Cover Map prepared by Mohammed Ellzoy showing Frissell and neighboring county highpoints.
2 John and Dave Note from the Editors noting we have gone to pdf submission format, that Backpacker is coming out with highpoint article and that Pat Cook from Microsoft has donate low cost Office Pro 2003 to the club
3 Jean Trousdale writes about Jakk be carried internationally by Barb Gurtler to highpoints of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales; Al Welenofsky and Mick Dunn sent him to Poland and Slovakia; Gabriel Seitlinger escorted Jack to the highpoints of the Austrian provinces and Stuart Rudolph took him to Ecaudor. Mario Locatelli took him to Kilimanjaro and Stuart Smith up Elbrus
3 Wayne Lowen writes about taking Jack to Thailand
4 Jean Trousdale writes about a proposal to establish a memorial on his property now owned by Lorrie Krontz in Missouri
5 Rheinhold Ullrich on 50 completion; Don Schulze on 48 Completion
6 Dave Covill essay on locations for future conventions
7 Oliver Kozlowski asking for help on finishing the signpost.
8 George Vandersluis Treasurer Report and Don Holmes President’s Message.
9 Roger Rowlett Chairman Column on events during his three-year tenure
10 P. Thom Davis/Stevo Harding and Chris Wentworth on organizing the 2005 convention on Sept. 2-3. Host site will be http://www.purityspring.com/
10 New State liaison – Arkanas: Mark James Mullins; Indiana Ken Henrickson, Kansas Nancy Van Hoozeir, Louisiana Ray Scott, Missouri Alan Ritter and New Mexico William and Cargle Zorumski
10 Robert Hyman on Good Guys and Gals Fund
10 Jean Trousdale on Todd Huston’s proposal for highpoint calendars
10 Diane Winger on volunteer opportunities
11 Candidates running for Board (Kevin Baker, Chuck Bickes, Rick Hartman, Robert Hyman, Mary Maurer, John Mitchler, Roger Rowlett, Jim Sutton, Tonya Sykes)
12 New Members
14 Don Holmes Interview With Publisher Mike Chessler
15 Stuart Smith completes Seven Summits
17 Dennis and Geri Stewart on plans to pack, paddle and pedal 4,500 miles from Cape Disappointment in Washington at the mouth of the Columbia River to the Atlantic Ocean at Yorktown, Virginia
17 Thom Davis on records in climbing Northeast peaks
18 K. Kyle Atkins on the hazards of campfires at high altitudes
19 James Wedekind and Brian Kurz on 5,750 mile, 14 highpoint drive in 12 days
21 Robert Greene on Midwest highpointing
23 Dave Rabiger on the Fifty Highest or Fifty Best
24 Doug Heroux on Denali to Driskill
25 Kurt Mitchler on his encounters with Mallory daughter Clare Millikan who died in 2001 at age of 85.
26 Washington 2004 Coverage
32 Corey Fields and Jennifer Barlow photo at Bonnie & Clyde Memorial
33 Dave Olson on county highpoint opporuntities
33 Andy Martin on Arizona County Highpointing
34 Rick Hartman S.afety O.n Summits and the 10 Essentials
35 Kevin Baker on his car burning up while county highpointing in Kansas
36 Highpoint Updates including Oakleigh Westfall working with Mrs. Kim Gobel to fix vandalism of the Indiana Highpoint, The Grand Forks editorial urging government ownership of North Dakota Highpoint
39 Klimbin’ Kollaboroator requests for Gannett, Granite,Denali
40 Dave Covill review of the Highpoint Guidebooks
43 Jack’s Motomo Kayak and property is on the market
44 David Powers Book on South Carolina Peaks Above 3,000 Feet
Back Wendy Hecht Proposal on Eagle Mountain
Highpointers Club Chairman Column
Thoughts on Three Years As Chairman
By Roger Rowlett
This issue marks my the last column of my first term on the Highpointers Club Board of Directors – a time spent entirely as Club Chairman.
I have learned a lot in the three years on the board and am also happy that we have we worked together to complete the two plank platform I campaigned for – even though both items are significantly different than what I thought we were going to do.
The first plank was to file the paperwork to get proper IRS designation. I initially thought we should get 501-c-3 designation so people could get tax deductions for contributions to Club projects. After much work and debate, it turns out that the trade offs were just too great for this designation.
The magic of Jack Longacre’s vision was that it united people with very diverse cultural, political and religious backgrounds in the common pursuit of climbing the highest points. If we started asking members for money or worrying about fundraising, the camaraderie would be lost. Consequently, to square us away with the IRS, we have filed for a 501-c-7 designation which notes that we gather for social purposes and so there’s no tax deduction. But that’s not even a simple process – especially since our club has grown and accounts handled in multiple states. We should all be very grateful to George Vandersluis who spent many, many, many hours organizing and analyzing the club’s finances and filling out the forms to finally have them filed (signed by President Don Holmes). This is not a very exciting or high profile job. But it’s a job we couldn’t function without.
And of course we need to thank the other folks who handle club money and helped out – “membership guy” Craig Noland and Mother Merc and Convention Hostess Jean Trousdale.
The second plank of my “agenda” was that we should open the Highpointing museum in Missouri.
That sure seemed like a lost cause as we fretted over how to raise cash. Then Jean Trousdale and Tim Webb came up with a homerun idea to keep it simple – just put a marker there and see if the State of Missouri would be interested in owning and maintaining it.
It’s not a done deal. Lorrie Krontz has been more than generous in offering to grant her father Jack Longacre’s wishes to donate at least a portion of the property just south of the highway. Jerry Troop, the superintendent of the Johnson Shut In’s/Taum Sauk complex has been very supportive in bringing it before the State of Missouri.
If it goes through this simple memorial will be a world class monument which will literally be visited from people from all over the world.
There’s another homerun idea out there put forth by Bob Failing and Robert Hyman that might just knock your socks off. I can’t tell what it is but I’ll give you a hint – we’ll have to wait seven years to implement it.
One of the perks of being chairman is that I get to take credit for the work of other people. As per usual, I continue to marvel at the job John Mitchler and Dave Covill do with the newsletter. It’s hard to believe that our “dinky” little club could put out such an entertaining and scholarly publication.
There have of course been two spectacular initiatives in the past two years – the Fifty Flags Above America project and the Scattering project. I am amazed at the efforts of Charlie Winger’s crew with the liaisons. We have some spectacular successes in Rhode Island, Florida and Louisiana. And of course we’ve had three terrific conventions on my watch – Maryland, Oklahoma and Illinois. The groundwork is set for a great fest in Washington.
I take it as a good sign that for the first time we have more candidates running for the board than we have seats. This year in particular though is going to pose a hard choice for me. All of the candidates are very visible in day to day club activities.
So now whatever the results, remember to
Keep Klimbin’
The County Highpointer: Possibilities for South 2006
by Dave Olson
In the first quarter of the year each of us dreams of new and fun tasks that we could turn our hand to in the coming year. One such topic is to come in and take a more active hand in choosing the klub’s next konvention site, scheduled for the south in 2006. During and following 2003’s konvention the county highpointers discussed the siting and skeduling of the konventions. It was an important topic to several. We all agreed that it is a topic that deserves more discussion in the pages of Apex to Zenith. Let’s start a discussion! Send your comments to our editors, at P.O Box 1496/ Golden CO 80402; (303) 278-1915; HP******@**ac.com. . Or post them to Roger Rowlett’s website, http://www.americasroof.com . Or post them to yahoogroups cohp group.
In another article in this issue Dave Covill offers a thumbnail description of the south-2006 state highpoints, each of which could host the konvention. You should also konsider where the konvention banquet could be held, who we might rekruit to host the konvention, and, entirely second-rank, what else might be nearby.
Consider, first, Arkansas. The state HP is Magazine Mountain, a nice mountain in the middle of the Ouachita Mountains. The closest major place to hold the banquet would be Ft. Smith. The banquet could also be held in Little Rock or Hot Springs or perhaps at smaller locations. The area contains many interesting county highpoints, caves, historical sites and other features. County highpointer Hans Haustein lives nearby and could be Host, or Chief Grip.
Consider Georgia. The state HP is Brasstown Bald, an impressive mountain in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The banquet could be held at several places, such as Cleveland TN. The area contains many interesting county highpoints, more caves, more historical sites and Great Smoky Mountains National Park is nearby. Two state-tripoints are located nearby, one thirty miles west and the other forty-five miles east. County highpointers Kevin Williamson and Ron Tagliapietra live nearby and could be Host, or Chief of Supply. One of them may know where to obtain a supply of fish and loaves, enough for 5,000 people.
Consider Louisiana. Did you hear? Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow had been in a hurry to go visit the state highpoint, Mt. Driskill, and hide some stash there, when the cops ambushed them and put an end to their rush to visit all the mid-kontinent state highpoints in a month’s time. You can visit the monument at the site, about fifteen miles away from Mt. Driskill. The bankwet could afterwards be held in Shreveport, or Ruston/Grambling, or maybe even in Arcadia. Let’s hear your ideas. Besides the Bonnie and Clyde monument, I see a parish (Louisianan for county) highpoint five miles northeast of Mt. Driskill and another one near Athens twenty miles north. A state tri-point is located within expedition distance northwest.
Now let’s start to get fantastical. The District of Columbia is on the Maryland side of the Potomac, and it was the Northern, Union, capital during the War, but let’s pretend that the District of Columbia is southern. As a highpoint, the Ft. Reno Reservoir leaves something to be desired, but there is no denying that DC is the summit of power and taxation, and our leaders have built a lot of marble tourist attractions – pardon me, monuments – for all of us to see. The District, and Washington, also has no lack of rooms and no lack of banquet facilities. There are some battlesites, some distinguished homes of founding fathers and some distinguished county highpoints, all nearby.
Continuing with the fantastic, let’s lump Puerto Rico with the south. After all, it COULD become a state before 2006. From what I hear Cerro de Punta is an interesting challenge. With a tough enough car and driver you could drive to the top. Most people will look for parking in the microscopic parking lot and hike up, enjoying the tropical forest and life on each side of the route. For a banquet, Ponce, Puerto Rico’s second-largest city, is twenty miles away. For the county highpointer, Puerto Rico is divided into 78 municipios. Cerro de Punta is highest point of two municipios, and rugged highpoints of several more municipios are nearby. It is a small island. Other attractions include the Arecibo radio dish thirty miles northwest, and Phosphorescent Bay thirty miles west of Ponce.
I have just discussed several WHERE-s for the 2006 konvention. Just as important is the WHEN. The klub has held its konvention twice, at least, in the autumn, and many many times in the summer. For each of these sites, when would be the best time for a konvention? Write and discuss it among us. The addresses, again, are P.O Box 1496/ Golden CO 80402; (303) 278-1915; HPerNews@d… . Or post them to Roger Rowlett’s website, www.Americasroof.com .Or post them to yahoogroups cohp group.
Introduction to Arizona County Highpointing
by Andy Martin
Hiking the 15 county highpoints (cohp) of Arizona is a great project for both residents of the state and those taking vacations there. This is born out by the fact that AZ has the most cohp state completers of any state.
With about 3142 counties to divide up between the states, we see that AZ is well under the average of 63 counties. In addition, none of the counties requires strapping on crampons, dangling off cliffs, or overnight backpacks. Weather is generally pleasant on the summits, and you are treated to expansive views on 12 of these locations.
Of course any outdoor adventure has dangers, and hikers need to take care in Arizona to avoid poisonous animals, sharp plants, dehydration in summer, and snowstorms in winter.
You will enjoy trails to the summits of Humphreys Peak (state HP), Mount Baldy, Chiricahua Peak and Mount Wrightson. These all gain 2,000 feet or more, and will take most of a day for the average hiker. Although forests are seen along all of these trails, only Chiricahua has trees at the summit that block views. All of these peaks rise over 9,000 feet, and will be snow covered for most/all of the winter. Take care to avoid thunderstorms on these peaks.
Even easier are drives close to the tops of Greenlee cohp, Mount Lemmon, Mount Union, and Harquahala Mountain. You will want a 4wd to reach the top of Harquahala, though high clearance can get to within a mile of the summit. Greenlee will require careful navigation, and the remaining two may require mile long hikes depending on gate closures.
Expect challenging off trail segments and map navigating on Hualapai Peak, Navajo cohp, Browns Peak and Signal Peak. Don’t mess with Signal in the summer – it is just too hot for any sane human.
Add in a couple liners to the roster with Gila and Pinal cohps. You can drive near the Gila high points, but Pinal requires a tough hike – or a tougher 4wd drive.
The final peak, Mount Graham, has restricted access due to the Red Squirrel refuge.
For additional information see the trip reports and maps for all 15 high points at www.cohp.org