Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion FUN NEW GAME!

Longs Peak - Keyhole Route in Rocky Mountain NP. Whitney on steroids. Not as much gain as MW, but a helluva lot more exposure. If "iconic" and "classic" count, one of Colorado's best. At the end of this dayhike, you've accomplished something - especially with the C3/4 sections. The Narrows section of Longs has serious pucker-factor, alomg with another section known as the Ledges. Think really long Whitney MR.

Hey, here's an idea!!! Can I form a SuperPAC and run adds for my and others' nominations?

Chicagowright -- small correction. You cited "TTDHYMD", but it's actually "TTUSDHYMD". ("US" for United States, and "M" MUST be underlined!) You are on the money regarding the fact that 10 hikes could be cited for Yosemite only. And could for many, many locations.

I'll keep you in mind when I start with a tentative plan for an Alaska visit.

RenoFrank -- yup, this competition is only for "US" hikes. But sounds like a neat hike for sure.

Bulldog34 -- excellent nomination for Long's Peak (Keyhole Route), Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado. I assume the round trip -- to summit and back -- can be done within a calendar day?

I'm confused by your implying exposure for The Narrows hike. Isn't this hike basically walking through water and looking up at stuff rather than climbing up that stuff? Steve may comment on this . . .

(Coincidentally, watching your Falcons hosting the Cowboys right now as I type -- in a window (and in HD) c/o the new TV tuner I installed on my pc.)

saltydog -- excellent use of Rule # 19!

Destined to have been nominated IMHO, and I got to it first:

Cactus to Clouds Trail, Mt. San Jacinto, Palm Springs, California. (Trailhead to summit, summit back to tram station, tram down from that point.) Plenty of information about this online, but about 23 miles in hiking, over two vertical miles in elevation gain. That elevation gain is what makes this hike unique.

If I wait until age 70 for that next major hike, I'm wondering if I should substitute this one in lieu of returning to Whitney for either the Mountaineer's Route or Main Trail again.

See an alphabetical list of all nominated hikes to date in the separate "TTUSDHYMD NOMINATIONS SUMMARY" thread (in the General Discussion forum).

We have 13 fine candidates thus far.

Whitney Fan, Longs is about a 14-mile RT, so easily a dayhike. The Narrows I was referring to is a section on Longs with a lot of exposure, not the Zion hike. I amended the post to clarify.

Falcons 8-0. Cowboys unceremoniously dumped in the Dome. UGA # 5 in the BCS. Life is good. It would be exceedingly better if I could find a break in my work schedule to get to Cali for a few climbs . . .

Also, if we're limiting nominations to dayhikes, how did Rainier's summit get in the mix? Yes, it can be done in a day by a few uber-mountaineers, but only a few. Mere mortals just can't do it.

Choosing a nomination from the Lake Tahoe region is not easy. I considered Mt Tallac and Sierra Buttes fire look out. But I nominate the Rubicon Trail. Any easy 4 mile shuttle or 8 mile out and back along and above the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe. Start at either Emerald Bay or Bliss State Park. Tahoe is a special place definitely a destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

Bulldog34 -- thanks for the response and clarification. I hear you about your "life is good" comment. But "life is even better" when you're a season ticket holder of the Miami Dolphins from 1971 through 1974, with a seat on the 30 yard line just 15 rows up behind the Dolphin's bench in the Orange Bowl . . . and witnessing their 17-0-0 perfect season in 1972 LIVE and when games were only $ 8 each!

Mt. Rainier -- truth be told, that was haunting me a little after nominating it. Thought I'd better double check it's day hike status. Your comment reminded me of that. A few seconds of Googling refreshed my memory that it's NOT really a day hike. So it is hereby rejected and will be deleted from the list of nominated hikes.

RenoFrank -- your nomination for "Rubicon Trail, Lake Tahoe, California" is added. I see that the 4 1/2 mile long trail also has an optional 2 mile long extension.

And I have a new nomination, sort of a dark horse candidate, so here's comes the "impassioned and persuasive" pitch. The Delicate Arch trail in Arches National Park, Utah, is only 3 miles "out and back" (round trip)! But -- I swear, it's the most fun 3 mile hike you'll ever take. The trail includes walking on slickrock. It's a nice walk, certainly quite scenic, and then dramatically escalates at the end, as you round a corner and see -- and see only then -- Delicate Arch (the symbol on Utah license plates). It's indescribably inspiring and you can walk up to it and under it, with a large sandstone bowl below it. (Watch your step -- DON'T tumble down in to it.) You then sit down between the bowl and the arch, with the space within the arch framing snow capped peaks, and you remain seated for an hour, wishing all of life could be so serene. (And if you're as lucky as I was, you'll encounter a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in repose only about 15 feet from you on the return to the trailhead -- I was told a sighting like that was quite rare at the time.)

Ah yes, I hiked the Delicate Arch hike, too. It would be a great family hike, since it is so short. It was special for me, because it is one of the four pictures on my bank checks.

My group also saw several bighorn sheep, but much farther away. One was in the bowl below, others were barely visible half a mile or so in the distance.

We went in the afternoon, and watched the sunset from the end of the trail. There were several hundred people there, but due to the beauty of the spot, there was quite a hushed, reverent mood.

Definitely a good nomination.

Do tell -- what are the other 3 pictures?! ({Perhaps some nomination material there?!)

The "TTUSDHYMD NOMINATIONS SUMMARY" thread (in the General Discussion forum) has been edited to , primarily, create direct links from all nominated hikes to the nomination post for it.

The pictures on my checks can be found here: National Parks Checks

Delicate Arch                                                                     Yosemite Falls
 

Acadia N.P.                                                                     Grand Teton
 

Great Smoky Mountains

A picture is worth a thousand words. Thousands of words sometime soon. My nomination is Hulapai Hilltop/Colorado River/Hulapai Hilltop.

I haven't done all these hikes but I am familiar with a few, and have reservations about including Cactus to Clouds in the top 10 hikes in the US. Some of the hikes (but not all) require above average stamina, and this hike is one of them. However, while it's a real grunt, it's not particularly scenic. On the scores of hikes I've done in the US Southwest, it's pretty average in that department. And do you really need a beer and burger and all that goes with it at 8K'?

If you want a desert hike that will test your stamina, do the Badwater to Telescope. That one actually is scenic, especially once the Sierra comes into view.

wagga -- your nomination led me here in an attempt to find out more about this hike. Is this the hike you're proposing? If so, my adding of the 3 mileages on that page (for 3 different segments of the trail) comes to 16 1/2 miles one way! This looks like a great hike, but can we really call a 33 mile round trip hike a day hike? I think we can, but it's sure a stretch, especially considering it's in the Grand Canyon going down to the river and back. I'm inclined to accept it as a day hike absent comments thinking I shouldn't. But please confirm that this is the hike you're nominating.

KevinR -- your post also required me to snoop around to get more information. Here is one page I found (like wagga's nomination, there are multiple sources of further online information). Here we have another puzzle -- this looks like yet another great hike, but at 33.8 miles ONE WAY, I'm not sure if we can call this a day hike. Sleeping on the summit to end the hike? It seems that some sort of return to end the overall hiking environment would apply. Can you come up with a specific hiking plan that would rationalize this as a day hike? (It looks like there might be some way to be found online, but instead of my working to find it I thought you might know more quickly.)

These are two great and thought provoking posts!

Wagga's nomination is truly a beautiful spot. I'd nominate it as a "US Place You Must Visit" if you are a hiker. It is best visited as a backpack trip, camping in the campground for several nights. One day should be spent exploring the waterfalls and swimming in the aqua pools at their bases, and another could be a fantastic hike down to the Colorado River and back. I've made that visit twice, and would love to get my family down there, too.

It's my understanding that those who climb Telescope this way are able to get much closer to Telescope than 33.8 miles - less than 20 if memory serves, but it's still 11K' of elevation gain over rough terrain. Mostly they return via the trail (7 miles) to the TH at Mahogany Flats where a friend waits with a cooler of adult beverages. None that I talked with have ever said they'd do it a second time.

Tuckerman Ravine to Mount Washington, New Hampshire. High point of the White Mountains section of the Appalachian Trail, with lots of variations and side trips to other Presidential Peaks, Lake of the Clouds AT hut, etc. One of the few segments of the AT that is not Green Tunnel. In addition to Tuckerman Ravine, Great Gulf, Gulf Of Slides, Huntington Ravine, Lion's Head trail, Boot Spur Trail. Generally from Pinkham Notch, 8-10 miles RT, but you can make it 20 or more. 4,000 feet up, 4,000 feet down. Attractions include the worst weather in the world (this is where Hugh Herr lost his feet), perpetual party at Tucks in spring conditions. Times for this trip vary greatly. Record for descent is about 7 1/2 minutes, by Toni Matt, in 1939, schussed top to bottom, including the Tucks headwall and the Sherbourne Trail below. (Winter Only. Not recommended, ever).



Mt Washington from Wildcat Ridge Tail, showing L to R, Gulf of Slides, Tucks, Huntington Ravine. Great Gulf is over the ridge on right.

Flume Trail - Another Tahoe hike. Also a very popular biking trail. I don't know how to embed the photo:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/313457_2387697764771_641383983_n.jpg





Edit: photo embedded. Here's all you do (see the ubb tags in red):
[img]https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/313457_2387697764771_641383983_n.jpg[/img]

Thank you for posting the Mt. Washington hike. My mom grew up in Jefferson and family still lives with Mt. Washington in their backyard.