I guess in some ways, view ratings can be very helpful for others.
But, for the most part, it is so subjective that it can just
as easily be totally useless to them as. It's such a personal
process that reflects primarily the viewer's personal opinion,
and it should only be used by others to give a sense of what
the viewer prefers in a summit view. In order to offer any real
advice to prospective climbers, the only meaningful view ratings
would be "Yes, there is one" and "No, there is
not one", but that is just plain boring. I suppose I could
come up with a formula (i.e trail miles x feet climbed / # of
High peaks visible), but that's just not my style.
So I will present my view ratings on what I think the best views
are. I do so mostly for me (It's a nice way to force yourself
to recall summits and pleasant High Peak memories), and if you
get any useful advice from it, all the better. Here are some
of the things that factored into rating the view from these
summits that I came up with;
Personal Preference
- This is a biggie. I am more partial to summits that provide
unique close-up views of another nearby interesting peak or
peaks, to ones whose views are more panoramic with many of other
peaks seen in the distance. Knowing that, it's easy to see how
some mountains would fair well in my system, but not so well
in another system that was more dependant on sweeping vistas
and being able to see for miles and miles.
Weather - An obvious
one here. If I trek all the way up a mountain only be "socked
in" with a cloudy summit, that will probably be reflected in
my view rating. It's not fair I know, but it is the only perspective
I have. Or, as I already have done, I might choose not to rate the
view at all and reserve judgment till I see it on a better day. I
reserve the right to adjust the rating if the view gets enhanced (or
worsened) on a repete visit.
Effort - Another not fair, but realistic, factor. If I have
to crash through miles of blowdown, scramble up precipitous rock cliffs,
or if I'm standing on a summit with eyes drooping from fatigue the
view will have to be pretty darn stunning in order to get my attention.
General mood and emotions - Just like in the real world, the
better you feel, the better things seem to look. In my current travels
I have already come to the realization that the better the hike went
the better the view seems to be if there is one to be had.
Not very analytical I know, but these are my rankings and it seems
only fair to have my own criteria for choosing them.
Difficulty
Not quite as subjective as view ratings, but still, many things factor
into what makes a hill tough to climb. I have hiked some that have
been easy, when all the books said it should be moderate/hard. Go
figure. Many other guides seem to rely on distance hiked as much as
feet ascended. I find this a little odd in some ways. For me, distance
is not nearly as important as feet ascended and overall grade of the
trail. A good example is the Giant/Rocky Peak Ridge hike. The 8.6
mile round-trip hike is fairly short as High Peaks go, but the overall
grade and the fact that the climbing begins directly from the trailhead
(without a "warm-up" period) makes this a pretty strenuous
undertaking.
Physical conditioning has a lot to do with it too. The more in-shape
I was when I climbed, the better I was able to handle the exertion
and therefore the better the hike went. Same goes for trail conditions
beyond your control. A wet mucky trail from recent rains will be harder
than that same trail several weeks later when it's dried out a bit.
Overall, when offering my difficulty level to a particular hike, I
will try to temper my own impressions with opinions from people that
have also hiked it (that I know personally or that have presented
their opinion in books, websites or other places). Still, as it is
my journey, my impression of how the hike felt will be weighed heavily.
Also, terms here are relative, even the easy ones require some physical
skills and the ability to walk uphill for several hours and then walk
back down again, all of it over roots and rocks.
Hiking Times, Distances & Elevation:
Hiking Times
A note on hiking times: Use caution when
using my times presented in preparation for your own hikes. I mostly
hike with my kids, which may slow me down. Then again, they're getting
to be pretty skilled hikers so their stamina and enthusiasm may spur
us up the hill a little faster then you would be comfortable with.
Also, realistically judge the physical condition of the weakest hiker
in your group (it may or may not be you) as I have found most hike
paces are dictated by them.
With that said, I have found my
hiking times are fairly comparable to others that I have heard and
read about. My rule of thumb when planning is 25 minutes a mile plus
45 minutes per 1000' feet of ascent which includes periodic short
rest stops. Descending is usually slightly shorter.
Distances
All distances are given based on those
given in the ADK's High Peaks Region guide. They are generally the
most accurate and are presented in tenths of a mile. We choose many
combined routes (i.e. different trails) so as to vary our hikes, and
that may cause some very minor changes.
Elevation
Elevation changes, or total ascents, are
very difficult to gauge. I find many of the guide books are inaccurate,
as they tend to take the starting elevation and ending elevation and
subtract the two to come up with a total. This DOES NOT take in to
account the many small ups & downs that are inevitably encountered
on a route. These come in the form of erratics (large rocks), small
knobs and other variations in the route.
When giving total ascent
or elevation, I use the altimeter function on my Garmin Vista eTrex
GPS. I find it very accurate when calibrated at the start of each
route with a known benchmark (which I always do). This should provide
you with the best gauge of how much elevation change you will encounter.
Please remember, all routes will vary, as you will not follow in my
exact footsteps, this is particularly true on trailless peaks and
bushwhacks.
