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The White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid, known as The Grid, requires mountaineering all 48 of the mountains on the White Mountains 4000 footer checklist, as soon as every calendar month. That equates to 48 x 12 or 576 climbs, though you possibly can climb a number of peaks on the identical hike and have them rely. This requires about 3000 miles of mountaineering with 1,000,000 toes of elevation acquire.

Up to now, 127 individuals have completed one spherical of The Grid with the primary recorded completion in 1989. Of these, a number of have completed multiple spherical, together with Ed Hawkins, referred to as Hiker Ed, who’s completed it eight instances and remains to be climbing 4000 footers in his 70’s. A number of different individuals have accomplished a number of rounds and a well-known path canine (a mini schnauzer) named Pepper has even accomplished one.

The Grid Spreadsheet

The Grid known as The Grid as a result of hikers need to fill in a spreadsheet resembling a grid to file their hikes. You possibly can obtain a duplicate of your personal Grid Spreadsheet right here.

Right here’s an instance of my present grid tally, embellished with some private formatting. I’m getting fairly near ending, however I can let you know firsthand that this isn’t a simple checklist to finish. You’re nearly higher off mountaineering different smaller lists first, just like the 4000 footers in winter, or the 4-season Grid, earlier than you resolve to sort out the whole Grid head-on so it’s much less of a psychological slog to finish your entire Grid in a single concerted push.

Snapshot of my grid spreadsheet

Every cell within the spreadsheet, data the day of the month and the yr of the climb (as in day, yr). You possibly can solely rely a summit as soon as for every grid cell, even when you’ve climbed the summit a number of instances through the calendar month or in the identical month over a number of years.

The Guidelines of the Sport

The principles for mountaineering The Grid observe the usual peakbagging guidelines utilized by most different peakbagging lists within the Whites.

All journey should be on foot and self-powered, by strolling, operating, or snowboarding.
A peak solely counts as soon as on a hike from the start trailhead to the end trailhead even when you need to cross over it twice in the midst of the hike. Except the hiker goes all the best way right down to a authorized car trailhead, and turns round, and goes again. Or, goes again, through one other authorized car trailhead and path.
The date the summit is touched, on the preliminary cross over, is the official summit date.

What Makes the Grid So Robust?

There are numerous components that make the grid tough to complete and so they range extensively from individual to individual.

First off, it takes numerous time to climb 576 summits, even when you dwell close to the White Mountains and don’t have far to drive. Between work, household, faculty, and sleep, it may be a problem to seek out sufficient free time to make fast progress, even when you handle to hike a number of adjoining peaks directly.

The second main impediment is the climate, which may make it tough if not downright harmful to climb the best above-treeline peaks. Chilly temperatures, excessive winds, deep snow, and excessive water crossings can drive you to cancel many hikes, particularly through the winter months and shoulder season months, which final from November into Could.

Fortunately, winter mountaineering is standard within the Whites, so essentially the most frequented winter trails to the 4000 footers are usually damaged out by snowshoers and hikers. Nonetheless, you may want to attend for a number of days after a storm for path situations to enhance except you possibly can cajole 10 associates to interrupt out a path with you otherwise you’re a superman/superwoman and keen to sort out it alone.

Grid Methods

Most individuals full The Grid over a number of years. This nonetheless takes numerous perseverance however when you can keep personally motivated, you may make it by means of the checklist over an extended time span. Mountain climbing with a small group of mutually supportive companions can assist preserve that dedication whereas growing your security margin when mountaineering the peaks.

One other widespread technique is to climb teams of peaks collectively on the identical hike. For instance, most individuals climb Mts Whiteface and Passaconaway, Adams and Madison, Liberty and Flume, and so forth., on the identical day as a result of they’re linked by a typical ridge. That may considerably scale back the variety of days required to achieve the 576 summits.

The Grid Web site

Ed Hawkins and several other different volunteers oversee the not-for-profit web site the place The Grid and different native peak and path awards are acknowledged by the area people. They print up certificates of recognition and distribute backpack patches to acknowledge individuals who obtain a significant milestone. It’s a beneficiant factor to do for individuals and it attracts the native mountaineering neighborhood collectively.

Listed here are the achievements acknowledged on that web site, together with a listing of finishers.

The White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid (48 x 12)
New England 4000 Footer Grid (67 x 12)
The Northeast 4000 Footer Grid (115 x 12)
The New England 100 Highest Grid (100 x 12)
Mountain climbing the White Mountain Information, aka “White Mountains Tracing” (650 trails)
4K Each Day (366)
New Hampshire Fireplace Towers
New Hampshire 200 Highest
New Hampshire 300 Highest
New Hampshire 500 Highest
New Hampshire 2000 Footers
New England 3000 Footers
48 Over 70

In the event you look by means of the lists of finishers for these peak and path lists, you’ll see most of the similar names time and again. Regardless of their spectacular achievements, many of the checklist finishers are extremely modest and supportive on the subject of serving to and mentoring newcomers who wish to undertake considered one of these difficult lists. It’s one of many nice issues concerning the mountaineering neighborhood right here.

Whereas the White Mountains 4000 Footer Grid (48 x 12) might be the best-known peakbagging checklist within the Whites and New Hampshire after the common White Mountains 4000 Footer checklist (48 x 1), it’s simply the tip of the iceberg on the subject of mountaineering insanity, and a advantageous type of insanity it’s.

Up to date Dec 2023.