KING OF THE WORLD!

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GEM Trail

 
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KING OF THE WORLD!

by GEM Trail » Sun Feb 28, 2010 4:06 pm

I was just thinking about climbing in general, and state highpointing in particular. And I was wondering about the appeal of highpointing.

One of the coolest things about climbing a mountain is the feelings you get when you stand on the top. You have mastered a mountain, a challenge, yourself... you stand above all you survey. You have conquered- you are king (or queen) of the world!

I just wonder if others feel this way... I also wonder if this helps explain the lure of highpointing: in our very patriotic nation, we get to go to the top of each state and feel like we rule it!

And let's face it- plenty of people have been so lured by that feeling that they have kept reaching for summits they should have left for another day.

But the fact is that is one of the main reasons I like to climb mountains. It makes you feel like the king of the world!

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calebEOC

 
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by calebEOC » Mon Mar 01, 2010 1:56 am

I'm picking up what you're laying down...

but I'd also add that standing on a summit you've never been on before opens up new opportunities as you see new horizons, new valleys, new peaks, and new places to go. Each time I've hiked a mountain I have always seen something new on the horizon that compels me to go see it, climb it, experience it. Its a never ending journey!

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Rob

 
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by Rob » Mon Mar 01, 2010 2:00 am

Kinda luvy duvy, but this song comes to my mind...I do alot of climbing with my sweetie, so it's ok. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq5pLi0huhw

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drjohnso1182

 
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by drjohnso1182 » Mon Mar 01, 2010 4:01 am

calebEOC wrote:but I'd also add that standing on a summit you've never been on before opens up new opportunities as you see new horizons, new valleys, new peaks, and new places to go.

What if the mountain's clouded in and you can't see sh*t?

Image

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tyler4588

 
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by tyler4588 » Mon Mar 01, 2010 4:13 am

It's kind of cool to know that you are higher than every one of the millions of people in a particular state.

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Andinistaloco

 
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by Andinistaloco » Mon Mar 01, 2010 4:40 am

tyler4588 wrote:It's kind of cool to know that you are higher than every one of the millions of people in a particular state.


I felt that way a lot in the 90's. Not so much any more.

Sorry, couldn't help it. :wink:

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Day Hiker

 
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by Day Hiker » Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:29 am

tyler4588 wrote:It's kind of cool to know that you are higher than every one of the millions of people in a particular state.


Yes!

Image

^^ Higher than everyone in the world outside of the Himalaya! (13 January 2007.) Also, does anyone know if there are typically people above 22850 feet in the Himalaya in January?

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Andinistaloco

 
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by Andinistaloco » Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:46 pm

tazz wrote:
"You have mastered a mountain" "You have conquered"


IMO, I will NEVER master or conquer a mountain. NEVER! I look at it as ...The mountain has allowed me to go up and down it without killing me. A respect thing, ya know? Many times the mountains had a different idea than i did. I respect that and will always try and listen.

The mountains force you to look at yourself. You conquer yourself. It is just you and the hills. Some may look at it as beating the mountain. nah...


Look in the mirror. Who or what did you really conquer or master? The reward? The intense feeling of accomplishment inside and then the beauty of it all... all inside ones self... all inside.


"You never conquer a mountain. You stand on the summit a few moments; then the wind blows your footprints away"
- Arlene Blum

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Alpinist

 
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by Alpinist » Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:10 pm

For many of the state highpoints, it's more like "King of the Hill"... :D

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woodsxc

 
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by woodsxc » Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:30 pm

Andinistaloco wrote:
tazz wrote:
"You have mastered a mountain" "You have conquered"


IMO, I will NEVER master or conquer a mountain. NEVER! I look at it as ...The mountain has allowed me to go up and down it without killing me. A respect thing, ya know? Many times the mountains had a different idea than i did. I respect that and will always try and listen.

The mountains force you to look at yourself. You conquer yourself. It is just you and the hills. Some may look at it as beating the mountain. nah...


Look in the mirror. Who or what did you really conquer or master? The reward? The intense feeling of accomplishment inside and then the beauty of it all... all inside ones self... all inside.


"You never conquer a mountain. You stand on the summit a few moments; then the wind blows your footprints away"
- Arlene Blum


+100

I'm gonna lurk in this thread till Chief stops by to ream out GEM trail.

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tmaxwell

 
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by tmaxwell » Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:30 pm

woodsxc wrote:
Andinistaloco wrote:
tazz wrote:
"You have mastered a mountain" "You have conquered"


IMO, I will NEVER master or conquer a mountain. NEVER! I look at it as ...The mountain has allowed me to go up and down it without killing me. A respect thing, ya know? Many times the mountains had a different idea than i did. I respect that and will always try and listen.

The mountains force you to look at yourself. You conquer yourself. It is just you and the hills. Some may look at it as beating the mountain. nah...


Look in the mirror. Who or what did you really conquer or master? The reward? The intense feeling of accomplishment inside and then the beauty of it all... all inside ones self... all inside.


"You never conquer a mountain. You stand on the summit a few moments; then the wind blows your footprints away"
- Arlene Blum


+100

I'm gonna lurk in this thread till Chief stops by to ream out GEM trail.


I have nothing to contribute to this thread, but woodsxc I am LMAO.

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MoapaPk

 
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by MoapaPk » Mon Mar 01, 2010 9:32 pm

Mountains are nocturnal, so I climb them during the day only; otherwise they might get really ticked and do something nasty. When you climb them during the day, you must be careful not to wake them (remember Sinbad and that giant fish). That is the principal reason that you should never use an ice axe and crampons when there is no snow, and why pitons are rarely used anymore.

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bird

 
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by bird » Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:28 pm

Reminds me of standing on the summit of Orizaba in January and realizing I was the highest person (insert pot joke here) in all of North America at that moment. It was a pretty cool feeling.

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Grampahawk

 
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by Grampahawk » Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:49 pm

Catamount wrote:For me, the appeal is quite the opposite. Mountains make me feel small and insignificant.
Exactly. And all of my problems are not really that important either. :D

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Bob Burd
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by Bob Burd » Tue Mar 02, 2010 3:33 am

bird wrote:Reminds me of standing on the summit of Orizaba in January and realizing I was the highest person (insert pot joke here) in all of North America at that moment. It was a pretty cool feeling.


Assuming you can ignore the thousands of folks aloft in airplanes at 30,000ft at any given moment... :)

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