My focus for 2023 was clear! I just declined an invite for Denali in January and knew I had to fill a large gap between where I was (beginner level) and where I want to be (advanced level). That meant a lot more intermediate level experience! So I immediately signed up for formal training, bought…
Category: State Highpoints
Brasstown Bald from the Arkaquah Trail
The last stop on my End of Summer East Coast Highpointing Tour is Georgia’s Brasstown Bald. I chose to summit this state’s highpoint using the Arkaquah Trail from Track Rock Gap, not far off US 76 between Blairsville and Young Harris. The parking area on the west side of the road is really for the…
No Sunglasses nor Sunscreen Needed on Sassafras
South Carolina was the next state to get on this year’s End Of Summer East Coast Highpointing Tour. We remained in Asheville for both Carolina’s since Sassafras Mountain is close enough to Mt. Mitchell that it didn’t make sense to relocate between these two states. We also liked the idea of Asheville as our “basecamp”…
Mt. Mitchell Trail to the Top of North Carolina
It’s time to hit the east now that I’m done with all the state high points west of the 100th meridian! After a fun Labor Day weekend in Charlotte, we drove west to Asheville and began my End Of Summer East Coast Highpointing Tour with North Carolina’s Mt. Mitchell. This summit is accessible by car…
Mahalo Mauna Kea
Hiking to the top of Hawaii is definitely one of the more unique states to summit a 13er! I had a hard time seeing how you can go from sea level to almost 14,000 ft on this island when both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are nothing more than two little bumps on the horizon….
The Snow Bridge on Borah Peak
I’ve done Borah Peak 4 times now and always asked the same questions about this state’s highpoint: 1) How was the snow bridge? 2) Did you carry spikes? 3) What time did you start? Before I share my perspective, I’m not even sure why people call it a snow “bridge”. It’s not bridging any kind…
‘Tis the season for Mt. Hood
‘Tis the season for Mt. Hood! Seems like everyone is making their way out west to get Oregon’s tallest peak this spring… and I’m no exception. I need this state, and its neighbor to the north, to have all the highpoints west of the 100th Meridian. The opportunity came to me a few months ago…
2022 Season Summary
I’m pretty satisfied with what was accomplished in 2022. I wanted to do a lot, but only did a little. Yet the little that I did, was significant from the list of things I’d like to do. Here’s a summary of what I was able to get done. STATE HIGHPOINTS As the year started out,…
Summitting Gannett
DAY 3 – Tag the Top, Return to Camp 1 Midnight came quickly. The rain had stopped and the sky looked clear in those early morning hours. Headlamps bounced around in the dark as we each got ready to go, silently hoping for the kind of weather needed to safely summit today. 4ish miles each…
Planning for Gannett
This was the year I wanted to get three highpoints that involve glacier travel: Hood, Rainier and Gannett. I shoulda just picked a week in May and drove out to climb Mt. Hood by myself. I coulda done Mt. Rainier too if other plans had solidified. And Gannett… Gannett woulda fallen through had I not…