Vermont's High Point - "Mount Mansfield"

Vermont's high point Mount Mansfield at 4,393 feet is located near Stowe, and operates as a ski resort in winter. We had seen the impressive mountain range and Mount Mansfield's white snow covered peak on our drive from the north down to Burlington where we had based ourselves for a few days (see last photo).

On the 27th March 2008, we drove to the Stowe Ski Resort on what was intially a sunny clear sky day. As we prepared for the hike in the car park, the clouds and darker sky rolled in and the flurries started! With the weather starting to look ominous (and no one who could tell us what the weather at the summit was like), we took the gondola to the Cliff House. From there, we started the steep icy hike to the Mt Mansfield summit which was very icy. Parts of the rockface was like a sheet of ice and we couldn't have done it without the crampons. It took us about an hour to reach the summit which gave us a decent view of the cloudy mountain range and the ski runs at the resort. We tried to find the USGS marker on the highest rock which Mark had visited previously, but after chipping away at the ice on the rock with our ice axes, we gave up. We headed back down, sometimes sinking into a feets of snow as we made our way back to the Gondola. It was a relatively quick but rewarding hike to the highest point in Vermont in winter.

Virginia's High Point - "Mount Rogers"

26th May 2006

We were on another road trip, this time making the ambitious aim to do 3 high points in 3 days.
Leaving New Jersey in the late afternoon on a Friday night, we headed south towards I-81 which would take us to Virginia. We had made reservations at Grindstone Campground within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and had promised what sounded like an aging forest ranger that we would check in before 11pm and before they went to bed. The trip down I-81 seems to take forever and was busy with trucks and Friday night traffic. We rolled in just before midnight. It had started to rain slightly and we were too tired to put up the tent so we slept in the back of the car.

To get to Virginia's high point Mount Rogers which stands at an impressive 5,729feet, this would be my first decent length hike in the US. It was a lovely sunny day though a little windy as we made our way on the hike. It was a relatively easy hike with a gentle climb in elevation so it didn't feel too strenous and we were able to enjoy the fantastic views. The best part was seeing the wild "Wilburn Ridge" ponies which seemed really accustomed to people and let us get up close. There were also a few cows too lazing in the fields.

The scenery was very varied, from dry flat fields to rocky paths, and from bushes and trees to an almost "rainforest" feel as we approached the summit. Compared to the wonderful views, the high point wasn't anything exciting but a spot in a small clearing in the trees with no view. It felt very damp and it was getting cold, so we quickly looked for the USGS marker and took a few photos before heading back. The round trip hike took about 5 hours.

Alabama's High Point - "Cheaha Mountain"

19th Feb 2006
After Florida's high point, we headed north into Alabama. We were in the deep south and I was a little apprehensive as we drove through Alabama. Passing shackled houses and way too many Baptist churches, thoughts of crazy white supremist people who probably hadn't seen many Asians was spinning through my head. A little narrow minded on my part I am sure, but c'mon. We stopped on the side of the road in a little town wanting to try some southern fair and got some pork bbq sandwiches. As we waited for our food, we listened to locals sitting in the basic restaurant talking in their southern drawl about their days' event of dirt bike riding. Ahh, gotta love the hicks of the deep south! Mark, who's into dirt bike riding loved it. Back on the interstate highway, we made our way past major towns Montgomery and Birmingham, both which has been significant during the civil rights' movement decades earlier. It was 12 midnight on the Saturday night (2/18/06) before we rolled into the small town of Oxford and stayed at the Red Carpet Inn. Nothing fancy and only a little dodgy.

Early Sunday morning, we headed to our second destination just half an hour away. Alabama's highest peak at Cheaha Mountain at 2407 feet was a drive up through the mountains, passing many white trash houses which has many broken cars outside, toys strewn everywhere and always a few dogs. There was one house in particular I remembered with more than 10 puppies in the front yard just running around with no fence. We had to take particular care not to run them over and risk having their owners come out with a shotgun or two. Alabama's highest peak is marked by a stone building. The view was ok, but with fog in the area made it hard to see too far across the plain. The bare tree brances were all frosted with ice, leaving the scenery a picture of white though there was no snow. A picture or two and we were off. Two down.