*High Pointing /‘hi, point/ noun
the sport of ascending to the point with highest elevation within a given
area, ie. the “highpoint”. Examples include: climbing the highest point in
each of the United States.
In the summer of 2022, 22 years after Kathryn and her father, Peter, began their high point journey, she stood at the peak of Granite Peak, Montana and happily announced, “We did it, Dad!”
Their ambitious quest to visit the highest point in each of the 50 United
States unofficially kicked off in 1995 when Kathryn and Peter were
visiting Colorado Springs where she was competing in a figure-skating
competition.
In between skating events, the two of them ascended Pike’s Peak.
Mistakenly believing it was the highest point in Colorado, (it’s actually Mt.
Elbert) Peter and Kathryn decided they would continue to visit the
highest point in each of the remaining 49 states.
Over the next few years, they set about conquering mountains mostly
located in the northeastern states such as New Jersey, New Hampshire
and New York.
But it was during the pandemic that Peter and Kathryn became more
focused on continuing the journey together.
“My dad was 80 years old at the time. The only safe and available
opportunity for us to get out of the house was to spend time outside.”
The pair decided to resume their high point quest by first visiting the
not-so-high points in the states such as Louisiana and Florida.
Peter began preparing for the more intense climbs that awaited them. In
2008, at age 72, he had competed in World Triathlon Championships in
his age group, so he was no stranger to the importance of building and
maintaining physical fitness.
“My dad was an athlete so he knew he would need to train to get back
to our hiking quest, which we planned on starting in June 2020.”
Sadly, Peter died unexpectedly in May 2020, and Kathryn decided
she would continue the journey, bringing along some of Peter’s ashes in
a small urn that is decorated with a hummingbird.
Kathryn and the ‘hummingb'urn’ made the first ascent in June of 2020.
“For the first six months I traveled alone because of pandemic safety
concerns,” Kathryn says.
But once restrictions eased, Kathryn began to invite people to
accompany her.
“It was important to me that the people I asked to climb with me had
some sort of connection to my dad.”
Kathryn and Peter shared a special relationship. She loved and admired
him and as such, feels his loss deeply.
Friends of Kathryn remember that she and Peter enjoyed a close bond.
Her intense admiration and respect for her father was clear. She
prioritized their relationship and as such, the two spent much time
together. Similarly, Peter openly expressed his pride and love for his
daughter.
“Planning the various climbs was very therapeutic. It helped me to have
a mission to accomplish the goal list that we started together. As I hiked,
I allowed myself to feel whatever came up whether it was sadness or
happiness.”
Kathryn documented her journey on social media as a means of
processing her experiences and to keep friends and family updated.
Surprisingly, she began receiving support and encouragement from
strangers who were inspired by her writing.
“I have such gratitude for the people who encouraged me and shared
stories of their own losses. I began to think about grief in a new way.”
After she finished the journey in the summer of 2022, Kathryn felt happy
and fulfilled knowing that she and her dad finished together. Currently,
she’s about halfway through writing a book that documents her
experience.
“I never planned to write a book. But now I have this incredible story to
tell.”
Her book recalls people she met along the way, recounts the history of
various mountains and relates lessons she learned from the quest.
Although their high point adventure is completed, Kathryn and Peter
continue their journey forward together.
*For the curious: the state with the lowest ‘highpoint’ in the US is
Florida's Britton Hill (345 feet). The tallest hightpoint is Alaska’s Denali
at 20,310 feet.
