The Ozark Society

7 12, 2020

High Points Part 11

By Steve Heye|2020-12-07T12:34:48-06:00December 7th, 2020|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Winter 2020|Tags: Member Exclusive|

This is the eleventh episode of my trips to visit as many of the fifty US States’ highest points. This time it’s a week in the inter-mountain west to bag Idaho and Nevada in August of 2020. This trip was set up when my backpack on the John Muir Trail for July 2020 was canceled by COVID- 19. Mt. Whitney was to be the goal of that hike. This left me in shape but nowhere to go. I saw that no permits were needed for Idaho or Nevada, so I set this trip up as a replacement. The trip started on August 18th with a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah from Little Rock. I rented a small SUV with the ground clearance I would need for access to Nevada’s high point and got the hiking supplies I would need to do my attempt of Borah Peak, Idaho on the 20th. Flying during COVID was not too bad. You had to be aware of your surroundings and made sure you had stuff to eat on the plane as all they passed out was water and packaged snacks. The center seats were left open on the plane. Overall, I felt folks [...]

8 06, 2020

High Pointing Part 10: West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania

By Steve Heye|2020-06-08T14:58:06-05:00June 8th, 2020|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Summer 2020|Tags: Member Exclusive|

This is the tenth episode of my trips to visit as many of the fifty US States' highest points. In chapter nine we looked at the trip I took in August of 2019 to Utah and the Dakotas. This time it's one long day in the spring of 2017 in the central Appalachians. I started the day in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I had spent the night here on my way to a meeting in Harrisburg, Pa. My goal was to get all three states in one day and make it by nightfall to Harrisburg. At 6am I jumped in the car and started up US 33 to my first stop, Spruce Knob, West Virginia. West Virginia Located about 70 miles west of Harrisonburg, Spruce Knob is 4,863 feet above sea level. A state park and access road make the peak very accessible. This was, however, the first day of Spring and no one had told that to the high elevation snow that was still on the last mile or so of the approach road. You park your car in a nearby lot and walk the last quarter mile to a pavilion that sits on the high point. Highest peak is [...]

9 03, 2020

High Pointing Part 9: Utah and the Dakotas

By Steve Heye|2020-03-09T13:13:24-05:00March 9th, 2020|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Spring 2020|Tags: Member Exclusive|

This is the ninth in a series of my adventures to visit as many of the fifty United States' highest points as I can. In chapter eight we looked at the trip I took in September of 2018 to visit 7 New England states in one trip. This time we head out west to visit Utah, North Dakota and South Dakota in August of 2019. It all starts on August 6th with a flight to Denver, picking up a rental car and driving to Rawlings, Wyoming, for the night. I would do all my prep work the next morning for my three-day backpack into the High Uintas Wilderness. On August 7th, I drove over to Rock Springs and then spent a few hours exploring the Flaming Gorge region of the Green River before driving over to the trailhead for the night. In the morning I would load up and start my hike towards Kings Peak. Utah Located in northeastern Utah, Kings Peak at 13,528 feet is the highest point in Utah. It barely ekes out nearby points that make up the Uintas range. The range is not unlike the Ouachitas, as they run east-west, only they are way higher. I [...]

9 03, 2020

John Muir Trail Trip June 26-July 6, 2020

By Steve Heye|2020-03-09T13:13:32-05:00March 9th, 2020|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Spring 2020|Tags: Member Exclusive|

Things are taking shape for our hike this summer on the John Muir Trail in the High Sierras of California. And it’s not too late for one more of you to join us! Trip leader Steve Heye has a permit for eight hikers and one spot is still open. You still have time to join in on the training and planning in the months before the hike. The hike will be from June 29th to July 5th starting from the Onion Valley Campground and end at Whitney Portal. This is a distance of 44 miles over 6 nights. A group of us will be in Onion Valley a couple of days early to get used to the altitude. Plan on a vacation window of June 26 to July 6 to get there, do the hike and get back home. If you’d like to join us or want more info, contact Steve at heye@Aristotle.net. If you can’t make it, do you know someone who might like to go? Then please tell them., These permits are hard to come by and we don’t want to leave any slots empty.

12 12, 2019

High Pointing Part 8

By Steve Heye|2020-01-21T18:04:30-06:00December 12th, 2019|Categories: News & Updates, Winter 2019|

This is the eighth in a series of my adventure to visit as many of the fifty US states' highest points. Last time we looked at the odds and ends of high points I picked up as I went by. This time it's a trip I took in September of 2018 to visit 7 New England states: Rhode Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York and Maine. This was a very aggressive schedule, trying to get all 7 of these states in one 12 -day trip. The number of hikes that would require all day walking, the driving, scheduled stopping spots and weather all pushed me on this journey. It all started on Saturday September 22, 2018 when I flew to Providence, Rhode Island. Rhode Island This was my first time in Rhode Island. I would explore it more when I came back to fly home. I left my hotel and drove about an hour to the west center of this small state. Just off Rhode Island Hwy. 101, near Foster is Jerimoth Hill, 810 feet above sea level. You park at a sign on the roadside and walk about a quarter mile to the marker in a patch [...]

12 12, 2019

John Muir Trail Outing, High Sierras

By Steve Heye|2019-12-12T12:27:11-06:00December 12th, 2019|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Winter 2019|Tags: Member Exclusive|

Steve Heye is organizing a multi-day backpack trip along the John Muir Trail in the California Sierras the Summer of 2020. The hike will be from the Onion Valley campground to the Whitney Portal, around 45 miles. The trip is currently in the planning stages and will require input from all those wishing to go. Because this area is high demand wilderness, we must apply for a permit to hike this trail. This is done by lottery and so dates of the trip will be dependent on a permit being issued to us. We will begin applying daily in January for permits issued for July dates and continue applying until we obtain a permit. We should know by April first if we have a permit and what the dates will be. The hike itself will probably be seven days/six nights with a day hike to the top of Mt. Whitney at 14,500 feet. The hike has several wilderness restrictions. Most of the hike is at an altitude of 9000 to 10,000 feet. Other restrictions deal with food containers, human waste, the size of the group, campsites and campfires. There has been early interest shown, so if you would like to [...]

4 09, 2019

High Pointing Part Seven – The Odds and Ends
High Pointing Part Seven – The Odds and Ends

High Pointing Part Seven – The Odds and Ends

By Steve Heye|2019-12-12T11:44:24-06:00September 4th, 2019|Categories: Fall 2019, Pack & Paddle|

This is the seventh in a series of my adventures to visit as many of the fifty US states' highest points as I can. Last time we took look at two trips to visit the southern Appalachians in 2010 and 2013. You may have noticed that most of the stories have revolved around a specific trip to visit many sites in one big trip or take advantage of the fact that I'm in the vicinity of a high point. This time we will take a look at those high points I detoured to see because I was doing something else and it was nearby. The states covered in this episode are Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana and Ohio. Arizona If you've ever traveled out I-40 west towards Flagstaff, about fifty miles out you begin to see a lone peak growing bigger as you make your way west. This is the highest point in Arizona, Humphreys Peak, 12,633 feet above sea-level. In September 2004 I was part of an Arkansas group that was headed to Havasupai. We had a second bunch on our permit from Tennessee and had to wait a day for them to fly to Las Vegas. To use our [...]

3 06, 2019

High Pointing Part Six – The Southern Appalachians

By Steve Heye|2019-07-23T14:15:15-05:00June 3rd, 2019|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Summer 2019|

Welcome to the sixth in a series of my adventures to visit as many of the fifty US states' highest points as I can. Last time we took a look at a trip of my tour of the Midwest following the Eclipse of August 21, 2017. This time its the southern Appalachians of the Southeast: North and South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. On the first trip, my wife, Meribeth, and I went up I-40 to Ashville, North Carolina in October of 2010 to see Biltmore and the sights of the Smokies. The second was done in May of 2013 following the graduation of our nephew from Virginia Tech. South Carolina We used the town of Ashville, N.C. as our base to see the area. One day we went south of Ashville to visit the home and farm of Carl Sandburg, near Flat Rock, N.C., a stop we highly recommend. Before that however, we went just across the state line into South Carolina to see Sassafras Mt, 3560 feet, the highest point in the state. At the time we visited in 2010, the access was a rough forest road to the radio towers on its summit. You parked your car about [...]

6 03, 2019

High-Pointing the States: Part Five – The Midwest Loop
High-Pointing the States: Part Five – The Midwest Loop

High-Pointing the States: Part Five – The Midwest Loop

By Steve Heye|2019-06-03T12:08:42-05:00March 6th, 2019|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Spring 2019|

Here is the fifth in a series of my adventures to visit as many of the fifty US states' highest points as I can. Last time we took a look at a trip from October of 2014 to the southeast corner of the US: Florida, Alabama and Georgia. This time I will tell you of my tour of the Midwest following the Eclipse of August 21, 2017. My wife, Meribeth, and I went up to my Aunt's home in Sutton, Nebraska for the big eclipse. Her town was dead center on the path of totality. Nice! Following the event, we made our way towards the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul. Along the way, one of our first stops was the highest point in Iowa. After the fair, Meribeth would fly home and I would continue bagging high points in the Midwest. Iowa Iowa's high point, Hawkeye Point, is outside the town of Sibley. This is one of those easy ones: drive up, get out, take the photo. There is a patio and mosaic marker at the high point and it is surrounded by cornfields and a farmstead. Even at 1670 feet, it’s got a great view of the rolling [...]

10 12, 2018

High-Pointing the States: Part Four – The Southeast Corner
High-Pointing the States: Part Four – The Southeast Corner

High-Pointing the States: Part Four – The Southeast Corner

By Steve Heye|2019-06-03T12:09:44-05:00December 10th, 2018|Categories: Pack & Paddle, Winter 2018|

This is the fourth in a series of my adventure to visit as many of the fifty US states' highest points as I can. This time it's the southeast corner of the US: Florida, Alabama and Georgia. I did this trip a few days before my 40th High School reunion in Franklin, Tennessee, in October of 2014. Florida At only 345 feet, Britton Hill, Florida is the lowest high point in the country. The hill is located just off US Hwy. 331 near Florala, Alabama. It also tops the highest point in the peninsula, Sugar Loaf, by 33 feet. I started my trip early on October 22nd, hoping to get from Little Rock to the high point before dark. I went down to Hattiesburg, Mississippi and then went east toward Montgomery and then south on Hwy. 331. I took this route to see this area for the first time. I reached Florala just before dusk. Florala is a resort and retirement area about 90 minutes north of Panama City, that has a small lake and an Alabama State Park. I took a city street east out of town to a county road that would take me the 5 miles or so [...]

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