Highpointers

[percious]

Anyone Going for their high pointers here?

Over Christmas, im going for WV PA and MD. Any "point"ers? I want to hike each one, as apposed to driving up them and getting out of my car.

-percious

[kingof14ers]

There are some like Iowa that you have so other choice. I would just park 2 miles from the highpoint.

Some of the ones I would really have a desire to do:

West: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, California, & Idaho
East: New York, New Hampshire, Maine, & which state is Mitchell in?

I would also love to do Hawaii. Alaska would be great if I have a spare 3 weeks and glacier/crevasse training. Otherwise standing in a corn field doesn't appeal to me as far as justifying a long drive.

[Rik]

My to do list reads like kingofthe14ers west list. I have done the northeast and a few others but not PA, MD or WV.

[percious]

for a full list of peaks: www.highpointers.org

[Fox]

My brother's a highpointer and I have tagged along on a couple with him. Borah in Idaho, Gannett in Wyoming and Granite in Montana.

Didn't make the peak in Montana....rolled a boulder onto my leg on Froze To Death Plateau. He's at 46 complete.

Are you going for all 50 or just the 48 contiguous?

[percious]

WV and two lost dogs

Ok,
My trip for 3 HPs was scaled back to just 2. Then apon reaching Route 50, it was scaled back to one. (I had not found MD). So WV it was.

Monongahela State Forest is a beautiful place. It kind of reminds me of the Whites, with less rugged mountains, but more rugged roads. I digress. The entrance to the forest is marked by spectacular Windmills, which some would probably consider an eye-sore, but the engineer in me found them very cool. After many country roads (mountain mama) and 3 failed stops for window washing fluid, I arrived at a quiet trailhead for the Horton trail. The only indication of the name was found on the map. My plan was to climb over one ridge to get to the valley before the highpoint-ridge, stay the night, flash the highpoint, and hike back over the first ridge .

After 5 hours of driving, and 1/2 hour at the car figuring out which gear to bring, I was off at 11am. The trail meandered next to a flowing stream, and the sun was hitting the snow just right to make it sparkle. It was a pretty amazing day. The only downside to the trail was 4 watercrossings, made precarious by fridged high water. Not a great thing to deal with when you are solo. The crossings were navicable however.

Exiting the streambed, I begun the first real ascent towards the ridge. Within 1/2 hour I had attained the ridge, and stopped for a bite to eat, while I dealt with navigation issues. The maps I had were not very well drawn to scale, and the only indication of where I was was a post with two bolts in it. You guessed it, a missing sign.

Soon I was approached by two dogs with heavy collars, and I was happy because I figured I would run into someone who could help me with my navigation situation. The dogs appeared very hungry, and but we respectful of me as I ate. After a few minutes, I gave them some of my tuna, and was surprised when one of the dogs grabbed the packet right out of my hand when I offered it to him. The owner still had not shown up, and I began to realize that these dogs were very thin. They were friendly, and they let me check them over. I found worn-down paws, and generally the dogs were amaciated. I decided the best thing to do was to get these dogs up to the next ridge where I could make a phone call, and try to get them home. I never bring a cell usually, but I was travelling solo, and in the winter, I just see it as a safety device.... Anyway.

The three of us descended into the valley. It was a mile hike, with many switchbacks, and I think both dogs, and I were happy to have the company. Upon reaching the valley, I encountered a LARGE stream (river even) Which was ice-locked, and flowing fast. After investigating along the banks, I decided it was to risky to pass, and made the decision to set up camp at a designated place along the bank, and call it a day. I cooked dinner, had a heck of a time feeding the dogs one at a time, and then all of us settled into my one-man canyonlands tent for the night. It was 6PM.

I awoke in the middle of the night to find that one of the dogs had found an empty tuna rapper I had left around camp. So much for a clean camp... And I had seen bear prints earlier in the day! at 730 I awoke for good, and made breakfast while cleaning up camp, and fed the dogs again. This time I offered them my lunch of summer sausage and cheese, which I knew I wouldnt need anyway.

[percious]

We hiked the mile of switchbacks up to the ridge again, and the male was looking quite tired, with his tail between his legs. The female was in good spirits, and hiked ahead of me happily wagging her tail. Attaining the ridge took 40 minutes, and I knew we only had 1 1/2 hours at most of hiking left. The descent was easy, and into the streambed we went. The dogs had a hard time with the water crossings, but were coaxed into crossing with beef jerky, which I had saved for just such a need. By the 4th water crossing, they were practically running across to get the meat. These were hungry dogs.

When we reached the car, there was a dead dear carcass nearby, which made it difficult to get the dogs into the car. The male was very obedient, but the female was able to get a couple of bites before I could get her away. I tied her to my car with some rope, and finished up getting myself all set. The male jumped into my trunk when I opened it, so that problem was solved pretty easily. When I was ready to go, I got the female into my trunk (I folded the seats down in the back), and we were off.

I stopped at the nearest town store. (anyone who has been in a small town knows what I am talking about) I asked if I could use the phone to make a local call and explained to the store clerks my story. They explained that the dogs were probably "bear dogs" used for hunting, and that the collars were radio collars used for locating the dogs after they had been out hunting.

The clerks also said they knew the person who was the dog owner, and after I got a busy signal they offered to call one of his friends. They were able to reach "Lisa" who offered to take the dogs off my hands, and who assured me that the dogs would receive the much needed medical attention.

After feeding the dogs some balogna bought from the town store, I met Lisa a few miles down the road, and she took the dogs into the back of her pickup truck. I said my goodbyes, and left for my 5 hour trip back to the in-laws in Maryland.

That is how I didn't hike WV's highest peak. My quest to hike all peaks from the base is still ongoing, and I WILL be back.

-percious