State Highpoint #9 - South Dakota

 Harney Peak (7,242’)

The first state highpoint that required a decent sized hike, and was an actual mountain, belongs to one of the highpoints with the most amount of controversy regarding it’s name. You can read more about the history of the name of the peak here https://www.summitpost.org/black-elk-peak-harney-peak/150511 and for the sake of being void of confrontation, I’ll just call it Harney Peak. Neither Taylor or I had been to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and to be honest, neither of us had even been to the state of South Dakota. I wasn’t quite sure what existed there and didn’t know what to expect. 

Pulling into the town of Custer, it felt touristy, but on a very small scale. There were fun little restaurants, campgrounds, and souvenir shops. I also didn’t know how close it was to Mount Rushmore. I was still getting the area mapped out in my mind and curious about this new spot on the Earth I’d never set foot. I was wondering why there were so many tourist traps. We continued up the road, following the GPS route to the Harney Peak Trailhead, found a parking spot, and began the hike. Taylor’s previous long hike was 4.5 miles, done a few weeks before, and this one was going to be that same distance, one way. She was going to have to double that effort, and I was a little nervous with how she’d do. To my surprise, she was a trooper, and complained very little. I tried to keep her distracted by playing word games and keeping conversation interesting. This peak has 2,900’of prominence and is a relatively easy hike. It’s all class 1, with maybe one or two maneuvers that could be considered class 2. There is a great fire lookout tower on the top of the peak, that was meant as a fire spotter tower, and was built by the CCC in 1938. A big man made dam catches rainwater and it’s quite fascinating. 

From the tower and summit, you can see the backside of Mount Rushmore. So Taylor and I decided to visit the monument after we finished this hike. 

Taylor on top of Harney Peak, with Mt. Rushmore in the distance.

In the summit tower. Check out my cool Bose headphones. The perks of dating a Bose saleswoman. 😉

Taylor in front of Mt. Rushmore. Maybe the future 5th president?

State High Point #8 - Nebraska

 Panorama Point (5,424)

Another state highpoint that left me wondering what the rest of them would be like. Every single point in the journey was completely unexpected and a pleasant surprise. Some felt a little disappointing, only because it was different than what I expected state highpoints to look like, coming from a mountainous state like Utah. But with each new place explored, a layer of understanding was peeled back on what really constitutes the definition of the highest point within state boundaries. And even though I was left wondering how this could possibly be considered the pride of Nebraska, Taylor was having a great time exploring. 

State Highpoint #7 - Kansas

Mount Sunflower (4,039’)

 After helping my new friend, Sarah, move from Virginia to Utah, and knocking out 3 state high points on that trip, I made a move of my own. I was newly divorced, no kids, working as a waiter, and had all the time in the world to start a new adventure. I got a job as a flight attendant and was relocated to Denver, Colorado. After a couple short weeks of sitting on reserve, and picking up the occasional shift, I got the itch to start exploring, traveling, and knocking off more state highpoints. I had met a girl named Taylor, who worked as a Bose saleswoman at the Denver Airport, and we started spending a lot of time together. To that point, I hadn’t done a single state high point alone, and I guess I wasn’t about to start now. After all, the 6 places I’d visited so far, were so off the beaten path, that I wanted to share the love of exploring a new site with the people that I found most interesting, and knew would appreciate it. 

Taylor was originally from Michigan, moved out to Colorado with her brother, in search of something new and exciting. I could think of no better adventure companion, than myself. We packed up a couple days worth of hiking clothes, and headed out to knock out 3 more state highpoints. First stop was right outside the border of Colorado, barely into Kansas. Colorado sits so high in elevation, and Kansas is so flat, and continually slopes downward to the east, that this state high point is as close to the Colorado border as you can get. The highest point in Kansas in on private property, owned by the Harold Family, and they are kind enough to allow it to be visited by those of us that have a desire to check off our bucket lists. As we got off I-70 and headed south across the dirt country roads through the farmland, we were wondering where a high point could possible be. I kept looking for a mound, a hill, or any type of rise in the land. I should’ve  learned by now that some of these high points, are found not by eyesight, but mathematical equations much more sophisticated than I can imagine. Luckily for cell phones, google maps, and GPS, we were guided in the direction of the geographical high point of Kansas. 

The sun was lowering in the horizon, and the warm summer sun had raised big thunderstorm clouds into the afternoon sky. There wasn’t another soul around for miles, and it was one of the most peaceful evenings. Truly magical, and that’s when it hit me, that this journey was going to take me to some of the most incredible places, that I would not otherwise visit. 

State Highpoint #6 - Arkansas

 Mount Magazine/Signal Hill (2,753’)

Continuing with the theme of knocking out 3 state high points at a time, Sarah and I hit one more on the road trip back to Utah. We made one final stop in the first freezing rainstorm that I’ve ever seen. Being a boy from Utah, I had heard of freezing rain before, but never seen it in person. The roads looked wet, but I didn’t realize how slick they were, as I took the speed nice and slow, since it wasn’t my car we were driving. It wasn’t until I heard the tree limbs clinging together like chimes that I realized how thick the ice had become on the trees, and the roads. Another state hightpoint, to which you can drive, we crept up the road and got out of the car for just enough time to get some pics for proof that we made it. 

This has been the only experience I’ve ever had in the Ozarks, and I definitely need to go when it’s summer or fall, and not so frozen. The area looked beautiful and I’ll bet it’s stunning covered in green. 

State Highpoint #5 - Mississippi

 Woodall Mountain (807’ above sea level) - Mississippi

The word “mountain” is loosely used in the south I have noticed. As a boy from Utah, that grew up under the shadow of the Wasatch, I would warmly call this state highpoint, Woodall “bump”. If it weren’t for the road signs guiding me to the top of the hill, I wouldn’t have been able to decipher it from any other small mound in the area, as the designated highest point in Mississippi. And thankfully there was a concrete stump and geographical marker to let us know we had arrived. 

In 2004, an iconic movie, with quotable lines was released, prompting Sarah and I to take this picture. Wonder if you can name the movie.

I’ll bet I could throw a football over them mountains!

State Highpoint #4 - Alabama

 Cheaha Mountain in Alabama

Continuing the pursuit of reaching the highest point in every state took a southern turn, while helping a friend. A lot of these state highpoints are off the beaten path, in places a road tripper wouldn’t normally follow. Alabama was no exception, and it took little convincing to turn a move from Virginia to Utah, into an adventure. Now the story of how we got there is one most wouldn’t dare to live, in 2025. But 2010 was a different time. A simpler more trusting time. See, the quest to reach the highest point in every state, started after a divorce, and needing to find purpose. Needing purpose, found an open mind, and willingness to try new things and be adventurous. So when a friend of mine mentioned that they had a single friend, who was a nanny in Virginia for the summer, and was going to be moving across the country, back to Utah, and could use some help, I just so happened to be free, single and able to help. The girl, took a huge, trusting risk on me, because we talked on the phone for maybe a half hour before I booked a one-way plane ticket to Virginia. I saw an opportunity to turn the drive into an adventure, and show her some parts of the country that neither of us had seen, and make a good story for her. After all, life is for making memories. 

Opening the door to the townhome in which she lived, I had no idea what to expect. Luckily she was clean, organized and well prepared. We gave each other an excited hug, and then got busy packing her car with her clothes, and few boxes from a busy summer. We had to stay busy because we were almost completely unfamiliar with each other, and the best way to avoid awkward silence, is to be helpful. We got her 2002 Honda Accord stuffed with her belongings, and the little bag that I brought, said goodbye to the family for whom she was a great nanny, cried some tears, and opened the words on a new chapter. I told her of my goal to reach the highest point in each state and asked if she was up to seeing some fun sights on our drive to Utah. To my surprise, she was 100% on board. 

We headed southwest out of Virginia, and started towards our first big destination, Atlanta, GA. I’m a big college football fan, and love most sports in general. My friend at the time, was a huge Georgia Bulldogs fan, so we decided to make a quick stop at the University of Georgia, to see Sanford Stadium, and send him a picture of us in front. 

Having been Cosmo for BYU, of course I was more interested in the mascot. We toured the campus a little bit, to familiarize ourselves with how they do things in SEC territory, and see what college life is like for students there. Both Sarah and I had been to BYU, and it’s just a different type of university, so we enjoyed seeing how it’s done on other campuses. Then we headed to downtown Atlanta to spend the night. We made one quick stop to see the home of the Atlanta Falcons, and did our best wing impression. Clearly we were still getting to know each other, trying to make it fun, and she was being a good sport, and going along with my quirky ideas.  

The next day, we woke up and headed for Cheaha Mountain. We got there nice and early in the day and enjoyed a nice sunrise on the drive there. It’s a nice easy drive up to the state highpoint, and can’t really be called a mountain by my definition. It’s just the highest point in Alabama. A nice building and tower exist there, and you can climb up into the tower of the building to get a better look at the fields surrounding it, and then lines of trees in the distance. 

Having felt the excitement of checking off my 4th state highpoint, and introducing Sarah to the concept of state highpointing, we headed west towards Tuscaloosa to visit the site of the newly crowned 2010 NCAA BCS title game winning Alabama Crimson Tide. The first of two visits I’ve made to that stadium, and also the first time I’d set foot on that sacred grass. 15 years after completing this highpoint, I wonder if Sarah ever tells the story of that wild road trip, and her first state highpoint.