Is there any group of "highpointers" (people climbing the highest point in each state) here on SP? It would be fun to hear some of your stories!
My daughter and I got into "highpointing" (a goofy word, I know) when she was 11. Just for kicks I took her up the highest hill in her home state of Maryland. We met a highpointer on the way down. Cypress was intrigued, and climbing mountains has become the way she not only got into hiking, but sports as well! It is so much fun to travel around the country and not only climb the mountains but also visit out of the way places and see our nation.
Many of these high points are nothing to mountaineers- our first three climbs were to the top of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. But its really neat to stand on top of something and know that it is the biggest thing in the whole state, even if that state is pretty flat! And Cypress is getting more and more excited to try some of the more challenging climbs out west. Part of the fun for us will be some "auxilliary" climbs. Like when we go to Wyoming she wants to climb Grand Teton as well as Gannett, and when we hit California I just have to climb Mount Shasta as well as Whitney, etc.
I don't know if we'll ever do Denali, but every other state highpoint is well within reach for a fit, determined person with common sense and just a little skill. Anyway, it would be great to hear from anyone who is climbing state highpoints, how they came to it, which ones they've done, which one's were the most interesting climbing/travel experience, etc.
So what's up, highpointers?