Peak bagging in Northern New England stands out as a great option. We are talking about a 4,000 footer covering Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Although the experience is tremendous, peak bagging here started with the Adirondacks, which is still an option that you do want to consider.
Adirondacks Peak Bagging
The first peak bagging experience here was the work of George Marshall and Robert Marshall. These brothers started their climbs in 1916, at the young ages of 13 and 16. They just wanted to climb every single peak that is over 4,000 feet. The list included 46 peaks. Have of them had trails at the moment. By the year 1925, they managed to climb all these peaks in Adirondacks and the criterion that was established by the brothers is still seen today.
The 4,000 Feet Peak List
The AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) established a list of the over 4,000 peaks in the NH White Mountains rea in 1957. The peaks included are at least 200 feet over low points. According to the AMC, there are many peaks that do reach the height but will not qualify because of the criterion mentioned before. This includes Little Haystack, Clay and Guyot.
At the moment, there are 3 FTFC lists that are used by peak baggers going to Northern New England:
- New England 4,000 Footers
- White Mountain 4,000 Footers
- New England Hundred Highest Peaks
All the lists are revised periodically based on current maps. At the same time, you may want to know that Massachusetts has 2 3,000 footers. You may want to add them to your list since they are great.
During winter climbing trips, the peak baggers receive unofficial but warranted credits if they climb a specific number of peaks during the winter calendar. There are far fewer individuals that will be able to complete a peak bagging list during the winter. Official awards will be given during the middle of April near Exeter in the Cooperative Middle School from Stratham.
Maintained hiking trails are available for absolutely every one of the New England 4,000 footers. The problem is that there are some peaks that are included in the Hundred Highest list without trails. They do require extra skill, together with using compass and maps.
3,000 Footers
The FTFC members also created a list of the peaks that are over 3,000 feet in every single state of New England. The lists are not maintained officially by this committee but the above mentioned Hundred Highest peaks list is maintained. The NE 3,000 footers list includes the peaks that are not included in the 4,000 footers but that are higher than 3,000 feet. Unfortunately, the problem is that most of the peaks do not have trails, which is a huge problem for the unexperienced climber. Only go peak bagging with the use of this list if you have the necessary experience to do so.
If you want to go peak bagging here, make sure that you are patient and that you read all that you can about the peaks you can consider. This will help you out the most as climbing is not as easy as you may believe.
