New Hampshire 4000 Footers

photo by Tim Seaver

Tim Seaver climbed all 48 peaks over 4,000 feet in New Hampshire in 3d15h51m, July 6-9, 2003.

Speed trips on the NH 4000ers go back decades -- at least to the 1970s, when there were only 46 recognized 4000ers. This site has an excellent summary of records going back to the Fitch Brothers (George and Tom) who did all 46 recognized 4000ers in 6d15h30m, in August 1973.

"Cave Dog" Ted Keizer established a stout record for climbing all the 4000ers of 3d17h21m, August 9-12, 2002. Cave Dog's site lays out a set of rules for the trip which included no set route, allowance for resupply at any point, and that the clock would start at the first trailhead, and stop at the summit of the last peak. Also, Mt. Washington must be climbed on foot (not using the road or cog railway). These apparently reflect the accepted rules for this venture.

Beginning on July 6 at 5:00 am, and ending on July 9, 2003, at 8:51 pm atop Owl's Head mountain in the Pemigewasset Wilderness, 41 year old Vermont photographer Tim Seaver set a new record for speed climbing all 48 4000 foot peaks in New Hampshire. With the support of his wife Elisabeth and a small group of friends, as well as a network of cached water bottles placed by him along the route previously, he set a new record of 3d15h51m, beating Cave Dog's previous record by exactly 1h30m.

Tim Seaver also holds the record for the 4000ers in winter. He climbed all 48 in 9d20h24m, during March 6-16, 2006. Cath Goodwin also participated in this trip, and set the women's FKT at 9d23h13m, losing a little time after she "...wiped out enroute to S Kinsman on day 8 and developed two spectacular black eyes...", and paid a visit to the ER. The previous record was 10d22h. For the winter records, the clock is stopped at the trailhead at the base of the last mountain (i.e., car-to-car), as opposed to at the top of the last mountain, as in the summer records. There is a website dedicated to climbing the 4000 footers in one winter season.

Another NH 4000ers project that has emerged is doing all the peaks in every month of the year. This works out to 576 ascents (48 x 12)! A website dedicated to this currently lists 9 people who have finished this mamouth task.