My Dad wants to hike as many of the highest points from each state in the US as he can. He has hiked many more than me, but I have been lucky to hike several of them with him. We started with our home state of California. Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the continental US. I was 17 and I enjoyed the hike a lot more after I reached the top.
Luckily, and maybe becuase he took me on the most difficult one first, our next stop was Florida. The high point of Florida is the LOWEST high point in the USA. After that, we had "bagged" the highest high point and the lowest high point in the continental US. Since then we have been working on the in between ones.
Last weekend we went to the highest point in Missouri, Taum Sauk Mountain, which is 1,772 ft above sea level. The funny part is that you drive to the top. Afterward, you can then hike around on the Ozark trail, which is what we did. The Ozark Trail is in Southeast Missouri and goes all the way to Arkansas. (info source)
Luckily, and maybe becuase he took me on the most difficult one first, our next stop was Florida. The high point of Florida is the LOWEST high point in the USA. After that, we had "bagged" the highest high point and the lowest high point in the continental US. Since then we have been working on the in between ones.
Last weekend we went to the highest point in Missouri, Taum Sauk Mountain, which is 1,772 ft above sea level. The funny part is that you drive to the top. Afterward, you can then hike around on the Ozark trail, which is what we did. The Ozark Trail is in Southeast Missouri and goes all the way to Arkansas. (info source)
The Ozark Trail.
Fall has sprung! Look at those colors already!
A stick bug. I almost stepped right on him.
We had a great hike and then afterwards went and ate lots of fried foods. Because driving up to 1,700 feet above sea level REALLY makes you hungry. Stay tuned for more photos on Thursday when I am doing the 12 weeks to Better Photos course on Composition!
California
Highest Point: Mt. Whitney, CA -- 14,494 FT -- California Elevation Map
Missouri Highest Point: Taum Sauk Mt., MO -- 1,772 FT -- Missouri Elevation Map
Louisiana Highest Point: Driskill Mt., LA – 535 FT-- Louisiana Elevation Map
Florida Highest Point: Britton Hill, FL – 345 FT -- Florida Elevation Map
Missouri Highest Point: Taum Sauk Mt., MO -- 1,772 FT -- Missouri Elevation Map
Louisiana Highest Point: Driskill Mt., LA – 535 FT-- Louisiana Elevation Map
Florida Highest Point: Britton Hill, FL – 345 FT -- Florida Elevation Map
You can get elevation and location information for ALL of the high points HERE.
Do you have any strange experiences like this that you "collect"? Do you like hiking? Have you ever been to any of the high points?
I think that is a really cool thing to do! I don't have any experiences that I 'collect'. I love hiking but don't get ot do it very often since I don't live close to trails.
ReplyDeleteThere are great hiking trails up north though in the Duluth area and I keep thikning maybe I will tak ea vacation up there. I just need someone to do it with as I don't really want to camp/hike alone, esp since I am a novice!
I can suggest knocking out the highest point in both carolina's in the same day. Mt Mitchell in North Carolina is the highest point in the appalachians, and I bet Ceasar's Head in SC is the highest point there. The two hikes are only about an hours drive apart.
ReplyDeleteMy collective quest is to attend a college football game in all 50 states. It's going to take a long time and lots of planning.
I did not realize something called Taum Sauk was going to be in the US! Hey, and you be careful on that Florida peak. Talk about scary, lol ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is a really cool thing to do with your dad! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE hiking. I haven't really gone much in Banff or Whistler yet, but now that we have Chloe I think Eric and I are going to do lots of hiking/camping trips next summer!
That is so cool! I love that one of your dad's stars is in Iowa! Sweeeeeet! No, it's not COMPLETELY flat! (That's Kansas).
ReplyDeleteI am trying to visit all 50 states, so that's the only real experience I'm aiming for, I'd love to add something more specific like this!
Your hike "collection" is a very cool goal. Hiking is a great way to see the surroundings.
ReplyDeleteI like to jump in front of landmarks and get a picture as proof. May be silly but the shots are fun!
Made me smile - "Because driving up to 1,700 feet above sea level REALLY makes you hungry" ;-)
ReplyDeleteWow - you must have really feasted after reaching that high point in Florida ;-) Maybe I'll go check it out in a few weeks.
We, correction I, used to do a lot of hiking when we lived near Calgary - the Rockies were less than an hour from our place - loved every minute of it (and miss it now :(
Good luck on 'bagging' all 50 !
Oh, love those fall shots !!
I think that is SO cool!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a hiker. I like the idea of it, but it just doesn't work so well for me. But I'd love to go to some of those places.
I love hiking, and love this idea even more. I only got into it since I started dating my bf. We have done some good climbs in Austria, Switzerland and the Canadian Rockies so far. We also hiked the highest point here in Denmark, which is a staggering 171 meters LoL. The other climbs were much more significant and strenuous than that haha :)
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