This post was updated on 6/19/2026.
I first came across the 4-3-2-1 Way Hiking Challenge back in 2017 and figured it would be a breeze to complete. After all, it only requires ten hikes total.
Then life happened.
Eight years later, I’m close—but still not quite finished.
The challenge requires hikers to complete four easy-rated hikes, three moderate-rated hikes, two difficult-rated hikes, and either Snowy Mountain or Blue Mountain. You can read more about the challenge requirements here.
When I originally started the challenge in 2017, I knocked out all of the easy hikes in a single day. Years later, when I was finally able to focus on the challenge again, I decided to start over—at least partially—so that Darby could earn completer status as well.
Click on the linked trails below to read the full trip reports from each hike. An asterisk (*) indicates hikes that Darby completed with me. Update: two asterisks (**) indicate Hudson completed the hike, and the hikes in bold are the ones submitted as part of the challenge.
The EASY Hikes
- Buttermilk Falls (7/10/2017)
- Barker Pond (7/11/2017)
- Grassy Pond (7/11/2017)
- Rock Pond (7/11/2017)
- Deathbrook Falls (7/11/2017)
- Sprague Pond (9/1/2023)*
- Bullhead Pond (9/1/2023)*
- Rock Lake (9/1/2023)*
- Blue Ledge on the Hudson (8/3/2025)*
The MODERATE Hikes
The DIFFICULT Hikes
I’m hopeful that Darby and I will be completers of this challenge sometime in the near future… (Update: Darby passed away in October 2025 and was not able to finish this challenge with me. But our new pup, Hudson, was on my final hike to complete the challenge – Vanderwhaker Mountain.)
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