lafayette.

My first NH4K was South Twin, by way of Pemi East Side Trail>AT>Zeacliff Trail>Twinway/AT. I was out doing a little white blazing and some serendipitous backpacking. Just happened to cross over S Twin, Garfield, Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty and Flume. But that was before I knew about any such thing as the Four Thousand Footers Club, so I ultimately had to "go back" for Galehead.



I finished on West Bond. Three lists. NH4K/NE67/NE115

It wasn't my original idea, I'm far too short sighted for that. I was clued in along the way.

.South Dix and Upper Wolf Jaw. .

Both neat peaks. Finishes for those seeking seclusion.

I remember when I was hiking all the ADK High Peaks someone said to me "don't eat all the candy first!". It turned out to be good advice, because I hadn't really given any personal thought to a "finish" peak until someone asked me "which one"?

 

[Kevin Rooney]

You know you're a peakbagger when you can't remember:

- What peak you began/ended on for the NH48
- What peak you began/ended on for the NE67
- What peak you began/ended on for the ADK46

But you sure as hell remember the peak you finished on for the Northeast 111!

Or at least you can remember until you start working on the winter lists ...

 

[Adventurous]

A few years ago, I checked for Giant/Whiteface combos; there weren’t as many as I expected to find.

What is the third least-popular 46th? Donaldson?

The third least popular 46th peak is indeed Donaldson

Both neat peaks. Finishes for those seeking seclusion.

My guess as to why there were so few finishes on South Dix is that you normally go over South Dix to get to East Dix or Macomb depending on which direction you're coming from.

 

[Silverfox]

top this one folks

In response to Tim's post on lists elsewhere on the forum the subject came up

while I had done the Long Trail and the VT 4s.. my first NH 4000 footer was in fact

Zealand..on a couple of night backpacking trip around the Pemi back in 1996

certainly on that same hike I did the Bonds..in zero visiblity and pouring rain and had no idea how awesome that place was like..

but first was Zealand

hummm