Although I am a member of the AMC 4000 Footer Committee this page, mainly written before I joined the Committee, is simply my interpretation of what I had read in various places. The first question tells you where to go for official answers!
- Where can I get official information about the 4000 Footer Club?
- What are the rules for climbing 4000 footers?
- How do I apply for a membership?
- When is the Awards Dinner?
- Where can I find the lists?
- What are the recent changes to the lists?
- Do all the 4,000 foot peaks have trails to them?
- Where can I find information on the trail-less peaks on the Hundred Highest list?
- Can I use a mountain bike while bagging a peak?
Q. Where can I get official information about the 4000 Footer Club?
A. The 4000 Footer Club can be reached at:
Eric L. Savage, Corresponding Secretary
AMC Four Thousand Footer Committee
P.O. Box 444
Exeter, NH 03833-0444
You can also email the Corresponding Secretary.
If you write please enclose a self addressed stamped envelope. Also note that if you just request the list you will only get the NH 4000 footer list. Should you want the NE 4000 footer or NE 100 highest lists ask for them explicitly.
The information packet sent to those who request the lists contains a brief discussion of the rules and an application form, which consists of a list of the peaks with spaces in which you record the date climbed and any comments, such as companions.
The Committee has a web site, which includes copies of the official application forms in PDF format (so you must print it out and fill the form manually).
I also keep a copy of the official application form and the information packet here, together with spreadsheets in a format acceptable to the Committee. These can be filled out on your computer, rather than printed and manually filled out.
Q. What are the rules for climbing 4000 footers?
A. The basic rule is very simple: You must climb (on foot!) to and from the summit of each peak on the list. In winter skis and snowshoes are both allowed.
For peaks with trails starting at maintained roads the rule is simple: Drive to the trailhead then walk (note that you are not allowed to use the auto roads on Mts Washington, Mansfield and Equinox). For peaks in areas with rough logging roads you may drive as far as you dare with a normal car (that includes four wheel drive), but ATVs are not allowed. See below for the rules on using mountain bicycles.
You are allowed to count any number of peaks on a single trip.
Q. How do I apply for membership?
A. When you have finished a list fill out the application form (either the paper one you received from the Committee or the Excel spreadsheets supplied on this site). Precise dates of climbs are not required, as many people decide to start recording their climbs long after they have started climbing. A precise date for the last climb is very desirable, please mark your last climb on the list. Also the Committee requires an account of that last climb, or of any other peak, or even an essay on any topic related to your 4,000 footer experience. In response to my question the former Corresponding Secretary wrote to me:
I have never refused membership for lack of essay, but I still think people ought to do it as it provides feedback to us.
The Secretary is a volunteer, active in many other areas of the Club. Please expect the processing of your application to take at least two months! Since the awards ceremony is usually held in April it is a good idea for those who have finished the list over the summer or fall to send their application in before the end of the year. Those doing the winter peaks will obviously send their applications in later, but try to send it as soon as you have finished.
There is an application fee that covers the cost of the scroll, one patch and postage. The Committee asks that applicants voluntarily set this fee at $8, but they do not want to deter anyone from membership because of cost. Therefore the minimum fee required, which covers the basic expenses is $5. Also additional patches may be purchased for $3 each. If you pay more than the required dues the balance goes into a fund that contributes to trail maintenance, I strongly encourage you to do so.
A. Usually in April, those applying for awards are notified by mail, and it is listed in the AMC Outdoors magazine. I try to announce the date on the hiking bulletin boards.
In recent years it has been held (directions) at the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham, NH (near Exeter).
Q. Where can I find the lists?
A. Right here! Note that the Committee currently accepts applications printed directly from a spreadsheet if it is in the required format. I have included spreadsheets that are acceptable to the Committee. In fact I used them for all my applications.
As noted above the official web site currently only has the list in PDF format; it is not suitable for use as a spreadsheet.
Q. What are the recent changes to the lists?
A. The lists are periodically revised to reflect the information on the most current maps. As of April 2001 a few changes have been made to the lists:
- For the NH Fours the "D" peak of Wildcat replaces the "E" peak.
- For the NE Fours two peaks in Maine have been elevated to Four Thousand Footer status, they are Redington and Spaulding.
- For the NE Hundred Highest list three peaks have been removed, and replaced by three new peaks. The peaks removed are Middle Abraham, Mahoosuc Arm and the North Peak of the Bigelow Horns, all in Maine. They have been replaced by The Bulge (NH), Cupsuptic Snow and the North Peak of Kennebago Divide, both in Maine. Note that there are now two peaks in Maine named "Snow" on the Hundred Highest list.
Q. Do all the 4,000 Footers have trails to them?
A. All of the Fours have trails to them. In two cases the trails are not officially maintained. The first is Owl's Head, where the path is unofficial but well described in the White Mountain Guide and shown on all maps. The second is Mount Redington, and that path, while clear, is not described in the current Maine Mountain Guide, nor shown on current maps.
Q. Where can I find information on the trail-less peaks on the Hundred Highest list?
A.A photocopied pamphlet describing routes to the
trailless peaks on the New England Hundred Highest list is
available from the Four Thousand Footer Committee for $3. A set of
black-and-white USGS maps covering these peaks (printed out from
Maptech CDs) is an additional $2. You can request them from:
Four Thousand Footer Committee,
Attn: NE 100 Information
P.O. Box 444
Exeter, NH 03833-0444
Q. Can I use a mountain bike while bagging a peak?
A. Until recently the policy was not to allow them, but it has recently changed. In the document Routes to New England Hundred Highest Peaks dated 1/1/02 the following paragraph appears:
MOUNTAIN BIKING: The increased popularity of mountain bikes apparently makes it necessary to come up with some sort of policy. Please remember that this is a club for hikers; not that we object to trail bikes per se, but we want to preserve the tradition of climbing on foot, not on bikes. In winter we have absolutely forbidden the use of snowmobiles, even when a road is passable to ordinary cars in summer. However, a similar policy on trail bikes seems a bit excessive. Therefore I suggest that we all attempt to live by the following standard: it is acceptable to use bikes on logging roads that are not part of officially maintained trails if the road would be fairly easily passable to an average four-wheel-drive vehicle (not an ATV) without "heroic measures" such as winches. If you think a jeep might not make it, then please walk. If everyone can be reasonable about self-enforcing this standard then I won't be forced to come up with more excruciating technicalities.