The North Branch We paddled the North Branch back in 2015 (specifically 5/1/15 and 5/2/15). After driving to Chatfield and locking up our canoe and paddling gear, we drove to Whalen where we left our car and got on our bikes. For most of the Root River there is an accompanying paved bike trail. WeContinue reading “In Two Parts: Canoeing Minnesota’s Root River”
Category Archives: State high pointing
A Different Kind of Adventure: A Hurricane and the Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia High Points
This year in my ongoing quest to combine state high-pointing and medical conferences, I’d decided on Asheville which would set us up well for a day-hike to the top of North Carolina and a backpacking trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to include Tennessee’s highest land. I was stoked for this trip until aContinue reading “A Different Kind of Adventure: A Hurricane and the Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia High Points”
Adventuring the Southwest: Organ Needle, Texas High Point, and Sedona
This trip was yet again inspired by combining a work conference and a state high point. We went back to Sedona, but given we’ve already done the Arizona and New Mexico high points, this time we were on to Texas. I’d had this idea back in 2019 when I attended a conference in Tuscon, butContinue reading “Adventuring the Southwest: Organ Needle, Texas High Point, and Sedona”
Back to the North Winds: A Primer on Tourist Creek, a lot of Disappointment, and a little Redemption
My obsession with Gannett Peak, Wyoming’s highest point, began after we climbed Granite Peak, Montana’s highest in 2017. Prior to that we’d been state high-pointing, but Granite was my first “technical” peak. This opened up a whole new possibility of completing the lower 48, if not all 50, with Denali of course being leaps andContinue reading “Back to the North Winds: A Primer on Tourist Creek, a lot of Disappointment, and a little Redemption”
Backpacking the Eastern Uintas and Kings Peak
After our spring paddling trip, Erik desired something more chill so I came up with this 56 mile loop to do in six days in the eastern Uintas of Utah. The primary inspiration of the trip was to bag Utah’s highest point, Kings Peak. We started and ended at the Hoop Lake Trailhead which hadContinue reading “Backpacking the Eastern Uintas and Kings Peak”
Backpacking the South Carolina and Georgia High Points
I know both the South Carolina and Georgia state high points have roads to the top but I prefer to shed some sweat, blood (read on), and tears on my journey. What ensues is a tale of two backpacking trips, plus some bonus photos from Charleston because yet again, as with Arizona and Colorado andContinue reading “Backpacking the South Carolina and Georgia High Points”
The Nevada High Point and Backpacking Southern Yosemite
My motivation for this trip was to bag the Nevada high point, Boundary Peak. As with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, I combined this with a medical conference just south of Yosemite. After our Wind River Range trip this summer, I realized our itinerary, including a four-day-65-mile-16,000-foot elevation change backpacking loop based out of Luken’sContinue reading “The Nevada High Point and Backpacking Southern Yosemite”
New Mexico High Point
At 13,159 feet, Wheeler Peak is the highest point in New Mexico, located near the town of Taos in the northeast part of the state. We hiked Wheeler following a three day backpacking trip in the Pecos. After the Pecos, it was threatening rain so we detoured to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge over theContinue reading “New Mexico High Point”
Backpacking the Beartooths: One Epic Loop Including Whitetail Mountain and the Montana High Point
Located in south central Montana, near Yellowstone National Park, the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in the Custer Gallatin National Forest is home to some of Montana’s highest mountains, including the state high point: Granite Peak. It’s also only a long day’s drive from the Twin Cities. In August of 2017 Erik, myself, and our friend Craig, headedContinue reading “Backpacking the Beartooths: One Epic Loop Including Whitetail Mountain and the Montana High Point”
The Colorado High Point and Four Pass Loop in the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness
We first learned about the Four Pass Loop within the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness in Colorado from a couple while we were backpacking in the Grand Canyon. Seeing as this loop would take us less than four days, we combined it with Mount Elbert, the Colorado high point, and a work conference for aContinue reading “The Colorado High Point and Four Pass Loop in the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness”
Elspeth Ronnander 