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Idaho Librarian |
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| Contents |
Don Holmes has written a book about one of his passions.
A charter member of the Highpointers Club, he has climbed to and
visited every highpoint in the United States.
He assembled this book from first-hand experience, so he is able to
provide first-rate directions to each highpoint and rate each for its
level of difficulty. Categories for level of difficulty are Drive-up, and classes
1 (a walk) through 4 (strenuous, which includes major mountain climbing
and the use of ropes). Some
of the highpoints are easy drive-ups such as Mount Black in Kentucky or
Hawkeye Point in Iowa. Others,
like Mount Frissell in Connecticut or Driskill Mountain in
Louisiana, are easy hikes. Reaching
the highpoints on Mount Borah in Idaho or Mount McKinley in Alaska
requires actual mountain climbing. States are listed in alphabetical order, and Holmes follows a
set formula in each chapter so the reader/hiker is easily able to locate
the information related to a particular state’s highpoint.
The formula, found at the beginning of the book, includes location
of the highpoint and routes to it, specialized maps of the area, special
conditions, historical and natural history notes, guides/outfitters, and
guidebooks available. Several
informative appendices provide such information as relevant websites,
Highpointers Club information, even a personal log for recording the date
each highpoint is visited. An
excellent index “includes all highpoints, all route names to the
highpoints, significant road names, place names, and individuals
associated with a highpoint” (page 271).
The book is well written and will be of interest to anyone
interested in driving, hiking, or climbing to the highpoints, whether in
person or from an armchair. Highpoints
in the United States is a specialized book, but any library which
includes recreation, hiking or mountain-climbing books in its collection
should own this book.
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