I n some circles the term “peak-bagger” is disparaged, the belief being that checking summits off a list in record time distracts from appreciating the natural world. But there are folks out there, like Erik Schlimmer, whose brains are wired to systematically experience the great outdoors while still marveling at every detail.
“I’m a methodical person,” says the 45-year-old, who calls Rensselaer, near Albany, home when he’s not in the Adirondacks. “It’s just my personality. Lists of mountains or named features or long-distance trails give me direction and a goal, so when I draw up a list of peaks, I have a focused mission.”
Schlimmer has checked a lot of challenges off his list, among them Pennsylvania’s 132-mile Baker Trail, New Hampshire’s 162-mile Cohos Trail, Vermont’s 273-mile Long Trail, the 357-mile Long Path from New Jersey to New York, the 1,000-mile Florida Trail, Lake Tahoe’s 165-mile Rim Trail, the Catskill Park’s 320-mile trail system, the 235-mile Trans Adirondack Route, twice, and the 133-mile Northville-Placid Trail four times.
