On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 14:00:58 -0400, "Tommy T."
wrote:


"Gary S." wrote
I'll let you start counting altitude from the ocean floor, if you
start your hike there.

Being a little inconsistent there aren't you Gary? Where do you start those
Colorado 14ers, Needham?

I was replying to lukasz, who was saying that some claim Mauna Kea as
starting from the sea floor. Geologically, it is a volcano that is far
higher than Everest, if there were no ocean. We always count from sea
level, and I was suggesting how one could make a more interesting
hike.

You can't claim a bigger climb without doing a bigger climb.

Tommy T.

Explanations for the uninitiated number 1: some Colorado 14ers have roads
clear to the top and others can be approached by 4 wheel drive or mountain
bike or horse. For purposes of claiming an ascent of a 14er, various
standards have been suggested. One frequently asserted rule is that one
should hike/climb at least 3000 feet to claim a 14er.

There are many "rules" as to what peaks count.

In New England, the AMC has the list of official 4000 footers. A
summit must be at least 200 feet above the ridge connecting it to the
next peak, otherwise it is considered a shoulder of the other.

The Munroes in Scotland have a similar rule, differentiating between
summits and "tops".

When altimeters, and then GPS became common, the list had to be redone
to correct for the older map's inaccuracies.

The Adirondack 4000 footer list has never changed, although in fact
resurveying has shown that some should be added and others removed.

Where one starts in order to "claim" the summit is interesting. Any
set of rules will be somewhat arbitrary

Some do Mount Washington in NH by driving to a trailhead at 3000 feet,
and going up Ridge of the Caps to Jefferson, and then over to
Washington. Is this "cheating" over starting at 2600 feet (Ammanoosuc
Trail) or 2200 feet (Pinkham Notch)?

Denali at one point could only be climbed by starting about 30 miles
away, at about 1000 feet of altitude, with some hairy river crossings.
More recently, almost everyone starts by flying in to the Muldrow
Glacier at 7000 feet. Does this mean that none of these Muldrow
starts will count?

Goran Krupp seemed to be quite the purist. When he climbed Everest, he
started by cycling from his home in Sweden to the base of the
mountain, soloed to the summit, and then rode home. He did several
other trips in this style.

Explanations for the uninitiated number 2: Gary S. lives in a town near the
Atlantic Ocean where the lowest parts are barely above mean high tide.

My house is about 30 meters above MSL, according to the USGS map and
my GPS. I think I'm OK until the ice caps are about half-melted.

The nearest part of Dorchester Bay is about 10 miles due East, and
relatively few waves make it this far.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom