I have attempted to calculate the daily distances and elevation gains of the eight day 4,000 footer adventure, based on my guesses as to which trails were used. I believe that any errors will be minor, with little impact on the totals.
It was while computing this table that I was finally able to understand this achievement. Previously it had seemed incomprehensible: not merely was it beyond my ability to emulate; it was beyond my ability to understand. With increased understanding came more, rather than less, respect.
Let me begin with day 4. I have done the Bonds/Twins traverse, and found it exhausting. I certainly could not have done any hiking for a couple of days after it. Not only did they do it in the middle of daily hikes, but before starting on it they also did the Hancocks, a "mere" ten miles!
I have attempted two Presidential Traverses, in both cases ending at Pierce and bypassing a few summits. Again, an exhausting hike requiring a few days of recovery. They did the traverse going over all the peaks in the middle of a week of intense hiking. And instead of going gently down from the summit of Mount Washington to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, they made a "slight" detour. They went down (with a few ups) the Davis Path to Mount Isolation, then descended to the Dry River, and finally climbed out of that valley to the hut. Instead of about a mile of downhill they hiked about 13½ extra miles with about 3,500 feet of elevation gain!
I invite the reader who is familiar with these peaks to look at each day; to try to imagine the effort required to do it; and finally to imagine stringing these trips on consecutive days, with no rest in between.
| Day | Summits | Miles | Feet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Moosilauke | 7.4 | 2,400 |
| Kinsmans and Cannon | 13.0 | 4,700 | |
| Tecumseh | 5.0 | 2,200 | |
| Total | 25.4 | 9,300 | |
| Day 2 | Osceolas | 8.4 | 2,950 |
| Tripyramids, Whiteface, Passaconaway | 17.4 | 4,900 | |
| Total | 25.8 | 7,850 | |
| Day 3 | Flume, Liberty, Lincoln, Lafayette, Garfield, Galehead and Owlshead | 34.2 | 9,950 |
| Day 4 | Hancocks | 9.8 | 2,650 |
| Bonds, Zealand, Twins | 22.8 | 5,900 | |
| Total | 32.6 | 8,550 | |
| Day 5 | Tom, Field and Willey | 8.5 | 3,100 |
| Carrigain | 10.0 | 3,250 | |
| Total | 18.5 | 6,350 | |
| Day 6 | Wildcat and Carter-Moriah Ranges | 18.7 | 7,100 |
| Day 7 | Presidentials (including Isolation!) | 33.7 | 12,250 |
| Day 8 | Cabot | 7.8 | 2,750 |
| Waumbek | 7.2 | 2,650 | |
| Hale | 4.4 | 2,300 | |
| Total | 19.4 | 7,700 | |
| GRAND TOTAL | 208.3 | 69,050 |