I like your observation.

I really started understanding the difference between men and women in the coed basic training I attended 17 years ago (Wow, I can't believe it's been that long!) Every time the drill sergeant gave us an almost impossible task to finish with limited time, the women would merely shrug their shoulders and start working towards the task. Every woman would volunteer to do something different and get to work immediately. Many of us (not all) would be smiling while working.

The men behaved differently as a whole under this kind of stress. There always needed to be a discussion on the "best" way to complete the task with several informal leaders arguing over the way to proceed. In the meantime the women would have it all done. I was fascinated to watch the men argue and not accomplish anything under stress.

Just my observations...

"This trail has the greatest elevation gain of any trail in the continental US. Backpacker mag rated it the 5th most difficult day hike in the US."

Just out of curiosity, what are the 4 ahead of it?

http://www.backpacker.com/may_2005_feature_hardest_dayhikes/destinations/8485

"http://www.backpacker.com/may_2005_feature_hardest_dayhikes/destinations/8485"

Thanks, Ken. Those are some bad assed hikes. I feel like a piker for only having done number 8, The Enchantments Traverse, 5 times. But their description is of the weenie route. It only counts for real if you start from the Snow Lake Parking lot and descend Asgaard Pass. It adds an extra 1200' of up and allows you to savor coming down Asgaard about 13 miles into the hike, an exquisite experience guaranteed to send the most discriminating connoisseurs of pain into paroxysms of ecstasy. Doing it in mid May makes it a downright sporting proposition. No matter the time of year, I'll bet it would be up near the top of the list if they gave points for natural beauty.

Ken: Thanks for the link. Interesting that none of the more iconic (WHitney, Half Dome, Basic GCNP to the River) trips made it. Rightfully so, as they are all easier.

And while Rim to Rim comes in at #7, Rim to Rim to Rim would be off the scale of these 10 "Hardest Hikes" and numerous folks on this picked that off a year ago (not me, mine was a 28-mile, not 42-mile day).

Still, I'll print it out as a "Death March Bucket List" to aspire to.

There is one more to add to the list. Death Valley, Telescope Peak the hard way. You start from Shorty's Well, which is -250 feet and go up to the summit at 11,049 feet. Then you have to finish by getting out to Mahogany Flat at 8000 feet. For most of it in the middle, there isn't any damned trail.

That's not a bad walk in the park.

--B.G.--

I overnighted the Timberline trail last summer and was happy with that 'feat'.

Then I read that list... guess what I'm doing this summer. Dammit! I thought I was done.












...Stupid Ego

Edited by WoodenWizard on 02/17/2013 19:52:25 MST.

I'm planning on doing #2 this summer. did the Presi traverse last summer with no problems and i've heard the difficulty isn't that much different. I am guessing it should not be that high on the list but oh well.. people freak out when they get to the Whites when they aren't used to it. :)

Carrying a 50lb pack would up the difficulty.


But not for Kat, she's superhuman.

>"There is one more to add to the list. Death Valley, Telescope Peak the hard way. You start from Shorty's Well, which is -250 feet and go up to the summit at 11,049 feet."

Heck, then why not go all the way: Badwater to Whitney Summit, no bike, nothing but net.

"Heck, then why not go all the way: Badwater to Whitney Summit, no bike, nothing but net."

It's called the Badwater Ultramarathon. It officially ends at Whitney Portal, but the hardest of the hard core keep right on going and run/walk up to the summit.

The Badwater to Whitney race is partly along a highway, so it isn't exactly a wilderness hike.

The hike from Shorty's Well to Telescope Peak is so bad that the bighorn sheep don't even go there without a guidebook.

--B.G.--

Ha ha Paul, M should wear a skirt next time she hikes. The looks on men's faces being passed by a lady in a skirt is pretty priceless.

Recently I was informed that years ago I was going to go on some trail working backpack trip and the organizer of the trip was adamantly opposed about me going. "This is no place for a woman" were the words he used. Well, I guess I did go on this hike, not having any idea that my presence was such an issue. I asked what hike that was (because now I was worried if I did okay), and when I was told, I was really surprised. That was one of the easiest work trips I've ever been on. I don't know if I even broke a sweat on that.

Cactus to clouds, though...That's the hardest hike I've ever done.

"The Badwater to Whitney race is partly along a highway, so it isn't exactly a wilderness hike."

Yeah, but it is the route that David proposed. I supposed you could go off into the desert and try it, but I doubt there would be many survivors. Oops, I mean finishers. Not that there are that many on the road route. ;0)