I’m excited to share a guest post about a favorite pursuit of ours: hiking the US state high points. This post highlights a 2019 journey to summit as many state high points as possible, van life on the road, and the motivation that kept the author hiking through changing seasons and wide-open landscapes.
Shortly after returning from a round-the-world trip, Dylan and I set out on a road trip with plans to hike four more state high points: Florida, Alabama, Indiana, and Ohio. Hiking state high points has been a longtime passion, and we’re always ready for another summit. While scrolling Instagram along the way, I noticed a post from someone at Ohio’s high point. That chance encounter led to a new friend and a shared enthusiasm for high pointing.
That person was The Bold Nomad — Chris Denu — an outdoors enthusiast and avid hiker originally from Vermont. Living a nomadic life in a camper van, Chris combines minimalism, travel, and a love for mountains to pursue ambitious hiking goals and share inspiration through photos and stories.
In 2019, Chris set out to hike 49 of the 50 state high points in a single year.
Hearing about this goal was impressive. It took us years to collect just a fraction of those peaks, and Chris aimed to complete nearly all of them in a single season. Below, Chris describes his background, his transition to van life, and the route and decisions that shaped his 2019 high-point adventure.
Chris Denu: Hiking The State High Points
- Chris Denu: Hiking The State High Points
- About Chris
- Van Life
- The Adventure Begins
- The East Coast
- Go West Young Man
- Due North
- Heading Down South
- Western Peaks & Gulf of Mexico
- California & Summer Heat
- When September Ends
- What’s Next
About Chris
Raised in rural Vermont, Chris spent his youth outdoors year-round. That early connection to wild places has guided his adult life and led to long-distance hiking and mountaineering projects. For a decade he based himself in Colorado, climbing many high peaks and logging long trail miles. In 2017 he completed the Continental Divide Trail over 138 days, an experience that sharpened his skills and confidence and set the stage for bigger goals.
In 2019, fueled by experience and a love for exploring, Chris set an ambitious target: climb 49 state high points in the lower 48 within a single calendar year.
Van Life
Chris adopted van life in 2018, buying a van outside Nashville, flying there to pick it up, and driving it back to Colorado to begin a conversion. He spent the winter in Vermont working and building out the campervan. Cold, short days made construction slow and the bed wasn’t fully complete when the journey began, but the van proved its value as a mobile base for a high-point quest.
Living full-time in a campervan meant learning new routines: where to park, how to store food and water, fuel management, and preparing meals in a small space. Van life also provided the flexibility to drive long distances and chase mountain weather and seasonal windows.
With several state high points already in his logbook, Chris set the calendar-year challenge for 2019 and eagerly awaited January to begin the push.
The Adventure Begins
Chris launched the season in Vermont, summiting Mount Mansfield on January 19th in sub-zero temperatures. In February he climbed Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks with his brother, and by late April he completed a trio of New England high points with friends. Early momentum built toward a busy summer of travel and hiking.
High Point Count: 5/50
The East Coast
Memorial Day weekend kicked off a stretch of high pointing east to west. Chris checked off New Jersey and Delaware amid wet, foggy weather, then packed three high points—Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia—into one day. Heading westward, he added Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois as the spring gave way to summer.
High Point Count: 13/50
Go West Young Man
As distances between high points increased, so did driving time. Chris added Iowa and Nebraska, paused in Colorado with friends, and adjusted plans after a Mount Rainier attempt fell through. A backup plan led to Borah Peak, Idaho, where on June 15th he summited after a second attempt on that challenging peak. After a detour through Salt Lake City Chris returned east via a northern route.
High Point Count: 16/50
Due North
Traveling north, Chris summited Black Elk Peak in South Dakota and the high point of North Dakota, then navigated mosquito-heavy portions of Minnesota and climbed Timms Hill in Wisconsin. He crossed into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and made a Canada loop back to Vermont to reach New Hampshire and Maine in summer, including Mount Washington and remote, dramatic Mount Katahdin.
High Point Count: 24/50
Heading Down South
In July Chris worked through southeastern high points: Virginia in cool misty conditions, Kentucky, Tennessee’s Clingmans Dome via the Appalachian Trail, and Mount Mitchell in North Carolina. He enjoyed the unique observation platform at Sassafras Mountain on the North Carolina–South Carolina border, and continued through Georgia, Alabama’s Cheaha Mountain, and the low-lying Florida high point. From there he moved through Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas before a short Colorado respite.
High Point Count: 36/50
Western Peaks & Gulf of Mexico
In August Chris hiked the Uinta Highline Trail and reached Kings Peak in Utah. He revisited Mount Elbert in Colorado via a new route, traveled to Black Mesa in the Oklahoma panhandle, and visited Texas’s Guadalupe Peak after a detour to swim on Padre Island. Next came Wheeler Peak in New Mexico and Humphreys Peak in Arizona—areas Chris hopes to explore more in future trips.
High Point Count: 42/50
California & Summer Heat
After visiting the Grand Canyon, Chris headed to the eastern Sierra Nevada. He endured extreme heat through Las Vegas before arriving in Bishop. He hiked Boundary Peak on the Nevada–California border and later secured permits for Mount Whitney. Camping in the Alabama Hills, he and a friend completed a long day hike from Whitney Portal to the summit and back. That climb marked a celebratory milestone: his 44th state high point.
High Point Count: 44/50
When September Ends
Weather and seasonal conditions ultimately curtailed the 2019 push. Mount Rainier and Mount Hood opportunities slipped away, Gannett Peak in Wyoming presented dangerous bergschrunds, and Granite Peak in Montana received significant early snow. With fall approaching, Chris concluded the season having climbed 44 of the planned 49 lower-48 high points in about nine months.
What’s Next
Six high points remained to complete the lower-48 objective. Chris planned to target Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, Gannett Peak, and Granite Peak the following year, and then turn attention to Alaska and Hawaii to finish all fifty states. Denali represents the most demanding challenge—preparation and specific mountaineering training are essential for a safe attempt on that 20,000-foot peak.
Beyond state high points, Chris has begun a new goal: summiting the highest points in each U.S. National Park. With more than sixty-two parks in the system, he’s already completed several and has many more planned.
Thank you to Chris for sharing this account of a determined and inspiring year of high pointing. His combination of van life, endurance hikes, and logistical problem-solving offers useful insights for anyone interested in hiking state high points or pursuing extended travels in a campervan.
“The mountains are calling, and I must go.”
– John Muir