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Hitting the Top of the Hoosier State: Hoosier Hill (12/50)

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Here we are at the top of Hoosier Hill. Ben has his morpher, you know, just in case we need to become Power Rangers.

Here we are at the top of Hoosier Hill. Ben has his morpher, you know, just in case we need to become Power Rangers. (Hoosier Hill Photos)

When thinking about high points, one would not consider making a trip to Indiana.  After all, Indiana conjures up images of basketball and farmland, not high elevation, but every state has one and at 1257 feet, Hoosier Hill stands taller than a handful of other highpoints in the United States.

A few things made this trek one that will always lodge a special place in my memory.  For starters, I made sure to hit this highpoint on my way to the Mississippi State-Kentucky football game that weekend.  If you are wondering why this game will always stand out, that game marked the first time the Bulldogs had played a game as the No. 1 team in the nation. As a Mississippi State graduate and fan of the team, I just had to be at that game.

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The Busiest Highpoint: Clingmans Dome, Tennessee (11/50)

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For some reason, they moved the highpoint marker from the top down to the start of the summi trail at Clingmans Dome

For some reason, they moved the highpoint marker from the top down to the start of the summi trail at Clingmans Dome

Photos from Clingmans Dome

When it comes to highpoints, none receive more visitors than Clingmans Dome, the highpoint of Tennessee.  Standing at 6644 feet, the mountain, which sits on the Tennessee and North Carolina border, is the third highest point east of the Mississippi River behind only Mt. Mitchell and Mt. Craig in North Carolina.

Clingmans Dome sits in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and it is just one of many places worthy of a visit while spending time in the park. For those looking to avoid a long hike, a trip during the warmer months of the year (April-December) allows one to have the opportunity to drive near the top of the mountain and take the half-mile trail to the summit.  If you go during the winter months, the Clingmans Dome road is closed, making the journey a bit longer.

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The Top of the Bluegrass State: Black Mountain Kentucky (10/50)

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Hidden off the path sits the marker noting the top of Black Mountain, Kentucky.

Hidden off the path sits the marker noting the top of        Black Mountain, Kentucky. (Photos)

Sitting on the border with Virginia, Black Mountain stands at 4145 feet, making it the highest point in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  Those hoping to reach the highest point of the Blue Grass State have a few hoops and hurdles to jump through before getting ready to hike to the top.

Before heading to the top of the mountain, make sure to have a waiver notarized for everyone in your party.

After the paperwork is complete, finding the way to go to get to the top can be complicated because there is very little to mark anything on the trail.  Back in the day, Black Mountain had many trail roads built to help trucks with the removal of coal from the mountain, and many of these roads are still pretty well preserved.  However, there is not much to help hikers and highpointers find the top of the mountain by the way of signs and markers on the trail.

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Show Me: Taum Sauk Mountain, MO (9/50)

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Benjamin and I at the top of Taum Sauk Mountain

     Benjamin and I at the top of Taum Sauk Mountain
                 Taum Sauk Mountain Photo Album

With the start of a new year, I decided the time had come for a new adventure to another highpoint.  After kicking several ideas around, Taum Sauk Mountain in Missouri, at an elevation of 1772 ft. (41st highest), became my next target.  This worked out wonderfully for two reasons.

My son had been talking about playing in snow all December, and since I live on the Mississippi Coast, he does not have great odds of seeing it at home.  However, while out with a few people on New Year’s Eve, the weather forecast showed that Winter Storm Hercules threatened much of Missouri with snow.  The second reason this trip proved to be the right one is that my folks were able to go on another trip (they may be getting the bug..), and really, the more the merrier.

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Knocking Down the Natural State: Signal Hill, Mount Magazine, Arkansas (8/50)

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Signal Hill on Magazine Mountain, the highpoint of Arkansas

Signal Hill on Mount Magazine, the Arkansas highpoint              (Mount Magazine  Photo Album)

Over Thanksgiving, I made a bit of last minute decision to head over to Arkansas to go to Mount Magazine to hit the high point of the Natural State.  Having driven through Arkansas a few times, I knew the state had many beautiful places, but I did not realize how beautiful the area around Mount Magazine would be.

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Roll High Point: Cheaha Mountain, Alabama (7/50)

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Hanging out at the Alabama highpoint.

Hanging out at the Cheaha Mountain High Point.
                 (Cheaha Mountain Photo Album)

I’ve been blessed enough to see some pretty interesting places in my life.  I’ve been awed by the sight and the sound of Niagara Falls. I saw one of the most amazing sunrises of my life at Brasstown Bald, Georgia.  I’d rank some of the views from Cheaha Mountain right up there with them.

The Creek Indians viewed it as a special place, and for thousands of years, many went to the mountain as a place to meditate and escape.  I can totally understand why.  The place as an amazing, and mostly untouched, natural beauty.  Perhaps the most amazing thing is that it plays a bit of an optical illusion with you.  When standing in places such as Bald Rock, one feels that they are at a high elevation.  The fact is Cheaha Mountain only stands at 2407 feet, but the fact that the surrounding area is relatively low making it seem much higher. Continue reading →

My Highpoint: Woodall Mountain, Mississippi (6/50)

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Benjamin and I standing at the top of Mississippi.

     Benjamin and I standing at the top of Mississippi.

(Woodall Mountain Photos)

After Labor Day weekend, I had been wanting to get back on the highpointing trail, so I decided to mix in a trip to a few highpoints with Mississippi State football to have a good time in October.

The Mississippi State-Bowling Green game turned out to be quite interesting as the Bulldogs barely hung on for a win, but my son had a blast at his first game ever at Davis-Wade Stadium. After crashing with some friends near Starkville, Ben and I woke up and headed over to Northeast Mississippi and the City of Iuka.

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Most Amazing Sunrise I’ve Ever Seen: Brasstown Bald, GA (5/50)

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This is just one of the unreal sunrise pictures I took at Brasstown Bald

This is just one of the unreal sunrise pictures I took at Brasstown Bald.

(Brasstown Bald Photo Gallery)

I’ve never been a big fan of waking up early, especially before the sunrise. Sure it is a fact of life that most of us will have to wake up that early once we reach adulthood, but we do not have to like it.  However, as I started my way home from my Labor Day excursion, I decided to only grab a few hours of sleep in an attempt to get to the top of Brasstown Bald before sunrise.  When I look at these pictures in my office, they remind me that doing so proved to be well worth it.

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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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