There have been a few threads on hiking but thought I'd start a specific thread around a personal goal of hiking all 48 of the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire. I live in South Eastern MA out towards the Cape, it's about a 3 hour drive to the Whites if anyone is planning a hike! Who has hiked all of the NH 4,000 footers? Who's working on them? I'm at 19 of 48; Adams, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison, Lafayette, Lincoln, Carter Dome, Eisenhower, Liberty, Field, Osceola, Flume, Pierce, North Kinsman, Willey, East Osceola, Jackson, Tom, Tecumseh.
Good luck with your quest and I hope you enjoy the hikes, however as a NH native and someone who lives in the heart of the White Mountains, I wish those lists had never been publicized so much on the internet. The 48-footers have become a nightmare with way too much traffic (especially since Covid) thanks to several FB forums (and others) that push for people to accomplish the lists. That has led to all kinds of problems up here. And then there is the non-stop call outs for SAR to rescue the countless people who come up here unprepared. So many of these people don't even really care about the hike (as evidenced by how many whine about the long Lincoln Woods Trail) and just want to see 'the views' and get their AMC patch. I've even seen where people whine that they should be able to drive to the base of the mountain in order to just hike to the top, and that having to slog through miles of lower elevation to get to the mountain is unfair. Okay, rant over. Guess I'm just ticked off this morning because I was at one of the trailheads at daybreak and found toilet paper right in the middle of the trail. The person 1) couldn't even be bothered to move off the trail to do their business and 2) has no understanding of 'leave no trace'. Best of luck with your hikes and your quest to get all the 48 4Ks. FYI, if you're looking to bag Carrigan via the Signal Ridge Trail, the forest service road to the trailhead washed out last December and the USFS didn't have the funding to repair it. You'll have to park at 302 and walk an extra couple miles to the trailhead. Looks like the road won't be repaired until at least 2025, if not later. Amen to that. I've been to the top of a lot of mountains up here and much prefer to wander through the woods on unused trails/old logging roads, along the rivers, or just bushwhack through the woods.
EODMSgt your points here are completely valid! The number of people I've seen only carrying one 12oz Poland Spring bottle of water that has 4 ounces of water left in it is astounding. Not to mention they are wearing Crocs, blowing their cell phone battery out pumping the music, have no food or supplies, and generally have no orienteering knowledge other then "I parked my car at such and such lot". Two summers ago my wife and I stayed 1 night at the AMC Zealand Falls Hut in June. We were watching the weather and actually changed our hiking plans to hike a day earlier then originally planned. When we woke at breakfast the croo stearnly informed all hikers to either shelter for the day or go down/out as the weather that day was going to turn really bad (sleet/hail and 70 mph winds were recorded on Washington that night). We were very sad to learn a hiker died on Mt. Clay that day. I earned my Eagle Scout (2001) and still practice many of the things I learned (BE PREPARED). Back then I hated hiking and likely that was because I was a short stubby fat kid - but I set this personal goal and lost 50 pounds (as I turned 40) in training and hoping to keep myself healthy enough to hike all of these across my lifetime. The reality of having a young family, working full time, being 3 hours away - - I'm likely to cross a few off every year in the Summer Season. My 5 year old son started Cub Scouts this year and I've volunteered. Our next den meeting is a Nature Hike. I'm hoping he and eventually our younger daughters take to hiking so that we can do this as a family. This was a good laugh! https://youtube.com/shorts/k_6GY_ZPt6g?si=yQjkWLVtqDioA_ad
Having grown up in NH and being involve in scouting(Eagle Scout) I have hiked many mountains including 4000’ rs. Tho I never really kept track with a goal of doing them all. Many times parking at the Lincoln woods trailhead, more than I really cared for. The natural water slide by the campsites was always something to look forward to. Lately I have been pricking likes on the terrifying 25 when it’s the wife and I. Trying to get the kids into hiking my son (9yo) is all about it and can like all day his younger sister(6yo) no so much she says she has little legs! I haven’t ever carried any beer with me but a small flask just enough for a few sips for sure. In my earlier days a lefty or two for sure! enjoy your hikes and for those that are just getting in seriously consider a Hike Safe card.
