In 2019, netlogx announced a new challenge to all team members: check off something on your bucket list, and netlogx will help pay for it!
At this point, 2019 was shaping up to be quite the exciting year for me with things like getting married, honeymoon, bachelor party, moving, and visiting a closing museum in Washington D.C. all in the works – but I quickly came up with the perfect plan.
One of my bullet list items is really a collapsed set of 50 bullet points – to reach the highest point of each U.S. state. Some of you may be familiar with the concept and the term “highpointing”. Many people are familiar with the idea of climbing the Seven Summits of the world, or the highest mountain on each continent, so you can think of it like a more toned down, but more exclusive (350 people completed versus 250) version of that.
For those of you with questions, let me save you some Googling.
Why?
I don’t know. Some people have weird hobbies, I guess.
No, what’s the point?
Sense of accomplishment, climbing mountains is fun, visiting places you normally wouldn’t is fun.
What’s the highest highpoint?
Alaska’s Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley). At 20,310 feet, it’s also the highest point in North America.
What’s the lowest highpoint?
Britton Hill in Florida. Just 345 feet above sea level.
Does it matter how you get to them?
That’s a personal choice. I like to hike at least a few miles, but that’s not really an option for many of them.
What’s the hardest one?
Definitely Denali. Climbing takes up to a month and over 30 miles round trip. Runners up include Mount Rainer in Washington, Gannett Peak in Wyoming, and Granite Peak in Montana.
And the easiest?
You can actually drive up to around 20 of them, and most of those are even wheelchair accessible.
Do buildings count?
No. It must be a natural high point.
Who came up with this idea?
Not clear, but some guy named Vin Hoeman was the first to reach all 50 in 1966.
In any case, with netlogx helping me to finance my trip, including gas, food, camping fees, camping supplies, and a new jacket, I set out to tackle as many highpoints in the northeast as I could in a week.
High Point – New Jersey – 1,803 Feet
Yes, it’s really just called High Point, it’s very unoriginal. It is, however; only a mile off the Appalachian Trail and features a giant obelisk marking the highpoint.
Mount Frissell – Connecticut – 2,380 Feet
The summit of Mount Frissell is actually in Massachusetts, but the southern slope of the mountain is the highest point in Connecticut, maybe a quarter mile away from the actual summit. The glades provide an excellent vantage point over the wilderness surrounding the area.
Jerimoth Hill – Rhode Island – 812 Feet
It’s just a flat spot in the woods on the side of a busy road that’s only slightly higher than every other flat spot around it. But it is a highpoint, nonetheless. I didn’t take any high-quality pictures (not that there was anything to take a picture of).
Mount Greylock – Massachusetts – 3,491 Feet
This is a wonderful little mountain surrounded by apple orchards and quaint New England towns below. We hiked up a ski trail and were met with a lighthouse type structure at the top.
Mount Washington – New Hampshire – 6,288 Feet
This one has actually been on my bucket list longer than highpointing in general. Mount Washington is known as the most dangerous little mountain in the world. It’s the highest mountain east of the Mississippi and north of the Carolinas. The highest wind velocity ever recorded at a surface weather station was recorded here (231 mph). The temperature can drop 30 degrees along the hike, down to the 40s in the middle of the summer. Storms can come and go in a matter of minutes. And the peak is covered in clouds 2/3 of the year. None of this was the case for me, and we had nothing but clear skies and weather the whole way up.
Mount Mansfield – Vermont – 4,393 Feet
I guess they call it Mount Mansfield because it kind of looks like a man’s face. In any case, the “chin” is actually the high point.
This trip brings my total to 13/50 now – since I became serious last year. With netlogx’ help I’m excited to see how many more I can bag next year!
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