Roadtrip Highpointin'

 

You all know that highpointing is a passion-hobby of mine, and to that end, I've reached 6 out of the 48 state summits I plan to conquer. So far I've attained:

* Black Elk Peak - South Dakota

* Signal Hill - Arkansas

* Hawkeye Point - Iowa

* Panorama Point - Nebraska

* Mount Sunflower - Kansas

* Eagle Mountain - Minnesota

Well, after October's trip to Mackinac Island, I can now add two more to that list:

* Mt. Arvon - Michigan

* Timm's Hill - Wisconsin

I was also hoping to add Charles Mound in Illinois during this same trip, but it's located on private property. The owners only open up the area four weekends a year, and this one wasn't the one. Much as I would've loved to have gone anyway, I would have been trespassing on someone's land and I wasn't about to do that. So, let's check out Mt. Arvon and Timm's Hill.

So here's Mt. Arvon in Michigan. Unfortunately, I didn't quite make it to the very actual top. The weather turned on our way from Mackinac Island to here, and the road was nearly impassable to the top. I had to get out of the car and walk as far to the summit as I could. I was close enough to count it, for me, as I was right there! LOL 

After our treacherous journey back out of Mt. Arvon, this was the road on our way down to Wisconsin. It was quite beautiful.

We originally made it to Timm's Hill in Wisconsin at around 7:30 p.m. It was dark and the roads to the parking lot closer to the summit were closed for the Winter. We still tried to find it in the dark but had no luck. We made the decision to head to our motel, which was an hour south. After Mt. Arvon, I was completely dejected, but my best friend told me we could come back up the next morning if I wanted to. And, I wanted to! So, we arrived back the next morning and parked at the gate that closes off the road to the top parking lot.

After we walked about a mile, we reached the top parking area. 

Another mile up and we reached the top of Timm's Hill...success! Here's the official USGS marker for it. As a note, I don't always see these markers on high points, but I try and pose with them if I do.

There are two towers at the top of Timms Hill, one wooden and one metal. The metal one has a vertical ladder to the top, while the wooden one has a wooden platform at the top, much like the ones I've seen in many nature places. I climbed partway up the wooden one, but it was slick with ice.

The view over the landscape was a beautiful wintery view. 

Next summer, I'm planning on getting two more high points, Missouri and the aforementioned Illinois. I really do love highpointing and can't wait to get some more under my belt!