“I’ll never, ever do it again.”

I am not a birder but I have read a few books on big years, etc.

I never understood the appeal of it but it is a very small subset that are into it anyway. I suppose there are multiple reasons beyond competitive species counts just like there are for most extreme activities. One of the appeals of big game hunting is voluntary deprivation and that may play a part in big years. There is the travel end of it that likely appeals to some. I do not doubt exorcising personal demons is a likely factor, too.  As she said, “I’ll never, ever do it again.”