The Hike List

Conversation on the trail can follow the same common queries as small talk in life.

“So what have you been up to?”

On the trail this translates to: “So where have you been hiking”?

I’m always looking for new places to explore. I find hiking the same trail over and again to be very tedious. In my first and second hike seasons, I was discovering so many new local places that I’d never visited in my home state. Heck, I didn’t even know they existed! I was out every weekend, sometimes twice. As I closed in on the end of season two I was getting the urge to stride farther from home.

A hike leader in our local club was extending invites to sign up for a group of winter hikes in New Hampshire. The hikes would be easy and then more moderate, but I would have to invest in some winter gear. The hikes would also cover some peak bagging for a few different hike lists.

What were these lists? I am a goal driven person, and lists would allow me to keep motivated in finding new trails to explore.

I soon found that hiking list are seemingly inexhaustible, and there were more than enough here in the northeast to keep me busy for years.

The “48” is often a reference to New Hampshire’s tallest summits, all over 4000 feet, and perhaps the most popular. These mountains in NH are heavily hiked by the Appalachian Mountain Club, but there are many more lists. Some offer achievement patches when the list is completed, some not. I’ve found this New England Hiking website to be the go to for those of us who love lists.

A collector and keeper of lists, I became an addicted peak bagger, and have been for years now. I am a list keeper and patch collector, and unapologetic about my obsession.

There are some that pooh pooh the following of lists. Many times a hiking patch on a companion’s pack has lead to conversations and exploration. I find they’re a great way to break the ice, and maybe pique someone’s interest in trying something new.

“So, what have you hiked lately? Are you a list chaser?