September 2004: 8 of 50 highpoints, but who's counting?
As of June 2003 I have reached the highpoints of eight states, six
in the Northeast (five in New England plus New York State) and two in
the West:
| Highpoint | State | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Washington | New Hampshire | October 1997 | Many times since, including twice in winter |
| Mount Mansfield | Vermont | September 1998 | Also January 2001 |
| Kathadin | Maine | October 1999 | Up Abol, down Hunt |
| Mount Elbert | Colorado | June 2002 | North Mount Elbert Trail |
| Mount Whitney | California | August 2002 | Three day backpack on Mount Whitney Trail |
| Mount Greylock | Massachusetts | May 2003 | AMC Trip, AT traverse |
| Mount Frissell | Connecticut | May 2003 | Alone after Greylock |
| Mount Marcy | New York | August 2004 | Plus two NY county HPs. Repeated Marcy in March 2005 |
As a regular New England peakbagger I have bagged the highpoints of New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont several years ago. I have been going to Colorado for a week or two since the summer of 2000, and in 2002 I bagged both the Colorado and California highpoints. In the spring of 2003 I added Massachusetts and Connecticut as part of a very enjoyable four day trip to the Berkshires. In late summer of 2004 I did a similar trip to the Adirondack Park, bagging Mount Marcy plus a couple of county highpoints.
Mount Washington, New Hampshire
I have climbed Mt. Washington perhaps a half dozen times, and have written reports on three hiking trips plus one trip up the Auto Road.
One describes a summer climb up the steep and rugged Great Gulf trail, with spectacular views into the Great Gulf as we climbed above Spaulding Lake. A spectacular trip, not easy with its 5,000 feet of elevation gain, but well worth it for those who can do it.
On a beautiful mid-September day (in 2002) I climbed Mt. Washington by the classic Ammonoosuc Ravine - Jewell Trail loop. There were two unusual components to that otherwise very standard trip: I started with no clear plan, just wanting to enjoy a glorious day above treeline, and having reached Mount Washington I went over to Mount Clay, adding a couple of miles and some 500 feet of elevation gain. This is one of the easier ways up the mountain (at least for those who plan to climb it under their own steam!).
The final report is of a winter half Presidential Traverse, going up Mount Washington and then down the Crawford Path over Mounts Monroe, Eisenhower and, for some of the group, Pierce. I came down with the flu during that trip, but the sight of a full moon shining off the ice and snow as we camped near Mount Monroe is one I shall never forget.
For a discussion of the various routes up Mt. Washington, including distances and elevation gains, see the Mount Washington page on my peakbagging site.
Mount Mansfield, Vermont
My first summer trip to Mount Mansfield really does not deserve a trip report. I did the classic loop up the Long Trail to the Chin (highest summit), then went over the ridge to the main summit building, and descended by the Haselton Trail. For other standard routes see the Mount Mansfield page on my peakbagging site.I returned to Mount Mansfield in the winter of 2001, as part of a long weekend bagging, in addition, Camel's Hump and Mount Abraham. We used the Long Trail to the Taft Lodge, then took the Profanity Trail to the summit, returning the same way.
In the summer of 2003 I returned one more time, doing Mount Mansfield by the Sunset Ridge Trail. The highpointing objective of this trip was Adam's Apple, a subsidiary peak that is the highpoint of Lamoille County.
Katahdin, Maine
There are too many details about my Katahdin trip (October 1999) that I do not remember, I hope to return there soon! In the meantime you may be interested in a friend's attempt to do Katahdin in winter, her group succeeded in doing the easier Hamlin Peak, but was unable to summit the higher Baxter Peak.
Mount Greylock, Massachusetts and Mount Frissell, Connecticut
In the spring of 2003 I spent a four day Highpointing Trip in the Berkshires, doing four county highpoints in addition to Mounts Greylock and Frissell.
Mount Elbert, Colorado
In July 2002 I spent two weeks in Colorado, and hiked up Mount Elbert by the North Mt. Elbert Trail. A fairly straightforward hike, done after one week of easier hikes. Since it was my third trip to Colorado I knew what to expect from the high elevation, and how to cope with it.
Mount Whitney, California
In late August 2002 I went to California to climb Mount Whitney, and reached the summit two days before my 65th birthday.Mount Marcy, New York
Two years to the day after reaching the summit of Mount Whitney I climbed Mount Marcy as part of a state and county highpointing trip to the Adirondack Park. I returned to do it in the winter of 2005.