Category: High Points

Clingmans DomeTennesseeMay  2013 Getting our gear and lunch together, we cross Clingmans Dome Road and pick up the Appalachian Trail within a hundred feet.  Turning left, we are now on the granddaddy of America’s long trails, the famous and fabled A T. Our destination, Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Tennessee. Immediately we pass four… Continue reading Stringbean

Pittsfield/Mount GreylockMassachusettsMay  2014 Herman Melville was the author of the big fish story called Moby Dick. One of the stops on our drive from Mount Greylock, the high point of Massachusetts, is a home in Pittsfield.  It’s called Arrowhead and this is where Herman Melville, the writer, lived. We briefly tour a small part of… Continue reading Herman Melville & Friend

Mount MitchellNorth CarolinaJuly  2011 Clearly, wilderness trails in the eastern United States are nothing like the sidewalk by your home, nor anything like the tiled floor of the mall. The trail is rough and uneven, an irregular surface marked with dips and holes, roots and rocks.  Hikers often realize that, for the past twenty minutes,… Continue reading Sneakers

Guadalupe PeakTexasMarch  2013 You won’t ordinarily find the Guadalupe Mountains on lists of “windiest places.”  And yet, the Guadalupe Mountains are known by some to be relentlessly windy.  How windy is it? I think back to my telephone conversation with Ranger Hal.  I called him weeks before our trip to get some preliminary information.  It… Continue reading Wind

here and there, cow country cow #1 Matthew Calbraith Perry was an American naval officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.  He was a big deal military guy in numerous other conflicts and gained a stellar reputation.  Among other accomplishments, he helped to establish the curriculum… Continue reading Five Cows

Spruce KnobWest VirginiaMay  2014 On the trail, I told my hiking buddy this story. “Rod, last fall, I had some chest pain.  After undergoing a number of tests, I came out clean as a whistle, whatever that means.  A gastroenterologist suggested that my chest nerves were irritated.  My regular doctor responded, ‘You know what that… Continue reading Guesswork

Humphreys PeakArizonaJune  2013 On our hike down from the summit of 12633-foot Humphreys Peak, we encounter an animated group of college-age hiker gentlemen.  We can’t help but overhear their conversation.  They are discussing Goldschläger, a cinnamon schnapps invented by the Swiss.  It is a liqueur of 43.5% alcohol content or 87 proof.  We’re talking headbanger… Continue reading Goldschläger

MissouriJuly  2012 Politicians in Missouri usually alternate between pronouncing the state’s name as Missouree and Missouruh.  The Missouruh pronunciation favored in the southern part of the state and by older, conservative residents, is often used when candidates speak to rural audiences. I quote this paragraph from the Week Magazine, 10 26 12, which in turn… Continue reading Those Who Have Dugout Canoes

MassachusettsMay  2014 Very close to us when we are on the summit of Mount Frissell, the high point of Connecticut, is Bash Bish Falls, a 60-foot waterfall which is the climax of cascading water as it tumbles through a series of gorges.  The original Bash-Bish was a person, a Native of excellent babe-osity.  She had… Continue reading Bash Bish

Mount FrissellConnecticutMay  2014 A group of hikers is parked at the nearby pullout.  One guy, the loudest one, the one with the New York accent, is holding forth on the terrain, the history and the trails of the area.  As there are at least three different trails that go off into the woods here, I… Continue reading The (Secret) Name