How Many Hikes Should My Mount Rogers Trip Count For?

So, you may remember that I have this goal for 2012 to hike 10 new places, 10 years after surviving cancer. So far, before October 11, I’d hiked to six new places this year. The question I posed is: for how many hikes should last week’s four day backpacking trip around Mount Rogers count? It could be as little as one hike (30 miles long over four days) or as many as four (four separate days of hiking).

After consideration, I think my trip should count as two hikes towards my goal of 10, so that puts me at eight hikes. I’ll count these as the first day of backpacking (from the start of the hike to a camping spot, and then up and back from Mount Rogers) as the first hike, and the second and third days of backpacking (through the Lewis Fork Wilderness and Little Wilson Creek Wilderness to our third night’s camping spot on beautiful Little Wilson Creek) as the second hike. Two hikes towards my goal for 10 out of a 30 mile trip seems reasonable to me.