Some people collect autographs of the famous people they’ve met in life; some hoard Star Wars action figures; others tick off the trains they’ve spotted; purveyors of art collect great works; while some people’s comic book collections take up entire rooms. We humans are the great collectors, always seeking to add to our plunder and occasionally revelling in perfection of completion.
However, is any collection as grand or as enriching as a haul of mighty mountain summits? The pursuit of collecting summits is commonly referred to as peak bagging. Among hikers, hillwalkers and mountaineers, there are many peak baggers and many peak bagging challenges, with everything from the world’s highest peaks to esoteric, localized challenges. Whether you’re addicted to the idea of the fourteen 8,000-meter peaks of the world, the Seven Summits, the Colorado 14ers, the Alpine 4,000ers the Scottish Munros or the Wainwrights of the English Lake District, peak bagging casts its spell on many.
