OT: Highpointers, Mountaineering, and Michigan
Hey All,
I’m an avid hiker and have gone down a rabbit hole looking for some new challenges leading me to Highpointing. For those not in the know, this is basically climbing the highest point in each of the 50 states.
My cousin and I have decided to commit and start on these this year. I figure it’s best to start with Michigan (Mount Arvon) and go from there. Considering we’re both 35, we thought it would also be a good idea to start on the harder ones before we get too far up in age. Finishing at 50 in Hawaii would be awesome in my opinion.
My question(s) for you:
1. Does anyone (or know of anyone) have experience attempting this and have any recommendations before we begin?
2. Does anyone know of any good mountaineering classes/training in the Midwest?
3. What would be a good way to bring the University of Michigan along with us to the summit of each? I have a Michigan flag but don’t know if that’s too cliche.
Some additional links for anyone interested:
https://www.geographyrealm.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/highest-points-us-map.pdf
https://artoftravel.tips/practical-guide-highpointing-hike-50-states-high-points/?amp
Also, I’m from the Ludington area and the Ludington State Park has some awesome trails, beaches, lakes and rivers. If you’ve never been, you should check it out!
I do quite a bit of mountaineering and this is a fun challenge I’ve considered. For most peaks in the US, true mountaineering skills aren’t required. I’d knock out local peaks for now and when ready, head to Mt Rainier and do a guided ascent with RMI or IMG. Aside from that mountain and Denali, unless planning to climb in winter, no special skills are required. It’s when dealing with glacier travel, avalanche risk, etc., that you need to know things like crampon travel, self arrest, rope climbing, crevasse rescue, etc.
Happy to discuss further if of interest
My brother in law, who is an active high altitude skier and hiker, shit himself and had to be helped down Mt Ranier due to altitude sickness.
Weather can come in quick there. It’s not for the meek.
Sounds like an incredibly cool endeavor. Good luck!!
Rainier is no joke... but it's a walk in the park compared to Denali. Serious mountaineering skills, a month waiting for a weather window, and a bit of luck are all required.
I thought Gannett Peak in Wyoming required some mountaineering skills to ascend? I've known folks that have climbed it and they all used crampons, ice axes, and knew how to self arrest. Either way it is a LONG hike and it is VERY remote.
I have no aspiration to visit all 50 high points, but I will hit them if I'm nearby or it's a legitimate scenic hike worth travelling to. I have ~ 20 of them.
Few thoughts:
- Alaska --- BY FAR, this will be the toughest physically. And climbing it takes ~14-21 days (I have not done this).
- California --- Mount Whitney, there is intense competition yearly to get summer permits to go to the peak. It's a non-technical hike in the summer (completely different beast in the winter), thus high demand. The annual lottery opens every February and they go that day. It could be done in a 16-ish hour day but most folk take 2 days. If you miss the lottery, you're sort of out of luck until next year. This is on my bucket list (maybe 2024).
- You can drive to the high-point of states like NH and NC. But, definitely do the available non-easy hikes and earn it (sounds like you will)!
- For quite a few states (IN & KS, among others) there simply is no hike to the top. It's just a drive to something that is slightly higher than anything else. There is less of an "adventure" involved in those states' high points, it's mostly "checking a box."
- A handful of the high points are on privately own land. Most owners are cool with the visitors, they just ask for a donation (e.g., Nebraska, $5 and watch out for the roaming bison!). But obviously be polite, it's their land.
- Ohio --- their high point, no joke, is in the middle of the parking lot for a Vocational School. The parking lot is closed and gated during non-business hours. Seems appropriate for that "scenic" state. Definitely bring the M flag there (it's in Bellefontaine, deep Scarlet and Gray territory).
Yeah looking at the map, I was thinking "how many of these can you just drive to?"
Kansas' "Mount" Sunflower I hit on a spritzy, chilly January day (I remember listening to the U-M vs Bama Citrus Bowl the same day) racing the sunset --- one can drive there but it was 10+ miles off US-40 on incredibly rural and very bumpy dirt, muddy roads.
In retrospect, that was a bit dumb. If my car got stuck in the mud, I would have been just as isolated (and exposed to a cold winter night) as somewhere in the mountains.
----
2 other facts:
- Kansas' high point is within 20 miles of Colorado's lowest point. That's the high plains for you.
- Michigan's lowest point is 571 feet - higher than any point in FL, DE or LA.
For consideration:
Yeah, with Nittany’s list and your point, and although the highest point in every state is a worthy and cool goal, I would rather pick an objective where every hike is great and some what doable. The OP lost me when he said he is a hiker and some of these like Danali no longer fit while many other high points, like Ohio’s parking lot, are not worth the trip.
I might suggest an alternate goal do the best hike in all 64 National Parks. In this case you are assured that every hike is both spectacular and still a hike. There are some lists I found below.
I was surprised that places like Angel’s Landing were not included in the first couple of “best National Park” hike lists I looked at. But you can’t go to Zion and not do Angel’s landing. I only found Angels when I searched for hardest hikes. I also noticed on the “most dangerous” list below they said Angels was harder than Denali. I’ve done Angels but I don’t think I would be up for Denali. Angels is still a hike. So with this in mind, I would probably do some research to come up with my own list. And while you’re at some parks, like Yosemite, you will definitely want to take in an extra hike or two or more likely 5.
https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/the-best-hike-in-every-national-park
https://www.smartertravel.com/10-thrilling-national-park-trails/
https://wildlandtrekking.com/blog/most-dangerous-hikes-in-the-us/
https://matadornetwork.com/read/9-hardest-hikes-us-national-park-service-can-day/
Even with this objective there are still going to be some non-hikes like the St Louis arch. But on the other hand, at least you get to go to all the great parks in Utah and California instead of spending a day in a parking lot in Ohio.
Anyone claiming Angel's Landing is harder than Denali loses any and all credibility immediately.
Makes sense to me. Have you done both?
I am also a hiker and have definitely enjoyed trying to visit and hike in as many National Parks as possible more than I would trying to highpoint. I am currently at 38 out of 63 and will soon be at 40. I will have to determine whether it is worth the effort to get to some of the less accessible parks in Alaska or American Samoa.
Of the handful of high points I have happened to hike, hiking up Mt. Washington and Katahdin on consecutive days a couple years ago was a lot of fun, though definitely tiring by the time I got to the second hike.
What were your top 10 National Park Hikes?
Re: Mt Whitney: It's much easier (though no one would call the Sierras permit system truly *easy*) to get a permit to climb from the backside (Crabtree Meadows, widely considered to be the more scenic route up the mountain as well) if you enter and exit the backcountry from other trailheads like Cottonwood Pass or Kearsarge Pass. That area of the Sierras is absolutely incredible, so I highly recommend making a week out of it and hiking from Cottonwood to Kearsarge on the PCT with a side trip up Whitney.
Go cmedacco! Conquer Mt. Arvon!
Think of Appalachia and the midwest as training for the Western mountains.
Get your boots broken in, your legs under you, get comfortable belaying, get good at knots, first aid, camping food, etc before trying anything over 7500 feet.
Climbing gyms will have beginner's classes and will teach you the required knots and belay techniques. They're also a good place to learn how to climb, both top-rope and lead.
But seriously. Stay around the East coast and the midwest for a bit. Deal with black bears before dealing with brown bears, literally and metaphorically.
Denali is a completely different animal. It will fuck your shit up.
It's 1.5x the distance from base as Everest. This dude is training for it on Mt. Rainier, which is roughly 6000 feet (aka one whole Mt. Rogers with an apartment building on top) shorter than Denali.
In many cases, the Appalachians can actually be more challenging than the Rockies or other western ranges. They tend to be steeper, rockier, and rootier, and trails tend to go straight up instead of using switchbacks. The western trails are at higher altitude and often have more miles of trail to get to the top, but the trail itself is generally quite a bit easier to hike than the eastern version.
strongly disagree. Denali aside, Rainier, Whitney, Hood, Gannett are all leagues more challenging than anything in the east. most western peaks are going to require a hike with more vertical gain than the elevation of the eastern peaks.
While there are certainly some easier trails out west, for the most part they are comparable just in trail difficulty. The difference in effort due to elevation makes way, way more difference though. And the toughest out west has to offer is leagues more difficult than anything in the Appalachians.
Start on the small hills and work up to glacier skills and big mountains.
In the Midwest I would focus on honing basic 4 season backpacking and camping skills as you go along hitting the starter peaks on your list. Get the camping part, gear and tools needed down to a science. Camp in some very serious weather along the way.
As you develop that base level skill set you can then work up towards glacier travel by taking courses on a glacier. There really is no substitute for the real thing in my opinion.
The book Freedom of the Hills might be a good purchase to start preparing for Rainier and Denali and possibly Washington if in Winter as well as some of the bigger less technical mountains. That way, when you take a course, you will know exactly what to expect.
When I hear people talk about hiking my first thought are the words of comedian John Pinette, “Hiking is a walk that sucks”
I really do hope you have a great time
#3: A flag is fine because it’s big and can be seen.
Check out MDen to see if they still sell the M Go Blue banner beach towel, that would be different
👍🏼 on the link for the trails around Ludington. I brought my bike up there last summer and cycled some of them.
Ludington is pretty sweet. Lots of beautiful trails and the beach walk to Big Sable Lighthouse is worth the trip.
I don't know how set you are on doing each state high point, but I would do Colorado 14ers instead. You can knock out several per trip, some are close enough together you can get up to 4 per day. They range in difficulty between uphill walking to sketchy class 4 scrambles, but none require ropes (on a couple it's not a bad idea) or true mountaineering. From there you can hit up the other notable ones in the other mountainous states.
I've done about half of them and it's a blast.
As far as mountaineering classes, you really need, well, mountains, specifically glaciated ones. The pacific NW has quite a few classes up Rainier and Hood. In the Midwest, the closest is rock climbing. I don't know about Ludington, but if you can find a gym nearby, they'll offer classes starting with top rope belaying and basic climbing.
You should have some basic land nav skills too, a lot of climbs are off trail and require route finding.
I hit many of the east and Midwest points a long time ago. I am at 16 and haven’t added to that for 20 years or so.
For Mt Whitney, the lottery is real. NittanyFan covered it well. I did that with a good sized group of 20 people. I think 8 of us put in the applications and we got 2 permits, so we did it in 2 groups a couple of days apart. (Unfortunately I got the altitude sickness and had to turn back, so still need to tick that one off the list). I would recommend around Labor Day for it. Winter is (mostly) melted off by then, and the top has mostly good days still.
my co-conspirator kept going after me and knocked off another 15 or so. He did Mt Rainier with guides. It took him 2 attempts.
Good luck.
If you want to mountaineer, do Whitney in late spring on the Mountaineers route. Permits are a non issue then.
Ditto Mt Washington in NH. Nothing like climbing up Lions Head in -10 degree weather only to emerge above treeline in 50-60mph winds. My only rule for that mountain: only go when there are no clouds. Ok, second rule: get your ass down before dark.
Awesome to see a high-pointing post! I love high-pointing, though I haven't chased them that hard; I'm at around 10 - 15. And loving all these great responses. It would be really fun to organize a MGoBlog hiking trip! Somehow these feels more appropriate than the long-maligned MGoBlog camping trip LOL.
One thing I suggest is to consider not setting your benchmark of success at bagging all 50. From the outset, I decided I wouldn't attempt Rainier, Denali, Gannett Peak (Wyoming), and I think one more (Utah?), because as I understand it, those are the most dangerous. People even on guided trips on Rainier die occasionally through no fault of their own. I know people who have summited Denali; I also know world-class athletes who have tried multiple times with no luck.
Also, your time/ ability / motivation to climb may fluctuate over the years, especially as kids, etc enter the picture. So I wouldn't be dead-set on 50. More use high points as a way to explore fascinating, forgotten corners of the country.
My goal is to climb a high peak in every state. Most often, that will be the state highpoint; but for example in Washington I climbed Mt Adams (2nd highest after Rainier) and that was an epic, memorable — and comparably very safe — adventure. Elsewhere, you can drive to the high point, and as another suggested, you can either hike those instead, or if no hike up really exists, find another more interesting, adventurous hiking spot in that state.
A couple very doable, underrated high points I've loved are Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak) in South Dakota, and Wheeler Peak in New Mexico. Beautiful spots. I strongly recommend arriving a few days to a week early before attempting a high-elevation summit. Even 2 - 4 nights ahead of time will help... and get some hikes in before summit day.
No one knows how their body will deal with high altitude, regardless of what kind of shape you're in. I tend to struggle at very high elevations and turned back from the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro (highest peak in Africa) just a few hours from the summit. But I was consoled to learn that tennis star Martina Navratilova, at the peak of her career (and peak fitness) did not make it up as high as me.
Anyway sorry for the novel length response, but this got me fired up! If anyone wants to help start a MGoBlog hiking club, let me know. I usually get a few days per year to travel somewhere exotic and get an epic hike in, and always looking for good folks to hit the trail with.
Don't sleep on Mt. Washington in NH. The weather at the top can be brutal even on a nice summer day at the bottom. Go prepared. Also, many of these mountain tops are pristine areas where leaving anything will not be appreciated.
Had a friend literally blown off Mt. Washington one winter by a 90 mph breeze. Through a series of fortunate events he survived and was actually in surgery within two hours of the incident.
With time and money, they’re all fairly easy (my slow, middle aged, out of shape ass has bagged them or their equivalent), with the exception of Rainier and Denali. Even the western ones are at worst long approach hikes or scrambles at the top, or combinations of both, and easy enough with time to adjust to altitude and to hike in without doing a death march. Or without doing them in winter, which is just gratuitously, unnecessarily difficult. Who would hike Washington in winter? You can drive up in a minivan 6 months out of the year.
Again, if I can do them, and I am stunningly unathletic or fit, anyone can.
Rainier and Denali are a whollllle different kettle of fish. I’d suspect that with enough money to throw at them, they could be done with a guide that basically carries your ass up, but that’s both lame and includes great personal risk. They are serious mountains in a way that even Gannett or Elbert aren’t.
A mountaineer would summit mt. Washington in the winter if they were doing the Presidential Traverse, Mt. Washington alone, training for extreme weather camping and/or just for fun.
It can be a significant accomplishment. But, yeah, it can be difficult.
Sounds like a awesome plan! Looking at the map, majority of the highpoints should not require a lot of technical skills. However there are a few that will require it (Mt Rainer, Denali). Mt. Elbert is considered a Class 1 climb, so basically a walking path up and down. I have done a handful of 14er's in Colorado and a couple things to keep in mind;
1) time year (still snow on the peaks till late June). So could become more technical is you need to use crampons and a ice axe.
2) time of day you ascend (storms come in early afternoon). Best to go out early morning and hopefully be back around noon.
Best of luck and keep us posted as you knock them out!
"2) time of day you ascend (storms come in early afternoon). Best to go out early morning and hopefully be back around noon."
This is a very important guideline—the weather up in the mountains in Colorado can change very quickly, and in my experience out there the bad weather tends to develop in the early afternoon. The last place you want to be is on an exposed ridge at 13,000 ft during a storm.
Pursuant to this factor, pack decent rain gear, a jacket, hat, gloves, and plenty of water. Water is far more important than food.
You want a real challenge, I would recommend you free-solo El Cap.
3. What would be a good way to bring the University of Michigan along with us to the summit of each? I have a Michigan flag but don’t know if that’s too cliche.
A Michigan flag is never cliche. However, there are options for flags. I fly this one on every football Saturday:
Flags on top of mountains are a very practical cliche. They are lightweight and small form factor, thus very suitable for a backpack. This one might blow me off the summit, but damn, that's a nice look!
If you join that organization, ask them to update their website with graphics from this century. I was interested in looking at that map at the top, but its incredibly low res.
UM grad and YouTuber Alexis Dahl makes videos on Michigan geology. This video she discusses the age of the Huron Mountain range.
Mt. Arvon is an interesting treat. It takes zero climbing skill, and the actual high point itself is underwhelming, but the view about 100 yards away makes it all worth it. The high point in most Midwest states won’t be worth it, from an experience standpoint, but the Mt. Arvon is actually worth it.
If you're going to be in the western UP and want peaks with views, check out Hogsback, Sugarloaf, Mt Baldy, Silver Mountain, Summit Peak, and the Trap Hills. The view from Arvon is quite lackluster compared to any of those.
Those are all great, no question. I was purely speaking about views compared to at HP locations. The fall view looking northwest across Huron Bay from the overlook actually is a great one, though.
I once repelled down a near vertical rock cliff on Hardiman Bay, Horwood Lake in Ontario. It was challenging while terrifying..... I enjoyed the hell out of it. When I got down to the boat (we were on a fishing trip) and looked up at the cliff I had just decended I was like "Damn, it didn't look that high from the top down." One of the other guys said he was contemplating what they'd do if I fell..... there's no cell service for miles.
Last November I "high pointed" HA on my road bike with speed gravel tires, Mauna Kea. It's a ridiculously difficult ride -- rated as the most difficult climb in the world:
https://pjammcycling.com/climb/1.Mauna-Kea
There are many interesting YouTube videos on the ride, if you are interested and would give you a sense of what it would be like to hike it. One of best can be found (this is not the route I took and when I do it again next year I'll take a different route than last, but it will not be this one):
http://www.theimpossibleroute.com/Impossible_Route_Mauna_Kea
This would not be a very interesting hike as you'll spend the last ten miles hiking up 10% grade on either pavement or very light volcanic gravel (think thick but very soft sand), which is almost impossible to ride and miserable to walk -- almost all cyclists end up walking some if it. Views are epic, for certain, pain is more certain. I was on altitude meds and had no problems with altitude, but had plenty of problems with mental and physical exhaustion. Destroyed at the end.
There are much more enjoyable hikes out there than Mauna Kea. Second highest peak is Mauna Loa, also very epic and very different, great ride, not a very good hike. If anyone wants more info about the rides, feel free to reach out to me directly.
I've climbed Rainier many times (30+) on many routes and in every month. It's physically demanding and hard to train for in flatland. In the 30 years we've lived here it's also gotten stupidly difficult to get a permit, unless you pay a guide service a big pile of money (plus gear, plus tip, plus...). And any day of any month can be winter on the upper part of the mountain. I've been in a blizzard on the approach day in early September. Be prepared for it to be physically demanding and to need more than one try to get to Columbia Crest.
It's a great point to be prepared to need more than one attempt to complete your objective, and that concept applies well beyond summitting a mountain!
I would say the most valuable thing I have learned on the trail is knowing how to identify risks and when to turn around.
A friend of my father tried three times to summit Everest. Third time he made it within 200 meters of the peak before turning back. At the time, he would have been the oldest ever to reach the top. As they say, summiting is optional, coming back down isn't.
I know Michiganders that have trained for high altitude climbing by hiking up and down sand dunes with a (presumably clean) sock in their mouth.
Obviously, you should take a cardboard cutout of Murderwolf with you to each peak and position it behind you when you snap the "we bagged it" photo.
As others have pointed out, the majority of highpoints are simple walk-ups requiring little more than a decent pair of legs, much less any true mountaineering skills or high-altitude hiking experience.
However, there are about 15 that either have significant summit elevations and/or involve long distances for the round trip. This list gives an idea of the relative amount of difficulty and exertion:
https://www.summitpost.org/the-effort-scale-of-highpointing-the-fifty-us-states/1046476
I sort of grew up in Colorado—my family spent virtually every summer until I was 12 in a small town in the Front Range, at an elevation over 8,500 ft. I climbed one of the highpoints on the list, Mt. Elbert, when I was 9, but it wasn't any big feat. Elbert is an easy walk-up whose only challenge is that it's a 9-mile slog with a pretty high summit. I've never had any problem re-acclimatizing to the elevation when I've gone out there on vacation as an adult, but different folks have different reactions to higher altitude.
However, I'm far from being a real mountaineer—there are a bunch of 14ers in Colorado that I have no interest in climbing because of the technical abilities required and the attendant real dangers of dying up there. This also applies to some of the peaks on the high points list, like Gannett Peak in Wyoming. Not only is the climb itself a seriously challenging effort requiring true mountaineering skills and equipment, but it's also one of the most remote high peaks in the lower 48 and just getting there to begin the climb is a multi-day backpacking effort. I'm soft and like a motel bed, a hot shower, and a restaurant and/or bar within easy reach.
One more warning about patience. I was traveling through AZ and decided to spend the day hiking to check off one more. When I got to the park with the trailhead, the mountain was closed due to high fire danger (that was a new concept to me back then!). These things happen.
Great responses! Thank you everyone! Looking forward to diving in and getting this started!