Highpointers Foundation Projects – West Region
California – Mount Whitney2012 - Amount of financial assistance: roughly $900
The Highpointers Foundation provided two benches near Mount Whitney.
Colorado – New Trailhead and trail improvements on Mount Elbert plus
The new Mount Elbert trailhead and trail improvements should be completed by the end of 2021. |
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 Colorado’s highest peak, 14,433-foot Mount Elbert, seen from the east. The new trailhead and improved summit trail are on the left side of the peak. |
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 One of the signs alerting hikers to the new trail construction. |
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 One of the signs alerting hikers to the support required for the new trail construction. |
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 Seven year old Eden Cass Covill on top of Mount Elbert having climbed via the new improved trail. This was her 7th state highpoint. - Photo by granddad Dave Covill |
The Highpointers Foundation provided funds for the
creation of a state highpointing exhibit at the new museum, located
at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden. This building houses the
Colorado Mountain Club, the American Alpine Club, Outward Bound,
Colorado Trail Foundation, Fourteeners Initiative,
and other smaller non-profits associated with the mountains.
The museum, the only one of its kind in North America,
has a large exhibit hall dedicated to all facets of mountaineering –
including Colorado peaks (with the Fourteeners),
other American peaks, peaks from around the world, sacred peaks, and a history
of mountaineering. The highpoint exhibit is currently featured as a touch
screen interactive display, where visitors can explore their own state
highpoints as they pass through Colorado on vacation, with text describing
the highpoint and its environs and history, plus photographs.
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The Highpointers Foundation is committed to assisting the BWAMM in further maintenance and development efforts of the state highpoint exhibit. The Foundation hopes to be able to contribute to the BWAMM on an annual basis.
The donations for this initial expenditure were provided by the Paul Zumwalt Museum and Education Fund. The late Paul Zumwalt was a surveyor and hiking guidebook author who, along with Jack Longacre, was committed to creating a museum for highpointing that could someday provide educational assistance to bring the world of highpointing to a broader audience. This Fund was un-used for many years after the passing of both men, until it was determined that the best use of these funds would be to direct the funds, via the Highpointers Foundation, to assist in the creation of an exhibit at the BWAMM. Funds are being set aside for a future project at the BWAMM involving tangible historical highpointing artifacts. Another project under consideration is a short movie highlighting the 50 state highpoints, to be shown in the BWAMM theater. Users enter, push a button, and can sit and watch movies there.
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The 50th anniversary of the first climb of Mount Everest brought together great alpinists who played a major part in Everest history. The following climbers signed this Nepal Flag: Sir Edmund Hillary, Junko Tabei, Norbu Sherpa, Tom Hornbein, Phil Ershler, Beck Weathers, Nawang Gombu, Peter Hackett, David Breashears, Jon Krakauer, Jim Whittaker, and Maurice Herzog. A donor gave the Highpointers Foundation money to have the flag mounted, framed, and placed on a wall in BWAMM, where it resides today.
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Idaho – Mount Borah
2017 - Amount of financial assistance: roughly $200The Highpointers Foundation has provided funds for an ammo box register that was placed on the summit of Mount Borah in 2017.
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Montana – Granite Peak
2013 - Amount of financial assistance: roughly $150An ammo can register was securely placed on the summit in 2013 with the assistance of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.
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Nevada – Boundary Peak
2012 - Amount of financial assistance: roughly $1,400
The Highpointers Foundation has provided funds for three trail registers.
The USFS installed the registers at the Trail Canyon, Queen Mine, and Middle Canyon Trailheads in 2013.
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A large crew of Highpointers Foundation members worked hard to improve the access road to the Queen Mine Trailhead in 2020.
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Utah – Kings Peak
2010 –> 2017 - Amount of financial assistance: roughly $2,500
The Highpointers Foundation provided funds for a large framed 50 Flags Poster,
commemorating the events of September 11, 2001, which was delivered to the USFS Ranger District office
in Mountain View, WY. This office administers the northern approach to Kings Peak, a.k.a. the
Henrys Fork Trailhead. The US Forest Service is well aware of the many Highpointers who pass
through and inquire about Kings Peak, and they are a strong ally to the highpointing hobby.
This was the first collaboration between the Highpointers Foundation
and a federal ownership administration, the USFS, for the benefit of a highpoint.
Lorie is on the left, Whitney on the right.
With funds from the Highpointers Foundation, a bench was added to the Henry’s Fork Trailhead
north of King’s Peak in 2012.
Wilderness trail signs were placed in 2013 and 2014 to replace worn out signs that had served for decades,
and again in 2017.
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| Rosie, Chad Alber, Jennifer Roach, Izzi, and Dan Bereck enroute to Kings Peak. | Gerry Roach and Izzi enjoying the trailhead bench after climbing Kings Peak. |
Summary
Amount of financial assistance to date in the West Region: Over $18,000The Highpointers Foundation has raised over $275,000, and has invested more than $170,000 at 32 US state highpoints, the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, Colorado, and for the USA-wide program of Highpoints movies.
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Future projects
Possible future projects to assist privately and publicly owned state highpoints in the West Region are being considered at: AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, HI, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, and WY.- Arizona – Mount Humphreys – A fully funded bench at new TH parking lot
- Idaho – Mount Borah – A fully funded bench at the trailhead
Submit your project idea!
List of the US State Summits