Why Highpointing Across America
The idea was appealing for multiple reasons.
Although my career in international family planning/public health had taken me to over 80 countries around the world, I had traveled relatively little in the United States. Hiking would contribute to my lifelong effort of trying to stay fit.
This project would allow me to reach out and reconnect with people in my past who were now scattered across the United States. And there was also just a bit of “equal time” to my husband Bill’s regular excursions to far-flung places.
Despite my ingrained tendency to plan and organize, I began this undertaking with no masterplan.
I had no idea of how long it would take, whom I could recruit to go with me, how much it would cost, how long I would continue to enjoy good health, and how I would hold up on the truly challenging mountains.
Praise
If there is such a thing as a Fountain of Youth, Jane Bertrand may have driven, hiked, climbed, and yes, even stumbled upon it as she pursued her dream of visiting as many of the highest spots in each of the 50 U.S. States as she deemed possible.
Her journey began at age 60, but along the way over the next decade, she allowed herself to modify her goals in often-surprising ways. She experienced failures and successes, moments of doubt and periods of joy, but throughout, she cherished her friends and companions on these adventures, as well as her solo explorations.
This is a story of a woman who sets out to complete a list of objectives, yet recognizes that it truly is all about the journey. Travel with her across the country to discover both physical and mental strength she didn’t realize she had and a new perspective from the highest places, both literally and figuratively. Happy Highpointing!"
--DIANE WINGER, co-author with Charlie Winger of Highpointing – The Complete Guide to the 50 State Highpoints and Completer of 49 State Highpoints.
http://WingerBooks.com
“You Started What after 60? reminds us that it’s often more the journey than the destination. Bertrand’s account of getting lost on the trail and fighting the inevitable weather glitches gives up-and-coming highpointers an inside view of the adventures they can expect.
Her book is a welcome addition to the eclectic collection of guidebooks and memoirs on highpointing.”
--ALAN RITTER, President of the Highpointers Club and completer of 48 state highpoints
“I have always been impressed when people move beyond their comfort zone and push themselves. Jane Bertrand caught the Highpointing bug, as so many have, and pushed herself higher, harder, further. Each time she reached a “limit”, she simply re-set the bar higher.
This book is a rewarding tale of a woman who discovered just what she could accomplish well after most folks are contemplating their retirement years.”
--DAVE COVILL, President of The Highpointers Foundation and completer of 50 state highpoints
I got off to a lackluster start, opportunistically looking for chances to add a highpoint here and there, often in connection with other travel to a “new” state. Five years into this pursuit and by then age 65, I had only checked off 11 states, almost all of them “easy.”
As I neared the midpoint of my quest, I realized that I’d done this backwards – starting with the easy ones, leaving the hardest for last.
Only then did the slow race against time begin.