Highpointing - What's That About?
It was sometime in early 2005 during my usual winter slump when I came up with the idea of hiking
some of the tallest mountains in each state. Although I didn't expect to be the first with the idea I was
pleasantly surprised when I found out through a quick internet search that there were plenty of people
trying to reach the highest point in each state and that there exists a club for these "highpointers".
This club and several guidebooks provide a wealth of information about what it takes to achieve this
goal.
The idea of highpointing appealed to me for several reasons. It would combine several interests of
mine - hiking, camping, traveling this beautiful country, and more importantly, allow me to spend time
with my son, Kevin, on these shared interests. (I'll also stay hopeful that my wife, Pam, and daughters
Emily and Colleen, will also occasionally want to join us.) After more research and thought, the idea
expanded from hiking some local peaks to climbing all 48 of the highpoints in the contiguous United
States. (I am reasonable - I've excluded Mount McKinley as a bit too extreme and costly.) Although the
ultimate goal is 48 states, I will continue to remind myself that it is the journey that matters and I have
the rest of my life to do it. The general plan is to get momentum with the states nearby to our home
state of New York, switch the focus to the more difficult ones out West before age starts catching up to
me too much, and then knock off the rest at our leisure and even into my retirement if I have to.
Early on, after driving up Jerimoth Hill on route 101 essentially to the top, Kevin showed his purist side
by suggesting we should have walked up the road to actually climb the high point of Rhode Island. This
led to a discussion of our own ground rules. First, we will do them together as long as possible, and
second, we will hike up whenever that option reasonably exists. It is fair to start from a through road
that does not exist just to bring people to the top. This is more stringent than the Highpointers club
which, for example, recognizes a drive up Mount Washington as achieving the highpoint.
I put this web site together in response to my Mom's suggestion that I do a little better than my
handwritten notes for trip logs. I hope you enjoy it and wish us luck as we fill in the yellow in the map
above!
- Bob
some of the tallest mountains in each state. Although I didn't expect to be the first with the idea I was
pleasantly surprised when I found out through a quick internet search that there were plenty of people
trying to reach the highest point in each state and that there exists a club for these "highpointers".
This club and several guidebooks provide a wealth of information about what it takes to achieve this
goal.
The idea of highpointing appealed to me for several reasons. It would combine several interests of
mine - hiking, camping, traveling this beautiful country, and more importantly, allow me to spend time
with my son, Kevin, on these shared interests. (I'll also stay hopeful that my wife, Pam, and daughters
Emily and Colleen, will also occasionally want to join us.) After more research and thought, the idea
expanded from hiking some local peaks to climbing all 48 of the highpoints in the contiguous United
States. (I am reasonable - I've excluded Mount McKinley as a bit too extreme and costly.) Although the
ultimate goal is 48 states, I will continue to remind myself that it is the journey that matters and I have
the rest of my life to do it. The general plan is to get momentum with the states nearby to our home
state of New York, switch the focus to the more difficult ones out West before age starts catching up to
me too much, and then knock off the rest at our leisure and even into my retirement if I have to.
Early on, after driving up Jerimoth Hill on route 101 essentially to the top, Kevin showed his purist side
by suggesting we should have walked up the road to actually climb the high point of Rhode Island. This
led to a discussion of our own ground rules. First, we will do them together as long as possible, and
second, we will hike up whenever that option reasonably exists. It is fair to start from a through road
that does not exist just to bring people to the top. This is more stringent than the Highpointers club
which, for example, recognizes a drive up Mount Washington as achieving the highpoint.
I put this web site together in response to my Mom's suggestion that I do a little better than my
handwritten notes for trip logs. I hope you enjoy it and wish us luck as we fill in the yellow in the map
above!
- Bob
Bob and Kevin's Highpointing Adventures
Move mouse pointer over the highpoint icon for more
information or click on completed ones to see the trip log.
We have climbed 48 highpoints so far.
information or click on completed ones to see the trip log.
We have climbed 48 highpoints so far.
| Highpointers.org Web Page |
| AmericasRoof.com Web Page |
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