South Beyond 6,000 isn't an original idea. Besides the 46 and the fourteeners, New England has its 4,000-footers, and the 50 state highpoints are just the thing for those with the urge to travel nationwide. The Southern Sixers was modeled on these older groups by representatives from three local hiking clubs. Tom Sanders from Asheville, NC, the Carolina Mountain Club representative to the group, says at least 150 people have probably completed the 40 peaks.
There are actually 60 named summits in the south over 6,000 feet high. But counting summits on long high ridges is tricky business, so the group had to adopt some rules to define a peak. They decided that any peak that climbs at least 200 feet from a neighbor would count, or the peak would count if the drop was over 100 feet and the peaks were more than three-quarters of a mile apart. In one case, where there are no precise measurements for adjacent peaks, the group allows climbers to chose between Tricorner Knob and Mt Yonaguska.
In other peak bagging clubs all you've got to do is get to the top of every mountain on the list by whatever route you can. But some of the Southern Sixers are close to roads, and aren't much of challenge if you just walk from the nearest trailhead. To keep things interesting, and to eliminate any drive-by peak bagging, the club requires that any summit hike be at least five miles long and climb 500 feet. The club guide has a list of approved routes; any alternate summit route must be approved by the committee.
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