CTMQ

Destroying the myth that there is nothing to do here

green mountain modern house
  • CTMQ’s Town Guides
    • Town Completion Celebrations
  • Museums
    • Museum Visits
  • Hikes, Bikes, & Paddles
    • CFPA Trails & Blue Trails Challenge
    • State Parks, Reserves, Preserves, Forests, NAPs, WMAs, & Campsites
    • Land Trust Trails
    • Town Trails
    • Audubon, Nature Conservancy, RWA, and US Army Corps of Engineers Trails
    • Highpointing and Peakbagging
    • Cycling, Multi-Use, & Rails-to-Trails Paths
    • Water Trails
  • Food & Drink
    • Best, Historic, & Unique Restaurants & Foods
    • Classic Diners & True Taverns
    • Homemade Ice Cream, Cheese, & Chocolate Trails
    • Breweries, Brewpubs, & Cideries
    • Wineries & Meaderies
    • Distilleries
  • Everything Else
    • National Designations
    • Firsts, Onlies, Oldests, Largests, Longests, Mosts, Smallests, & Bests
    • Geography
    • Animals, Farms, Gardens, Plants, Trees, Rocks, Waterfalls, & Caves
    • Sports, Thrills, Cruises, Trains, Fairs, Parades, & Events
    • Houses, Communities, Urban Legends, Lighthouses, Libraries, Schools, Businesses, & Theaters
    • Towers, Bridges, Forts, Tunnels, Roads, Canals, Dams, Fishways, Airports, & Ferries
    • Religion, Remembrances, Statuary, & Outdoor Art
    • Cultural, Heritage, & Historic Trails
    • Books, Movies, People, & Stories
  • Non-CT
    • Travel & Vacations
    • World Soccer Stadium Tour
    • Highpointing and Peakbagging
    • Top 100 Novels Project
    • Oscar Movies Project
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Family
    • Smith-Magenis Syndrome
    • Press
CTMQ > Hikes, Bikes & Paddles > Peakbagging > Why State Highpointing?

Why State Highpointing?

May 25, 2007 by Steve 1 Comment

“Why?”
“What the heck?”
“What’s the purpose of that?”
“I don’t get it.”

These are but a few of the comments I’ve heard since I became aware of highpointing and decided it was a goal I’d like to pursue. And that was just from my (at the time of this writing) fiancee, the ever-understanding, willing, and beautiful Hoang. Actually, she never really questioned my sanity, even though our first conquest would turn out to be Jerimoth Hill in Rhode Island; on a cold, dreary, rainy-then-snowy day in February 2002 which involved driving for ninety minutes, walking a couple hundred yards to look at a rock pile in the woods, shivering, and then driving ninety minutes back to her apartment. Why would anyone want to do something so odd, so inconsequential, so… dumb?

I wish I had a better answer than “because it’s fun,” but I don’t. It is fun for me. I’ve always enjoyed having lists of goals and being able to check them off one by one. I’ve always enjoyed hiking. I’ve always enjoyed road trips and traveling. I’ve always enjoyed doing things with Hoang. And, I’ve always enjoyed writing about my experiences, especially with (what I hope is) a little observational humor.

I can’t remember where I learned of the official Highpointers Club, but I recall reading about it and thinking that was a pretty interesting idea. They even had their own magazine and events for a measly 15 bucks a year. I told Hoang that I was getting us both a membership and that we would hike all fifty state highpoints over the course of our lives together. I have no idea if she took me the least bit seriously or not, but she laughed and said, “Sure, why not.” And I love her for it.

Some highpoints are beautiful and difficult to attain, some are beautiful and easy to attain, some are flat farmlands, some are barely bumps along a road, and some are nearly impossible. I have no idea how far along we’ll get, but I know we’ll have fun getting there and to me, that’s what is important.

— August 1, 2002

CTMQ’s State Highpoints Project

Facebooktwitterreddit

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Non-CT, Peakbagging, Travel Tagged With: state highpoints

Sponsored Links

Trackbacks

  1. The Birth of a Highpointing Family « The Scenic Drive says:
    April 25, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    […] on their homepage seem to indicate that the average age of members is deceased!)  And, there is this view point from my list-obsessed friend Steve, who’s reasons for wanting to tackle highpointing list […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Become a CTMQ Patron!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Press & Media Inquiries

Latest Museum Visits

The heart of CTMQ

Totally Random Post!

Sleeping Giant: Nature and Red Trails

Sponsored Links

Recent Comments

  • Tom N. on 104. Buttolph-Williams House
  • Jamie on Onion Mountain Park
  • Rob on Plainville’s Prickly Pear Cacti
  • Karen on Windsor’s Nuclear Reactor
  • CJ on A Wiener in Mianus
Disclaimer
Mission Statement
Copyright © 2023 - CTMQ