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Thank you! Lot of trips fortuitously close to HPs!

@@preparedforoutdoors I've done one HP. Humphrey's Peak in AZ. It makes me want to do them all!

@@PastorHan1776 You've got one of the harder ones done, so I'd say go for it!

@@preparedforoutdoors I gotta plan these trips lol. The ones that I'm concerned about is Denali, Rainer, and Gannet.

@@PastorHan1776 And rightly so! Denali's in a league of its own and the others are two of the toughest.

Thank you! Good to know… I'm usually pretty good at sticking to blazes even when not thinking too much about it, but I certainly don't put it past myself to get lost.

That would certainly throw gasoline on the fire. Rushmore was done way more quickly and, although it's smaller, even if you scale up the time frame by size, this still could've been done long ago. I doubt we can expect that anytime soon though.

Supposedly there's gonna be a point when we can visit the top of the head and actually bag the peak of the mountain it's being carved out of. I'm keeping an eye out for that chance!

Good points, and ones I probably should've mentioned in the video. I never leave it in the sun, even though I had it sitting exposed on the seat in the video. If I'm solo, it's usually buried in front of the passenger seat and, if not, behind the front row of seats. I actually do take care to make sure it's not exposed to the sun (and also because a box of tech-looking objects might prompt a break-in - none yet, knock on wood). I haven't really noticed any meaningful heat from the charging objects themselves. As for battery life, it's only in my car when I'm using it and I typically bring whatever's charging with me, so nothing's really sitting in the car and baking. Something like the gimbal might get left in there when I don't feel like dealing with it. I haven't noticed any battery issues yet but I can't imagine leaving it in a baking car even occasionally is good, so there probably is some degradation there.

@@preparedforoutdoors Thanks for the details, glad it's working for you! Cheers!

I usually don't include the drive but the challenges I kept hearing about this one led me to do so. The Google Maps link in the description has waypoints that'll take you along this route.

These big statues will be some of the longest-lasting remnants of us, so you might just be right!

The Star Wars link didn't even occur to me, but now that you've pointed it out, I can't unsee it! Coincidentally, the day before I was at Georgia's highpoint (th-cam.com/video/t86lgxAHZhU/w-d-xo.html) and it was one of my kids who mentioned that that one looks like a Star Wars tower - Jabba's palace, I think - and that footage even made the video. As for footwear, I was wearing trail runners - Altra Lone Peaks. Like the name suggests, they're basically running shoes with some tweaks for hiking. They're not quite as comfortable for running as my trusty Asics are, but they work. Interestingly, I started using "trail runners" before trail runners were a thing; back in high school, I reasoned that if my running shoes were good enough for trail running, they were good enough for trail hiking too. I remember taking Asics through some lingering spring snow in the Adirondacks and they did just fine. The thing that usually keeps me from running when I'm hiking is my gear, which jostles around too much. There's a backpacking style called fastpacking that allows you to run. Basically, you bring so little and pack it in so tight that you can manage to run when you want to. I haven't really dialed my gear in enough to do that yet but it's definitely on my radar.

Gonna have to credit mother nature with that… my contribution was pressing record.

There's still almost 3 months left in the year… you've got time!

@@preparedforoutdoors yep you are definitely right on that ✌🏽

Right?! The nearby Mount Rushmore is a lot smaller but took something like 15 years, so you'd think 75 years would be enough. Probably just really comes down to funding though. They seem to be in a better financial position now., so perhaps you and I will live to see it finished!

The guides talked about this while we were there, as "When will it be done?" is their most frequently asked question. They basically said "No promises, but they're hoping to get a lot done over the next few decades." The willpower seems to be there and technological progress seems to be helping them move faster, so perhaps your hope'll come true.

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Thank you! Yes, the blue signs were pretty easy to follow. There was the one that was knocked over (that I only saw on the way out), but apart from that they were all pretty clear. The Google Maps directions in the description will get you past that, although not all the way to the end, as Google Maps just stops arbitrarily at one point on the road in.

Thank you, and coming from THE expert on the area, that's high praise! I used a good number of your videos and blog posts in planning out my hikes, so thanks for all the info you've put out there. If you ever want to connect for a hike (R2R thruhike, perhaps?), I'm game!

@@preparedforoutdoors hey that means a lot to me!

Quite the history behind it!

I just rewatched my highpoint video at th-cam.com/video/6RBHHEAaGFE/w-d-xo.html and I don't see any panels. That was filmed at the end of March so it seems they were gone by then.

Except for the thumb part, you actually don't notice it that much. To get up to the top part, you take a van up a hill, which doesn't really put you over any careening cliffs.

I always try to hit the natural highpoint, and signs, USGS markers, and even GPS coordinates in places like Peakbagger aren't always correct. However, they're all generally pretty close, so you can usually use your own sight to figure it out from there. And, yes, on top of Baxter, it was pretty obvious that the sign was not the highest point and that the ground under the cairn looked higher. You can get a sense for this at 8:01 in the video, with the sign on the left and rocks obviously higher than it to the right. I did wander over to the cairn area to make sure I got to that ground too. I didn't actually climb the cairn because (1) that seemed dangerous and (2) it's man-made and is at best covering the highest natural elevation. So I'm happy to call that good enough for me!

@preparedforoutdoors Thank you! My point is in reference to thru-hikes. It amazes me that people hike 2,189 miles and don't know where the end of the trail is. Just how many true hikers do you think hiked that whole way and never finished the trail? They fell fifty feet short.

@@jamesbailey9838 There were lots of thru-hikers wrapping up when I got there, and I'd say only a fraction of them wandered around by the cairn. Missing that last 50 feet would sure bother me personally, but I can live with "hike your own hike" and letting them call it "good enough" for themselves. One highpointer I spoke with at the Highpointers Konvention this year said "If I'm close and get my head over the highpoint, it counts", so if we apply that, they certainly did it (although I definitely prefer to count it when my feet are on the highpoint.)

The thing I liked about it was that it had a fire pit and picnic tables right at the highpoint. Gotta say it'd be pretty cool to have a campfire right at a highpoint.

You've got the four that I'm missing in the east… KY, VA, NC, SC. I'm thinking about making a winter trip to get them this year but no solid plans yet. Looking forward to VA's ponies.

Fair point. Tenacious Tape has a blue option, but whether it matches your blue will be hit or miss, I'm sure. The other option would be transparent, which might stand out less than a mismatched blue. Not sure if either come in these smaller pre-cut shapes so you might need to cut from a full roll.

@@preparedforoutdoors I literally just ordered the blue patch a few mins before reading your reply lol. Thanks for info nonetheless! I had tenacious clear tape already on it and hated the look, so I hope blue will be better

@@clearskiesastro1028 So how'd the repair go?

After going back and forth while filming this, I've been paying attention every time I hear someone else say it, and I've heard it pronounced both that way and "Frizzel", although the S-sound does seem more common.

I thought so! The map I used definitely had the parking a ways down the road.

Completely agreed! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 I knew I couldn't miss them while I was nearby and drove around for quite some time to find the herd.

The moms and calves contrasting with the huge males was definitely a cool feature of this herd. I'd love to get up to Teddy Roosevelt to see the herds there.

Glad you found it useful! CT's a straightforward one. I had more trouble in RI than in CT.

Happy to do so!

Yup. Now known as Black Elk, although the USGS markers were not updated and still say Harney.

They did! And your video of the Poet's Table inspired me to find that after Black Elk. I was about to give up when a more experienced Poet's Table-ist helped me get there. I'll post a video on it sooner or later…

I'd recommend the short hike around it too!

I bought it back when it cost $450, but I hear you. That said, given how much utility I've gotten out of it, I'm not really losing sleep over what I paid for it. Is there a cheaper 2-person backpacking tent you'd recommend? A nice light budget model could be a good buy for me now that some of my younger kids are getting out on trail more.

I actually didn't. I had planned to tent out in the tent camping area right next door, which is first come first serve. However, I changed my mind due to rain and just walked in to see if they had availability, and luckily they did. That said, they cover reservation info on their website at kumotorisansou.com/kumo_hp_3.htm (Japanese only so you may need Google Translate). Not sure if they can handle English when you call.

Thank you for reply! 😊

@@PamPerez-p9m Glad I could help!

Pretty thin but not as thin as the fabric. Durable, though; I've had the patch on for months now and it's still holding fast.

The second I get a tree squid on camera, you'll find it here!

Thanks! Unfortunately the phone I had back in 2017 didn't really get any good footage of the west side in 2017 (all too dark), so hard to compare to my east side footage from this year.

Appreciate it! That peace and tranquility is waiting for you in the mountains anytime you want it.

Saw the signs over to Johnson's Shut-Ins and wish we had the time to make it over there - next time!

Thank you! Just checked out your channel and it looks like my kind of stuff. Subbed!

I actually did a comparison of the the magnet and string methods here: th-cam.com/video/BMZ-tE2g6rQ/w-d-xo.html

It's a nice quick one if you're ever back in the area!

I've had them for about a year now, and no issues yet. They always live in the sheath kit on my belt, but I don't think they've really gotten wet yet.

Also leaves you ready to float down a river.