Author Archives: justinrsutton

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About justinrsutton

Dad to two the most awesome boys and husband to the world's most amazing wife. There isn't a roadtrip we aren't up for taking! Highpointing is one of our favorite things--both the highpoints and the journey there. If we aren't there, you may catch us at a baseball field or Disney. Interested in highpointing? Check out the highpointers club... highpointers.org. Got questions, hit me up. I'm the membership chair.

To the Top of the Eastern United States: Mt. Mitchell, NC (4/50)

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Standing at the monument on the top of Mount Mitchell. It was a good, damp, cloudy day.

Standing at the monument on the top of Mount Mitchell. It was a good, damp, cloudy day.

(Mount Mitchell Photo Gallery)

One of the locations to which I most looked forward to visiting on my trips was Mount Mitchell.  Being able to stand at the highest point east of the Mississippi River is just an awesome thought.  Getting to the top was a great way to spend my 32nd birthday.

The drive to the park area of Mount Mitchell takes some time on a few windy roads, but it provides some amazing views of the Appalachians, Black Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains.  Along the way, travelers pass by the Eastern Continental Divide.

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Finally a few thousand feet: Sassafras Mountain, SC (3/50)

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Taking a quick picture behind the monument on top of Sassafras Mountain

Taking a quick picture behind the monument on top of Sassafras Mountain

(Sassafras Mountain Photo Gallery)

I had been planning on making a trip to bag another highpoint over Labor Day, and I had pretty much set myself on going to Mount Magazine in Arkansas.  A buddy of mine, who was going to go but had to back out, suggested heading over to the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee, part of the Southern Six-Pack.  It made sense because it was the same distance to Brasstown Bald in Georgia as it was to Mount Magazine.

After finally making up my mind to travel solo late Friday night, I hopped up Saturday morning and started the trek to South Carolina.  My original plan was to do the whole six-pack in one weekend, but once I realized I would not be able to do that in the amount of time I had, I settled on bagging the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee.

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To the Top of Florida: Britton Hill in Lakewood Park (2/50)

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Britton Hill Photo Gallery 

This is the monument at the Britton Hill highpoint in Florida. My son is posing at it.

My son posing at the monument on top of Britton Hill.

When I originally decided to try highpointing, I figured that Britton Hill would have been the first on my list.  Geographically, it is the closest to the Mississippi Coast, but it ended up being the second the stop on my quest instead. While the height of this highpoint, 345 feet, is far from impressive, a trip to Britton Hill shows some of the other joys of highpointing.  I cannot imagine a reason I would have made a trip north of DeFuniak Springs to this part of Florida except to go to the top of Britton Hill.  I’m glad I did, and because of doing so, I saw some pretty interesting things. Continue reading →

At the top of Louisiana–Driskill Mountain (1/50)

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Benjamin and I sit next to the cairn that marks the summit of Driskill Mountain

Benjamin and I sitting next to the cairn that marks the summit of Driskill Mountain

(Going to Driskill Mountain Photo Album)

The first stop of what will hopefully be my journey of fifty stops turned out to be Driskill Mountain, which is located just outside of Arcadia, Louisiana, about 60 miles to the east of Texas.

Along with me on the trip was my three-year old son, Benjamin, who found the idea of climbing “highest mountain” (thanks Dora) to be beyond exciting.

I had some worries early when I woke up in Brandon, Mississippi, to the sound of rain, but we decided to head on over to Driskill Mountain and hope for the best.  When we crossed the Mississippi River into Louisiana, it looked like it might not work out too well for us.

The skies did not look promising as we crossed the Mississippi River in Vicksburg.

The skies did not look promising as we crossed the Mississippi River in Vicksburg.

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Swing over to Driskill Mountain

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It looks like my plans to make Britton Hill my first stop for highpointing will not happen.  Instead, Driskill Mountian, the tallest point in Louisiana will be my first stop and Britton Hill will be stop number two.

While it is hardly a mountain at an elevation of 535 feet, I’ve read it is a nice enough hike (less than one mile), and has many neat signs and stories along the way.  It is private property, but it is nice to know that the owners of the land recognize that people will be drawn to it, and because of that, they allow people to walk up the trails to the top of the hill.

While I’m over there, I hope I can swing by the spot where time ran out on Bonnie and Clyde, just a few miles north of Driskill Mountain.  

The Skinny on Britton Hill

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As highpoints go, Britton Hill does not stand out as an amazing accomplishment. Rising to only 345 feet, the tallest (natural) point in Florida stands lower than the highpoints in any other state. Only five states have high points below 1000 feet: Florida, Delaware, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Rhode Island.

Britton Hill stands just south of the Alabama border on the western part of the Florida Panhandle, which makes this a quick trip for someone living on the Gulf Coast. That fact makes it the first highpoint that I plan to cross off of my list on this journey.  I will have my three-year old son in tow, and I do find it exciting that he and I will reach our first highpoint at the same time.

Read about other adventures to Britton Hill

The Path to an Adventure

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Until a few years ago, I had never gone hiking. In fact, I thought I would hate it. Why would I want to climb to the top of some mountain or hill? It just seemed foolish, or at least it did until I reached the top of a mountain in North Carolina.

Some friends and I (in the BPC shirt) on top of Black Balsam Knob in North Carolina

Some friends and I (in the BPC shirt) on top of Black Balsam Knob in North Carolina

I do not remember the name of the mountain, but I remember the friends with whom I walked the trail. I do not remember the name of the mountain (ok…I do now because of Facebook), but I remember the feeling of being at the top of a mountain. I knew that I wanted to replicate that feeling again at some point.

With life as it is, one can easily get wrapped up in the mundane and forget those hopes and aspirations. I did.

Over the weekend, I started a conversation with a friend about hiking in Arkansas. While I am blessed for a lot of things in my life, it is far from perfect right now, and I thought a hiking trip over Labor Day would be a great rejuvenator. In looking for a place to hike, I stumbled across the idea of highpointing–climbing to all the highest elevations in a given area.  I became fascinated with this idea.

I’ve always wanted to accomplish visiting all fifty states, and since I do enjoy hiking and have always found extremes in geography to be interesting, this seems like a cool adventure to begin.

What all will I put on this site?  Who knows?  How often will I update it?  I’m not sure. Will I really ever reach all fifty states?  That is a good question, but it does not hurt to have it as a goal. No matter how the script goes, I hope you will swing by and check out the adventure, and who knows, maybe even join in on one yourself.

If you are wondering, the first stop will be far from amazing, but it is a point that must be reached, Britton Hill in Florida.  I’m hoping to tackle it over the weekend.