Peak bagging
Encyclopedia
Peak bagging is an activity in which hillwalkers
and mountaineers
attempt to reach the summit of some collection of peaks, usually those above some height in a particular region, or having a particular feature.
Peak bagging can be 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 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.
.
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.
Some peak baggers increase the challenge by completing a list of summits within a time limit, or climbed at certain times of the year, such as in winter.
Usually, a peak that is climbed frequently has the summit marked by a cairn
. In some parts of the world, a 'summit register
' may be located in a watertight container (a glass jar, can, etc.) stashed in a protected spot. Peak baggers write a note or log entry and leave it in the "peak log" as a record of their accomplishment.
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, Steve Roper
wrote:
Some 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.
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. Furthermore, as any list will include less-visited summits, it may tend to reduce footfall on more popular hills which tend to suffer more from erosion.
Hillwalking
In the British Isles, the terms hillwalking or fellwalking are commonly used to describe the recreational outdoor activity of walking on hills and mountains, often with the intention of visiting their summits...
and mountaineers
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
attempt to reach the summit of some collection of peaks, usually those above some height in a particular region, or having a particular feature.
Peak bagging can be distinguished from highpointing
Highpointing
Highpointing is the sport of visiting the point with the highest elevation withinsome area , for example the highest points in each county within a state...
. 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 prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
. 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.
Styles
For some peak baggers, simply being present at the highest point is sufficient to check the summit off the list. This allows for driving to car-accessible summits and declaring the summit "climbed.". Drive-ups are allowed by the U.S. State Highpointers club and by the County Highpointers club, whose members are collectively attempting to reach the highest point in all 3,142 U.S. countiesCounty
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
.
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.
Some peak baggers increase the challenge by completing a list of summits within a time limit, or climbed at certain times of the year, such as in winter.
Usually, a peak that is climbed frequently has the summit marked by a cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
. In some parts of the world, a 'summit register
Summit cross
A summit cross is a cross on the summit of a mountain or hill that marks the top. Often there will be a "summit register" at the cross, either in a container or at least a weatherproof case....
' may be located in a watertight container (a glass jar, can, etc.) stashed in a protected spot. Peak baggers write a note or log entry and leave it in the "peak log" as a record of their accomplishment.
Arguments for and against
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 collectingStamp collecting
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with the number of collectors in the United States alone estimated to be over 20 million.- 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, Steve Roper
Steve Roper
Steve Roper is a noted climber and historian of the Sierra Nevada in the United States. He along with Allen Steck are the founding editors of the Sierra Club journal Ascent.Roper is the winner of the Sierra Club's Francis P...
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.
Some 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.
There is also concern that encouraging the climbing of certain mountains has caused trail damage from erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
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. Furthermore, as any list will include less-visited summits, it may tend to reduce footfall on more popular hills which tend to suffer more from erosion.
See also
- Summits on the AirSummits on the AirSummits On The Air is an amateur radio operating award program. Its aim is to encourage operation from mountainous locations. Licensed amateur radio operators combine mountain climbing with operating their radios from the summits of hills and mountains.Those who set up a station on a summit are...
for an international, amateur radio programme to broadcast from peaks
World
- peakery.com International peakbagging community with worldwide peak lists
U.S.
- Infographic Visualizing the United States' Peaks
- 14ers.com - Home of Colorado's Fourteeners and High Peaks
- The Home of Colorado's Thirteeners (Mountains Between 13,000 and 14,000 Feet)
- Adirondack 46er Club
- Catskill Mountain High Peaks of New York Catskill 3500 Club
- The Tallest Mountains in the Eastern U.S.
- South Beyond 6K Hiking Program
- Peakbagger.com
- West Milford, New Jersey: Baker's Dozen and Winter 17er Challenges
- VRMC California Thirteeners
- AMC 4000-footers in New Hampshire
Canada
U.K.
- Lakes24 24 MarilynMarilyn (hill)A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Isle of Man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit...
s in 24 hours in the English Lake DistrictLake DistrictThe Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth... - Database of British Hills
- Peakbag.com, a route planner for Wainwright baggers in the English Lake DistrictLake DistrictThe Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...