I had a beautiful ride from Delaware to the New Jersey high point  by driving through the Pocono Mountains, along Delaware river.  High Point sits in the northeastern corner of NJ and lies within High Point State Park.  It’s monument is very noticeable as you drive up to the point as it very closely resembles the Washington Monument.  This monument had been closed for well over 15 years, but was recently opened to the public, so I happily parked my car, walked up the short path to the base and then proceeded to climb the 291 steps to the top.  Unfortunately the views from the top were poor due to foggy, dirty windows and the weather that was changing from a beautiful sunny day to one of threatening clouds.  Funny thing is I found the climb down was harder than I thought it was going to be.  At the bottom I ran into a state park worker and asked about the history of the high point.  She mentioned that in order to declare High Point you need to visit three monuments.  One is on top of the wall beside the flag pole.  One is behind the building on a large slab of rock.  And the third was in front of the building, about 400 feet away.  It was fun looking around because everyone around me was looking and wondering what exactly I was doing.  Then I celebrated reaching the half way point of my quest!!! #25!!! Yahoo!!!

 

 

On a recent trip to NYC, while I was attending a Tony Robbins seminar, I decided after walking on fire (yes, I walked on hot coals!) and attending transformation day, that I could not longer resist the temptation of klimbing two high points that were within an easy days drive.  So off I went to explore the second lowest high point (FL being the lowest) in Delaware.  Ebright Azimuth sits on the state line between Pennsylvania and Delaware.   The actual high point within Delaware has been under scrutiny for some time now.  Some say the point is on the side of the road where a sidewalk now sits.  And thankfully due to the work of a local neighbor and an enthusiastic high point supporter Doreen, who asked local politicians to have the portion of the sidewalk that was laid on top of the high point monument be removed and the marker is now clearly visible.  Doreen also lobbied the local city officials to mount a sign close to the monument marker, making it easier to find (even still, I drove right by it twice!).  Others say the natural high point actually sits down the road a bit, just outside a trailer park.  And still others say the high point actually sits under a mobile home in the trailer park.  I learned a bit of this from reading the high point website, but I was also one of the lucky one’s who actually got to meet Doreen and she mentioned that most people visit three sites in order to declare Ebright Azimuth.  The monument beside the sidewalk, the sign and the monument just outside the trailer park.  I had a wonderful conversation with Doreen and she had me sign the log book, which I was extremely grateful for.  I also learned from her that you can stand in the middle of this road and straddle the yellow center line and one foot will be in Delaware, the other in Pennsylvania.  I just couldn’t resist…

Mt. Katahdin sits in Baxter Hill Park in northern Maine within a vast wilderness area surrounding the park.  It was a long drive from Vermont, but it was absolutely beautiful at every turn.  After checking into my room I decided to read the first chapter of Bill Bryson’s, ‘A Walk in the Wood’, which was a big mistake as the first chapter describes a variety of ways a bear can kill you in the woods.  Abandoning the reading I turned on the TV to one of two channels I could get only to find a movie called ‘Bear’.  Not only did I have a now have a visual memory of how many ways I bear could kill you in the wilderness, but I was now second guessing the idea of climbing alone the next morning.  I woke up early to check in at the entry gate before it closed at 7am and arrived at the trail head.  I followed Chimney Pond trail up to the Saddle route.  It was not an easy climb, especially because I felt I was on high alert for bears. And every time I heard a noise in the woods, I stopped to wonder if it was safe to continue moving forward or should I turn around!  But, I arrived at the summit safely.  I briefly enjoyed the views and decided to try taking ‘Jack Knife’ down.  A big mistake.  It’s an exposed ridge, with very steep drops on either side and the wind had picked up.  After about 15 minutes making my way along the jagged boulders I saw two ladies heading my way who encouraged me to turn around because of the wind, which I did and headed back to the Saddle route.  This route (as do all the others) require some bouldering, which I found very challenging.  It made me a little bit more nervous than I usually am, as the drop is very steep.  Now I know why Henry David Thoreau didn’t make the summit!!But, as I was descending I noticed a group of young men encouraging another young man down the mountain.  This man was terrified and crawling, facing toward the mountain, on his hands and knees.  After witnessing his struggle I was encouraged to keep moving forward, slowly and methodically.  I was very thankful once the steep bouldering was behind me.   And once I was back at my car I felt beaten up from head to toe.  Mt. Katahdin was my most difficult climb yet!  And I was off to Lubek Maine to run a 52kg road race in two days.  Oh boy…