highpointers.org

The purpose of the Highpointers Club is to promote climbing to the highest point in each of the fifty (50) states; provide a forum for education about the highpoints; aid in the preservation and conservation of the highpoints and their environs; provide a vehicle through which persons with this common goal can meet and correspond with one another; maintain positive relationships with owners of highpoints on private property; assist in the care and maintenance of highpoints; and support public and private efforts to maintain the integrity of and access to state highpoints.

Thanks to the Gene and Lillian Elliott this highpoint is permitted despite opposition from the neighboring Backbone Subdivision. DO NOT VIST the highpoint by going through the Backbone subdivision. Rather, go a mile into West Virginia and you will see the signs. It’s a pleasant walk. The highpoint is owned by West Pochontos Coal Company.

Chairman Column: 2004-05 Board Election Results
Interview with Mary Maurer and George Vandersluis
Jan Anthony and Wayne Todd Complete 50
Zerphey Wins Outside Contest
Backpacker Magazine Begins Highpoint Series
More on 2004 Convention
Introduction to Washington County Highpointing
Introduction to Alabama County Highpointing
and much more!

by Bill Jacobs
Alabama has 67 counties for your highpointing enjoyment. The southern
counties are mostly an exercise in map reading with minimal access issues.
Northern tier counties have more difficult terrain requiring longer hikes
with an opportunity to wallow in some of the South’s finest bushwhacking.

What stands out most about the five-year adventure to finish off Alabama’s
67 counties is the cooperative effort shown by our small but spirited group.

Jackson and Madison Counties were first reached in 2001 by a contingent of
nine county highpointers, all from out of state. (This county pair is a
beloved “twofer”, meaning the county line straddles a mutual highest point.
We may be overly rigid in our completion rules but we don’t require a second
visit for a “twofer”.) In 2000, eight county highpointers, all again out of
state, joined together to summit Calhoun’s Morton Mountain. Unknown to the
group, the area is an unexpended ordinance field and while descending, a
peeved Fort McClellan security officer intercepted the “gang” of eight. To
defuse a tense situation the “gang” resorted to an age-old dodge of boring
him to distraction with endless tales on the joys of highpointing. Besides,
there’s no dishonor to banishment if you have already made it to the top.

The final Alabama county, Shelby, was conquered on March 6, 2004 when (20?)
highpointers came together from all corners of the country. There, in front
of bemused property owners, all (20?) simultaneously placed their feet on
the highest point of Signal Mountain. The event was as much a celebration
in completing the state as an opportunity to personally meet fellow
highpointers whom we had only cybered with over the years.

Winter is certainly the best time to wander around the wilds of Alabama.
Snakes are in the Underworld, prickly vines are less likely to attack, and
chiggers and “no see ems” are no more. However, many approaches and county
highpoints are leased to hunting clubs. So, dress like a pumpkin and carry
a cowbell lest you be mistaken for prey. Of course, you run the risk of
becoming a bull’s eye of an irate hunter. If longevity is of a concern,
check the hunting regulations - they vary by county. Deer season is usually
over by February 1.

You need to develop certain skills to be a successful Alabama highpointer:
1. The ability to distinguish between a bull and a cow. One runs from you,
the other considers you a competitor to be dispatched. 2. How to negotiate
a barbed wire fence with minimal impalement. Be sure you and your companion
are on good terms when stretching strands for each other. 3. The eating of
undoctored grits, with a smile. 4. The savvy to intelligently discuss
Auburn/Alabama football games played over the last 100 years, remembering to
empathize with Auburn in the south and Alabama in the north. I actually saw
a Bear Bryant shrine in a gas station. If you are asking who Bear Bryant
is, you may want to start county highpointing in another state.

For Southerners, Alabama is a good place to begin your county highpointing
career. All you need are trip reports from “cohp.org”, a GPS, a set of good
road maps, a measure of guile and charm to convince property owners you are
up to no mischief, and a sense of adventure. (Don’t tell landowners you want
to check out their hill for a possible antenna lease site. Or, that your
boss is a tightwad and he only site-leases for $5,000 a month.)

An added bonus for Alabama highpointers is you get to meet some of the South
’s warmest and friendly folks. Enjoy.

by John Roper
Washington’s 39 county high points range from the sublime to the ridiculous.
We have a wonderful state up here with all sorts of fascinating topography,
so there’s something for everyone. The WA cohps could be classified in
groups. For additional information see the trip reports and maps at
www.cohp.org.

The Volcanoes
Mount Rainier, the most dominant mountain in the lower 48, draws the state
highpointers here. Our other four volcanoes, Baker, Glacier, Adams, and
Saint Helens top out Washington’s next four highest counties, or used to,
before Saint Helens blew on May 8, 1980 and relinquished her crown to a
kiss-your-sister liner on the shoulder of Adams.

The Real Mountains
Bonanza Peak 9511’ is the highest non-volcanic peak in the state and has the
reputation of topping one of the hardest counties in the contiguous US to
climb. Mountaineering skills including rock and/or glacier experience are
also required on Buckner, North Gardner, “Big Horn” (Lewis cohp), Olympus,
Daniel, Gray Wolf, and Stone.

Eastern Washington and Columbia River Mountains
This group includes a number of gentle, but pleasant woodsy rollers north of
the Columbia River: Gypsy Peak, Abercrombie, and Copper Butte, and four
along the Oregon border in the Blue Mountains above the Snake River: Oregon
Butte, Diamond, Ray Ridge, and Lewis. Along the Idaho border are Mount
Spokane, a paved drive-up, and Tekoa, a rough drive-up. Other cohps rising
above the Columbia include Lilienthal, Badger, Rattlesnake Hills, and Indian
Rock.

The Logging Counties
Southwest Washington has been mauled by clearcuts, including the flanks of
Grays Harbor cohp (a liner), Pacific cohp, Huckleberry, Goat, and Quiemuth.

The Island Counties
Mount Constitution is a very special place that has been called the “finest
marine view in America.” Camano Island is known for its 5 closed contour
silliness, private property, and nettles. Gold Mountain is the cohp of
Kitsap, almost an island.

The Wheat Counties
Rolling wheatfields top the highest land in Adams and Franklin Counties, and
Grant County is a sage hill.

Unique County
“Sturgeon Fin” is a cute little basalt cockscomb on the Clark County line,
approached via a trail through a glorious wildflower meadow (the result of a
1902 forest fire), and would be my recommendation for a group climb at the
convention.

[This interview by Roger Rowlett appeared in the 2nd Quarter Issue of Apex to Zenith]

It’s hard to imagine what the Highpointers Club would be like without the efforts of Mary Maurer and George Vandersluis who have teamed up to some of the hardest, unsung jobs in the past 10 years.

They hosted back to back conventions in 1993 and 1994 in South Dakota and New Mexico (the only people to host more than one convention). They have been on the Board of Directors since the Club started having a board in 1998 (they’re the only married couple to do that – the bylaws permit married couples on the board as long as they have separate memberships).
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I always have a theory that nobody reads any of the formal officer columns in the newsletter.

Most of us would rather hike than worry about board meetings.

But there are some big decisions that affect our hobby that we have to deal with collectively – including negotiating for access to privately owned highpoints and working out some sort of real world memorial to our leader and hobby. There are day to day decisions and budgets on a club with accounts in three states (Membership in Tennessee, the Merc in Oklahoma and the Newsletter in Colorado). We have to manage the quarterly news magazine and web site. And there’s always folks bringing initiatives.

So, I was delighted to see that we had a record number of nine contestants running for five Board of Directors positions this year. The election turned out to also be the closest in the Club’s history and the results were not finalized until the end of May. I want to thank Ken Akerman for his handling of the counting.

The returning incumbents are John Mitchler, Mary Maurer and myself. We want to welcome new board members Kevin Baker and Chuck Bickes. Kevin has a financial background and that will be very helpful as we replace the only treasurer the club ever had – George Vandersluis. George is stepping down from the position to provide an orderly transition for the new treasurer (before going out George spent umpteen hours putting together our application for 501-c-7 tax exempt status – which was approved this quarter).

Chuck Bickes of course has volunteered over the past few years to give up his holidays to host the Open Access dates on Jerimoth Hill. Chuck (along with Stony Burke) turned this difficult situation into a cause for celebration and mini conventions.

I want to thank the others who were very close in the running including – Rick Hartman (our eloquent Nevada advocate) , Robert Hyman (a board member who just this quarter did a great job of getting the ball rolling for formal recognition of the highpoint of Washington, DC), Jim Sutton (who gave us that memorable Jack Longacre song at the Illinois Convention) and Tonya Sykes (who has done a great job helping us choose between 501-c-3 or 501-c-7 for filing). This for me personally was the hardest ballot I ever had to deal with. I wish everybody could have been elected.

I also want to thank Gene Elliott who stepped down because of time conflicts. Gene and Lillian of course have done a spectacular job managing Maryland.

The board has elected officers:

Dave Covill stepped forward to avert a miniconsitutional crisis to add the job of Treasurer to his crowded Highpointing plate which already includes the newsletter co-editor position and Rhode Island advocate (the crisis was over a requirement that all officers have at least one year board requirement – Kevin Baker has indicated he would be interested in the job but he did not qualify this year because this is his first year).

Mary Maurer, a woman of many hats (many of which are described elsewhere in the newsletter), is back as Secretary.

The legendary Don Holmes has returned as President.

And I guess you’re stuck reading (or not reading) my Chairman Column for another year.

The stars are aligning for a spectacular convention this summer in Washington. If you are interested seeing why “hiking seemed easier before we got organized” you can attend our Board Meeting at 1 p.m., on Friday, July 23, at the Convention Headquarters at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.