NJ Highpoint, June 10, 2010

[TrishandAlex]

Cut and pasted from http://www.trishalexsage.com
Accompanying pictures and videos can be found there.
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The question: What do you do when your house is being remodeled and you can't comfortably live in it for more than a month?

Our answer: Go on a highpointing spree!

Which brings us to...

Our goal for the summer of 2010: Stand on every highpoint east of Colorado, except for Maine and New York (those are too difficult for Sage right now, we'll get to those next year).

The rules: Get to the top however we want. Car is fine, boots are fine.

First stop: High Point, NJ (yes, it's called High Point). June 10, 2010

We (over)packed the car and set off excited for the many weeks ahead. Alex and Sage don't mind long drives, they just bury themselves in various books and read most of the time. I think they went through the entire Bone comic book series on the four and a half hour drive to New Jersey.

We made it to the summit road without any problems...

...and started driving up.

One can see the monument ("the big pencil," according to Sage) as one ascends.

We parked in the lot and admired the view...

...here's the little convenience store near the summit...

...and the short walkway to the monument itself.

On top of New Jersey!

After the highpoint, we headed into Stokes State Forest and spent the night at a beautiful, remote campsite. If you ever happen to visit, stay at site #13. Huge site, lots of room, and next to a scenic brook. Gorgeous. You can see the corner of our tent platform in the picture below.

Next stop..Delaware!

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

HP annual konvention was in NJ a couple of years ago. If you read this reply in time, make sure to stop by the NJ/PA/NY tri-point on your way west. I think that state tri-points are way cooler than state high points, and after you visit a few, you will see why. Have fun!

 

[Jay H]

The Tripoint for PA/NY/NJ can also be kayaked too, In fact that is how I actually went there at the mouth of the neversink and the delaware rivers, the neversink runs all the way up from the catskills...

Glad you had a good trip to Stokes TrishAndAlex, High Point was remodeled about 5 years ago, the monument "the big pencil" was closed for a long time, but it was reopened a few years ago. I have a few friends who live aroun there, including "snowshoe" who infrequents this forum. I live about 40 minutes from there. See any black bears? Stokes is full of them, I see more bears up in my neck of the woods than anywhere I've been in the northeast...

Jay

 

[dangergirl]

Looks like you had fun! Have fun at your next stop!

 

[TrishandAlex]

Hi Dr. D, we didn't do the tri-point, unfortunately. Though the girls have now put their feet in two different states at one time, many times over.

Jay, we didn't see any bears, though both the High Point park and Stokes had posters on every other tree warning people about them. Was a bit disappointed that we didn't see any, especially since we were the only people in the campground that evening and it was a remote site. Then again, the girls make a lot of noise. They probably scare all the bears in the campsites away, with all the normal kid-racket they make.

Thanks, dangergirl!