Highpointing
Traveling to the highest point in each of the United States
To date, we have achieved 11 of these highpoints, plus 2 outside of the 50 US states. We have listed the highpoints that we have summited, in the order achieved, and created walkthroughs for each for those interested in taking them on themselves, or simply reading about each.
Below is an interactive list of each high point in the states. Hover over a state, and see its highpoint name, and elevation!
9. Mount Washington, New Hampshire
10. Mount Mansfield, Vermont
11. Mount Greylock, Massachusetts
12. Mount Frissel, Connecticut
13. Jerimoth Hill, Rhode Island
What are we doing?
Highpointing, or peak bagging, are not common conversation topics, unless you’re talking to me or someone else who enjoys hiking and climbing to a financially irresponsible degree. These words refer to ascending to the highest point in a given area, the high point, and thereby bagging the peak.
My goal is more specific that to climb to random high points. I aim to reach the highest natural point in each state of the United States, and any others I find convenient. I don’t have a deadline, but 2 a year would take me 25 years, and who has the time for that? So I am trying to hit them at a rate of 5-10 each year. I made a good start by doing the 12th highest first, and by accident; you can read about the beautiful Humphrey’s Peak here, and how we hiked it on a whim.
Why do it?
I decided after that felicitous adventure in Arizona to take on this challenge because I’ve never met anyone yet who has done it, or even someone who is attempting it. I have read that the list of people who have done so is small, and I can see why that might be. This will take thousands of miles of travel, require visiting every state, and cost a pretty penny by the end of it all. It’s quite the undertaking. Sounds like fun to me, and it has been so far.
I have always liked exploring. Not knowing where I am, what’s coming up, having to move forward and find out, is an exciting feeling. I’d love to explore the Canadian north (in the summer) because there’s barely anyone up there. Highpointing doesn’t have the same fanfare as going into space., and it doesn’t have the same claustrophobia as diving in a submarine. It’s open, it can be shared with others, it can be done according to our life’s schedule, and it can be as fun as anything else can be. It’s something I can do, at least partially, with my friends and family.
How Are We Doing It?
There are 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, and 14 territories, and of course the rest of the world to explore. 13 of the US high points are over 10,000 feet from sea level, making them a day trip at least and inherently dangerous. Denali (McKinley) requires a lot of time and planning, Mauna Kea is in Hawaii and requires planning of a different sort, hopefully the kind with beaches.
Some of these will be grand adventures, requiring forethought and care. Some of these will be boring road-trips and a goofy picture, just to check them off (looking at you Nebraska and Indiana). But I will try and do them all with friends, to make memories for my family, and to create a good story I can tell when I can’t climb mountains anymore.
