Peak bagger

Extracted from Hike Aid 16, dated January 2016
Note: In the event of a conflict between this web page and the Hike Aid, the Hike Aid takes precedence.

Introduction

The Peak Bagger Program is designed to stimulate a greater appreciation of the alpine wilderness, while persons experience the beauty, peace and majesty of the mountains. Each peak has been carefully selected so that a variety of locations may be reached on backpacking treks, without the use of mountaineering skills. The Peak Bagger Award is a cumulative award series that recognizes High Adventure achievement, and is shown on the front cover. While few people are privileged to make first ascents, it is possible to experience the thrill of standing on the windswept summit and carry the memory forever. Look upon the lush, flower-starred greenness of alpine meadows, the harsh purity of rocky landscapes above timberline, or the almost supernatural touch of alpenglow upon the peaks, and you will surely join the growing ranks of those who love the mountains.

Careful planning is a must before climbing each of the peaks listed here. Unit leadership must consult trail guides or booklets on the area and forest service and topographic maps, and seek information from fellow backpackers. Route descriptions and profiles for most of these peaks are to be found in the books listed in Reference Materials. Many sources of information should be used diligently to ensure the success of hiking and climbing experiences.

The Peak Bagger Program is graduated to fill the needs of all, from the relative novice to the experienced mountaineer. The Basic Award is easy enough for the newcomer who is ready and willing to put forth that extra effort required. But, even the Basic Award is more than just climbing five mountains. The groups of peaks are such that a Scout has the opportunity to enjoy various sections of the California wilderness as an Award is earned. It is also a learning experience, that is, learning the effects of high altitude, the need for carrying the ten essentials, and the rewards and sense of achievement from standing on a mountain top.

Once the Basic Peak Bagger has been earned, any peak in a higher group may be substituted for a peak requirement in a lower group, e.g., a Group F peak for a Group D peak. The list of qualifying peaks is considered sufficiently extensive that most Units should find it relatively easy to select mountains that satisfy their particular needs. For this reason, there should be no need for substitutes beyond the approved list. Substitutes may be granted only in unusual circumstances after a written request is submitted for consideration of the Greater Los Angeles Area Council High Adventure Team prior to climbing a peak.

There is no time limit for earning these awards. Therefore, it is essential that an accurate record be maintained to ensure that each participant receives proper credit. The Peak Bagger Award Record is suggested for this purpose. It is also to be used in applying for an award. Happy climbing, and remember -

"Nothing of worth or weight can be
achieved with half a mind, with a faint
heart, or with lame endeavor" - Barrow

Specific Requirements

1. Earn two weekend awards (as defined in Hike Aid 6, "High Adventure Awards Program"), before beginning to climb peaks that qualify for these awards.
2. Plan and complete each trip conforming to the following:
   1. The trip (including the final ascent) must be distributed over two or more consecutive days with an overnight stay (trail or dispersed site camp preferred). For weekend trips, at least four scheduled backpack hours must be planned.
   2. The ascent to the summit must be as part of a trek from the designated trailhead or approach.
   3. On the final ascent, carry the Ten Essentials-Plus and other clothing and equipment appropriate to the conditions.
   4. Only one peak is allowed for a weekend outing. Two peaks are the maximum for credit on a week-long hike (seven days, six nights minimum duration).
3. Awards are earned as follows:
   1. Basic - Climb 5 peaks, consisting of no more than two from any Group.
   2. 10 peak - Climb five additional peaks consisting of one each from Groups A, B, C and two from Group D.
   3. 15 peak - Climb five additional peaks consisting of two from Group C, two from Group D and one from Group E.
   4. Senior (20) - Climb five additional peaks consisting of two from Group D and three from Group E.
   5. Mountaineer (25) - Climb five additional peaks consisting of two from Group E and three from Group F.
   No peak may be climbed more than once for credit.
4. Upon completion of the requirements for the Basic, 10-Peak, and 15-Peak Awards, submit the Award Record to the GLAAC Scout Shop to purchase them. The Senior and Mountaineer Awards require approval of a member of the High Adventure Team before purchase.
5. Once the Mountaineer Award is earned, the process may be repeated to earn an additional set of awards.

"Climb the mountains and get their glad tidings" - John Muir

Rating System

Although people of varied capabilities will be using this guide, an attempt is made here to provide uniform ratings for the trips to the peaks. The rating system is based on two factors, (1) the approach, and (2) the class of climb. The "Rating" column for the Approved Peaks list shows a letter and number, for each peak.

Approach rating:
This considers the difficulty of the ascent and the time required.

"M" = an easy to moderate, two day trip.
"H" = a strenuous two, day trip.
"S" = a moderate to strenuous, three day trip.
"L" = a peak normally climbed as part of a week-long hike.

Class of Climb Rating:
The Sierra Club uses these classifications.

1 = A trail leads all the way to the summit. Almost any footgear could be used, but boots are recommended for more comfortable hiking.

2 = The final ascent (usually above your camp site) has no maintained trail; however, a "climber's route" may sometimes be followed. The terrain is rougher and proper footgear, such as lug-soled boots with good traction, are strongly recommended. Hands may occasionally be used for balance in climbing.

3 = Handholds and footholds are used; lug-soled boots are required. Exposure is such that some persons may wish to be belayed at times, so a rope, and knowledge of its use, should be taken.

Although experienced persons in good physical condition may find that they can make some of these climbs more easily and quickly than indicated by the ratings here, these ratings are intended for the average Scout Unit that has a continuing backpack program. Even though some mountains involving Class 3 climbing have been included, they are relatively easy for persons with considerable experience in route finding and climbing Class 2. When in doubt, turn back! It is usually more difficult to climb down Class 3 routes than to go up. Always carefully research and plan the ascent of such a peak.

Peak climbing may be attempted most seasons, provided every safety precaution is observed! However, since snow pack conditions vary, travel over ice and snow will require additional time, capability, and proper snow and ice travel equipment. The approach rating will usually be raised by at least one letter where travel over them will be encountered.

Approved Peaks - Southern California

Approved Peaks - Sierras

Approved Peaks - Philmont

Peaks from the following list that are climbed while on a trek may be used to satisfy the requirements for a Peak Bagger Award.

There are also peaks that may be climbed for Mini-Peak Bagger credit. However, only two peak climbs on a single Philmont trek may be used toward earning an GLAAC sponsored award. Both may be Peak Bagger or Mini-Peak Bagger, or one for each award. Crew leaders must advise Philmont - Logistics, before beginning the trek, of any peak climb to be taken that is not on the route of its approved itinerary.

Mountain climbing is a dangerous sport that kills hundreds of people every year, and the author(s) of this site assume no liability whatsoever for any information presented on Peakbagger.com. The material presented here can have many factual errors and is often purely subjective opinion. Before going into the mountains, it is your responsibility to obtain the necessary experience, skills, and gear.

In particular, use trip reports, route descriptions, and GPS tracks with extreme care. They may not be accurate and many not reflect current conditions in a changeable environment. Material downloaded from any internet site is not a substitute for mountain knowledge gained by experience.

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Goal to reach a collection of summits, published in the form of a list

Peak bagging or hill bagging^[1] is an activity in which hikers, climbers, and mountaineers attempt to reach a collection of summits, published in the form of a list. This activity has been popularized around the world, with lists such as 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, the Sacred Mountains of China, the Seven Summits, and the eight-thousanders becoming the subject of mass public interest.

There are numerous lists that a peakbagger may choose to follow. A list usually contains a set of peaks confined to a geographical area, with the peaks having some sort of subjective popularity or objective significance, such as being among the highest or most prominent of the area. Some maps and lists may be inaccurate, however, which has implications for climbers and peak-baggers who rely on publicly reported data. ^[2]

Although peak bagging is a fundamental part of the sport of mountaineering, the term is strongly associated with hiking and other non-technical activities like snowshoeing. Most people who bag peaks lack technical mountaineering skills, and in fact often avoid peaks that require such knowledge. A handful of lists, such as the eight-thousanders and the Alpine four-thousanders, have an extremely high reputation among mountaineers, but in general the term "peak bagging" is a pejorative to many climbers.^[3][4][5]

History[edit]

During the Silver Age of Alpinism in the late 19th century, most of the unclimbed major mountaineering objectives were reached. With the "closing" of the age of discovery of mountain peaks, interest shifted towards finding enjoyable ways to climb already-ascended mountains. In the 1890s, Sir Hugh Munro created Munro list of the highest peaks of Scotland; summiting the peaks on such lists soon became known as peak bagging.^[6][7] Peak bagging was brought to the United States by Robert and George Marshall in 1918.^{[citation needed]}

Aspects[edit]

A central part of peak bagging is the list, which details all the summits one must obtain to complete or finish the list. In some cases, a climber who finishes a list may receive some form of award, such as an emblem or badge. In the case of the eight-thousanders list, some mountaineers may become famous within the mountaineering community.^{[citation needed]}

Clubs[edit]

Clubs are often formed to gather people who share an interest in bagging peaks on a list. Some clubs are specialized, such as the Sierra Peaks Section or the Adirondack Forty-Sixers. Alpine clubs may include peak bagging as one of the activities in which its members may participate; notable alpine clubs that maintain peak bagging lists include the Scottish Mountaineering Club, the Mazamas of Oregon and the Mountaineers of Washington. Other clubs may promote the climbing of peaks on a peak bagging list they do not maintain, or they may create an authoritative version of a list that is already popular; a reflection of this is the relationship between the 4000m peaks of Alps and the UIAA.^{[citation needed]}

Clubs maintain listings of people who have completed peak bagging lists, and also provide opportunities for social interaction, such as through outings and club events.^{[citation needed]}

Books[edit]

Another source of lists come from mountaineering guidebooks that detail information about how to climb peaks in a certain region. Mountaineers will often try to climb all or some of the peaks described in these books. 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, and the Alpine Club Guides are notable examples of such books.^{[citation needed]}

Reaching a summit[edit]

A topic of discussion within peak bagging circles is under what circumstances someone may consider a peak summited. Generally, the summit block has to be reached and the climber must touch or be within a few horizontal meters of the highest point. However this convention is not universal, due to the varying objectives of individual peak baggers; most peak baggers are not traditional climbers, but rather hikers who have no technical skills. Thus, a common pain point are summits may be mostly technically easy, but contain relatively small obstacles on top that nonetheless cannot be easily negotiated without being subject to exposure. Furthermore, many summits have flat tops that make discerning where the highest point is very difficult. Many clubs have special rules that attempt to address these considerations.

Alternatively, some climbers and mountaineers may consider a route to be unworthy if no technical skills are needed.

Some peak baggers increase the challenge of summiting a list of peaks in various ways, such as by requiring a minimum vertical climb per peak, climbing within a time limit, climbing in different seasons (such as winter),^[8] or climbing the same peak multiple times by different routes. Traditional mountaineers and climbers may elect to only go up routes with certain climbing grades

Various organizations have adopted rules for what to do when a peak is on private land or otherwise inaccessible, whether off-road vehicles may be used, etc.

Peak bagging is distinguished from highpointing. In peak bagging, the targets are the peaks of mountains or hills, and the popular lists usually require that the target pass some threshold of elevation or prominence. In highpointing, the goal is only to reach the highest point in some geographic area (e.g. county, state, or country), whether or not it is a peak.

Summit logs[edit]

In some parts of the world, a summit register or summit log may be located in a watertight container such as a jar or can, stashed in a protected spot. Peak baggers often will write a note or log entry and leave it in the "summit log" as a record of their accomplishment. Increasingly, peak baggers are also logging their summits online by signing virtual summit logs.^[9] One popular website is peakbagger.com, founded by Greg Slayden, which lists mountains and regional highpoints. It allows peak baggers to record their summits.^[10][11]

Arguments for and against[edit]

The term "peak bagging" can have a negative connotation among traditional mountaineers.^[3][4] Traditional climbers or adventurers may argue that peak bagging devalues the experience of climbing in favour of the achievement of reaching an arbitrary point on a map; that bagging reduces climbing to the status of stamp collecting or train spotting; or that is seen as obsessive and beside the point. For example, in explaining why he chose to remove some minor peaks from his guidebook, climber Steve Roper wrote:

Most of the peaks had as their first ascenders those who in a former day would have been called explorers but now could only be thought of as peakbaggers, interested primarily in trudging endlessly over heaps of stones, building cairns, and inserting their business cards into specifically designed canisters especially carried for this purpose. But perhaps I am being too harsh. They’re having their fun.^[12]

Some peak baggers say peak bagging is a motivation to keep reaching new summits. For mountain range peak lists, attaining the goal provides the peak bagger with a deeper appreciation for the topography of the range. For example, each peak is typically enjoyed from multiple aspects as the peak bagger also climbs the major neighboring summits.^{[citation needed]}

There is also concern that encouraging the climbing of certain mountains has caused trail damage from erosion through heavy use and, where mountains have no trails, created trails. Proponents note that many peak baggers become active in maintaining trails and more aware about mitigating damage than casual hikers.^{[citation needed]}

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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HOW TO IMPORT GPS TRACKS - 4 OPTIONS

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4) Download or copy a GPX, KML, or KMZ file to your phone manually, then open it with a file browsing app (such as Discoverer)

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