Yeah, that's sounds overkill for hiking. If you need 4 ice axes for a hiking trip you are either doing something wrong or climbing something you shouldn't be trying.
Are you refering to ice climbing? That's a whole different ball game than a winter hiking trip up Mt Whitney.
Not ice-climbing, just for the main trail on Whitney.
And it's more than 4, really. 4 assembled axes (2 main and 2 backup), and then a backup blade and handle for my two backup axes. I thought about carrying backup blades and handles for the 2 main axes, but that would be RIDICULOUS.
