Mountaintop adventures
May 13, 2023
I landed mid-morning Saturday at the Cincinnati Airport. Interestingly enough, the airport sits across the Ohio River in Kentucky. It was my first time in the bluegrass state. This visit would be brief, however. I immediately drove north, into Ohio—though not before passing by the Creation Museum.
Continue reading “Hoosier Hill, Indiana’s high point”
April 15, 2023
My day began at 4 am in Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. A few hours of southbound driving brought me to Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, and the Allegheny Mountains.
Continue reading “Mount Davis, Pennsylvania’s High Point”
April 15, 2023
I sped along the country roads of West Virginia, having just visited the state’s highest summit. I came to a seemingly unremarkable bend in the road, along US 219. A small green sign announced its relevance: “Maryland’s High Point”. I had reached the trailhead.
Continue reading “Hoye Crest, Maryland’s highest point”
April 15, 2023
My day began in Pittsburgh, about three hours north of Spruce Knob. I left my hotel around 4 am, crossing the Monongahela River on I-376. Even in those small hours, plenty of trucks rumbled about on the highways of southwestern Pennsylvania. But the roads grew progressively quieter and smaller as I worked my way South and East into the rural mountains of West Virginia.
Continue reading “Spruce Knob, West Virginia, via the Huckleberry Trail”
April 2, 2023
April arguably ranks as Colorado’s most versatile month. Folks in Denver or Grand Junction could be enjoying 70F+ temperatures and endless sunshine while other snowsport-diehards are simultaneously skiing powdery slopes in the high Rockies. Of course, sometimes you’ll find spring corn in the Rockies and stormy weather on the plains. But regardless, the span of climates within just 100 or so miles is truly astonishing.
Continue reading “North Table Mountain and Lichen Peak”
March 19, 2023
I left my hotel around sunrise for a quick hike up Ventana Canyon. Conveniently enough, the trailhead to the Maiden Pools was in the employee parking lot of the hotel. The trailhead still hosts a good number of spots reserved for hikers. But this awkward setup provides one reason why this trail does not see heavy foot traffic.
Continue reading “Ventana Canyon and the Maiden Pools”
March 18, 2023
The morning sun poked its head above the hills as I zipped along the winding roadway over Gates Pass. The desert grew brighter, revealing an undulating, dusty landscape of endless saguaros. I was definitely in Tucson.
Continue reading “Wasson Peak via King Canyon Trail (Saguaro NP)”
October 2, 2022
I drove towards Mount Cook Village on a breathtaking, sunny day in early October. For nearly 20 miles, Aoraki/Mt Cook loomed over the landscape as I continued along the shores of Lake Pukaki. At one point I stopped to soak in the views. Not a trace of snow remained along the lakeshore and in the valleys. But permanent glaciers covered Mt Cook.
Continue reading “Hooker Valley Track (Aoraki/Mt Cook NP)”
August 21, 2022
Standing in a gas station parking lot near Buena Vista, we had a decision to make. The original plan involved driving down to the Sangre de Cristo to bag Kit Carson Peak. But moody clouds and bouts of rain had given us doubts.
Continue reading “Huron Peak”
August 12, 2022
I arrived in Adams, Massachusetts, on the tail end of my New England high point road trip. There amidst rolling farmland and the post-industrial towns of the Berkshires, lies Mount Greylock. The 3,489-foot peak rises head and shoulders above any other summit in Massachusetts.
Continue reading “Mount Greylock via the Bellows Pipe Trail”