Our blog maintenance has been SHTTTy

Members of the SHTTT would like to take advantage of this time to apologize to the loyal readers of our blog. It has been 13 months since our last update. In that time much has happened:

(1) Our Legendary Road Trip has been completed bringing our total completion to 17 states. Reports from the trip may be coming but it is obvious we are not particularly on top of this whole thing.

(2) A team member is now married. Fortunately, his wife will allow continued climbing.

(3) Mount Hood plans have been scrapped for this summer. Climbing Mount Hood will be rather expensive and time-consuming. Item 2 was also rather expensive and time-consuming. Only one happened this summer.

(4) Plans have recently been hatched for the team to make at least some progress by bagging Arizona's Humphrey's Peak in early July. Hopefully we will do better at keeping our fans informed than the last year.

Exciting Announcement and Road Trip Update

The State Highpoint Tequila Team of Texas is pleased to announce that they have agreed in principle to scale Oregon's Mount Hood during the Summer climbing season of 2011. This will easily be our most difficult mountaineering feat yet attempted. We would like to assure our friends and fans that we do not venture into such efforts lightly and understand the inherent risk of possible death involved with climbing Mount Hood. It is possible we would combine this climb with a climb of Mount Whitney in California.

In other news, preparations for Legendary Road Trip 2010 are progressing well. The route has been altered slightly with a swing south to Nederland, TX then proceeding east. A main consequence of this change is that we will have to alter gambling plans from Shreveport to Biloxi. The objective states remain the same. Additionally we have chosen Republic Blanco Tequila as the official road trip tequila, though some calculations have shown that one bottle of tequila won't be sufficient for our needs on this trip.

SHTTT Scraps Plans for Upcoming Highpoint

After months of planning the SHTTT has been forced to abandon their planned Memorial Day trip to the highpoint of Missouri. Reasons for the cancellation remain unclear though some have suggested that certain team members have taken their eye off the ball. "As far as I'm concerned he's upped stumps and retired to the pavilion," said the only British fan of the SHTTT.

Reports have recently surfaced regarding a rift in the team with some members being extremely upset regarding the nature of the cancellation. An official spokesman downplayed the strife among the team saying, "All members of the SHTTT remain 100% committed to their stated goal and the rescheduling of the Missouri trip has in no way endangered that commitment. Any suggestion of discontent among the SHTTT is fantastical rubbish."

Others are more cynical. "There is no 'I' in team but there are two in Missouri and without both of those on board this one just can't happen," said an analyst with the Foundation for Doing Things. The trip is tentatively rescheduled for the July 4th holiday weekend though some team sources remain skeptical: "Who knows if they will ever climb again. I will believe it when I see it."

Hump Day Highpoint-Mississippi

In keeping with our coverage of soon-to-be-climbed highpoints planned for the Legendary Roadtrip 2010, we turn our attention now to our lowland brethren in Mississippi.

While Mississippi is at the top of many lists, "Highest State Highpoints" is not one of them. 806 feet of mountain is scarcely enough highpoint to merit an entire entry, but it's one of the 50, so it must be conquered!

Like many of its taller relatives in other states, Woodall Mountain features a tower at the top. However, the ravages of time took their toll and the tower was removed in the late 90's.

As the highpoint is in the northeastern corner of the state, it is last on the itinerary of the SHTTT's Legendary Summer Roadtrip 2010.

Hump Day Highpoint - Alabama

With the travel plan finally established for Legendary Roadtrip 2010, the SHTTT will focus on educating YOU about the challenges they will face along the way. This will begin with Humpday Highpoints for each state involved and continue to interesting highlights along the route. Today: Alabama's Cheaha Mountain.

At 2,413 feet Cheaha Mountain is not what you might consider a towering behemoth of a mountain. However, that is not to say you can't have fun in the area. There is the popular Camp Mac, a summer camp for children. It was founded by this man who looks like he just loves children:

The mountain is located within the Talladega Mountains. Talladega brings to mind a certain Will Ferrell movie which the SHTTT didn't like but many people did:

The real Talladega is naturally home to the Talladega Superspeedway. However not many people know it is also home to the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. This explains much about NASCAR's popularity.

Atop the mountain is yet another tower. This is consistent with the my earlier thesis regarding such things.

SHTTT Releases Roadtrip Plan

The State Highpoint Tequila Team of Texas today announced the states to be included on their Legendary Road Trip 2010. The targeted states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi. The central committee released the following map as a preliminary route plan:

View Larger Map

The SHTTT remains very interested in talking to people who live near this proposed route.

Idaho: Extreme! (with an I as in "Ixtreme")

I know the first adjective that springs to my mind when I think of Idaho is "Extreme". The people in Idaho are so extreme in everything they do that even the meaning of their State's name is a boldfaced lie, the famous "Idahoax" (plenty more where that came from). Plus they think their state is immortal.


Thus, it seems fitting that Idaho's highest point, Borah Peak, is also extreme. It is so extreme that Osama Bin Laden himself made his Idahome there until late 2001 (or perhaps that's just an Idahomophone).

Idaho's Most Famous Resident?

Tower at 12,662 feet, Borah peak begs weaklings from the lowlands to cry at its foot for mercy. The mountain climb involves some technical challenge in a prominent feature of the climb: "Chicken Out Ridge", which involves a short rock climb that involves a very real possibility of personal harm. Given the high elevation, Idahope there's no ice on it (as there often is). A fall from there would leave you looking worse than a mashed Idaho potato.

After the climb, go enjoy the Idahospitality in nearby Mackay, ID, maybe catch a sporting event or two as the Mackay Miners have numerous 1A titles to their name, and stay the night at The Bear Bottom Inn. Your Idahosts will see to it that you have a great time.