Lakefront Interview With 2005 Highpointers Convention Organizer Steve Harding

Steve Harding on Gannett Peak

This article appeared in the Winter 2004 issue of “Lakefront” and was entitled “PSR’s Steve Harding: Altitude is Everything.”

Steve is the point person at Purity Springs for the 2005 Highpointers Convention. You can read the article in its original .pdf format.

Ask any Purity Spring staff member or Tohkomeupog camper “Where’s Steve-o?” and you could get a variety of answers… “Climbing a 13,000-footer in Wyoming.” “Trail running in the Audubon Sanctuary.” “Hot air ballooning in New Mexico.” “Teaching staff how to use an automated defibrillator.” Truth is, Steve Harding of The Mill Pool &Fitness Center and Camp Tohkomeupog could very likely be doing ALL of those things!

Steve, widely known as “Stevo”, has been involved with Purity Spring Resort and Camp Tohkomeupog for more than 24 years, and is a key member of the management team.

As a camper, counselor and director at Tohkomeupog, Stevo has positively affected the lives of hundreds of children. Stevo has also worked at King Pine’s rental shop and as acounselor at King Pine’s ski camp. After college, he accepted an offer to become the manager of Purity Spring’s new health facility, The Mill.

Today, Stevo stillmanages The Mill and is the Deer Clan Director (10 and 11 year olds) at Tohkomeupog.

Beginning with his childhood and now through his time at Tohkomeupog, the outdoors have been a significant part of Stevo’s life. At camp, he was able to climb each of New Hampshire’s 48 mountain peaks over 4,000 feet, joining the outdoor world’s exclusive “4,000-Footer Club”. With that goal accomplished, he was in search of another big goal to achieve. “Highpointing” was the answer.

The act of highpointing refers to a desire to reach to the highest point of each state in the country. 50 states, 50 peaks to climb, from 345-foot Britton Hill in Florida to 20,320-foot Mt. McKinley in Alaska.

However, Stevo is making strides, literally, to reach this goal in a unique way. He plans to stand on each one of those summits in the company of friends made at Tohkomeupog.

To date, Stevo has climbed to the highpoint of fifteen states, and has shared those adventures with 40 different friends from Tohkomeupog.

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