Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paul says

    What looks like several unleashed dogs on the peak free to stomp alpine vegetation. Why are these dogs allowed above 2500 feet?

    Also, in this photo another lesson. At the peak hikers should keep to the rock as opposed to stepping on the soil where these hikers have their boots. It does not allow vegetation to fill those soil areas.

  2. Audrey Dunkley Boettcher says

    Love this piece, Leigh, and love your argument for the lowlands, the bark, the moss. Thank you for articulating what many parents feel!

  3. Chris says

    An interesting article but it should have been titled “A family Stomps on the moss”. Anyone who’s been hiking as long as they have been should know to stay on the rocks. I love dogs and the two in the picture are leashed, a welcome sight. But I don’t think they belong in the high peaks.

  4. Joan Farrell says

    I admit it. I am a 46er. (number in the 3000s, I could look it up. It it is irrelevant). By tackling the trail less peaks, many of them solo, I learned to navigate well with map and compass, treasured the unexpected pleasures of the lesser peaks, and made new friends. I chose some of the less-travelled routes to some of the more popular peaks, many with friends who were exploring with me. I also took time to hike around some of the peaks, avoiding the summits but enjoying the neighborhood. Standing on top of any open summit, I could look around and recognize my friends, the neighboring mountains. Take your time, enjoy the journey, earn the rewards, treasure the memories. And say hi to Nancey Battaglia for me!

  5. Anthony russo says

    This is a violation of civil liberties!!!! What happened to freedom of travel, freedom to access public space, etc??

  6. David says

    Nice article. The comments kinda ruin it though, all the haters come out who want to riun the experience, control the parking, create a permit system, whine to the state for more money. Education is the key folks and please don’t freak out if you see one piece of toilet paper on your 20 mile journey. Keep up the good work writing on your experience. 45 peaks for me one left for the 46, after that plenty of mountains to climb again.

  7. Mike says

    It is what you make of it. I started my high peaks journey 3 decades ago. First with a friend and my exwife. Then, repeated many of those with my now wife and kids. Then repeated a number of them with my nephews again. To date, I’ve only climbed 21 of the 46, although some of them multiple times. Physical limitations and the ongoing crowds over the last 5-10 years has had me looking to other areas of the park. I love the surge of new regional challenges and have been working on a number of them. It gives you a structure for exploring other areas of the park I probably wouldn’t have looked at years before. And it excites my to think that as I pick off challenge after challenge I will have gained a knowledge of and experienced so many other beautiful places in the ‘dacks.

    I still plan to finish the 46, probably incorporating 2-3 high peaks hikes a season mixed with other areas throughout the park. It doesn’t change my love for the area. Those mountains aren’t going anywhere….

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *