SCIENTISTS DISCOVER ISOLATED LOST WORLD
(Message to the scientists: Get Lost!)

The message board at AOL News was abuzz yesterday when they ran AP's Indonesian 'Lost World' report. A team of eleven international scientists entered a wilderness in the Foja Mountains where native Indonesians never go. After a month they cataloged species such as the smoky honeyeater (pictured), Berlepsch's six-wired bird of paradise, the golden-fronted bowerbird, 20 frog species, a tree kangaroo believed to extinct, and unknown butterflies and flora. It will take 6 months to several years to thoroughly explore this Rhode Island- size area.

In response to AOL's "Post Thoughts," members expressed their mostly "leave it alone" reaction to the story as well as displeasure with Bush's policies. Is this just another animal habitat for man to dominate, exploit, and trample; the next pristine environment for mismanagement and corruption by human beings; a national park with accomodations for lots of tourists? Meanwhile, Walmart - free enterprise run amok - is probably already on top of this find.
BBC NEWS Science/Nature Science team finds 'lost world'

NEW IS GOOD. BACKPACKER MAG SAYS SO.
Review the lastest outdoor stuff.

The latest issue of Backpacker is out with their GEAR GUIDE. It's nicely formatted with "Smart Charts" for the selection of Packs, Boots, Tents, and Sleeping Bags. Eleven other categories follow from Stoves to Car Camping. Check out "high tech." Neat stuff. The neater the "stuff" becomes, of course, the more expensive. Reviewed are GPSs, GPS cell phones, and digital cameras. There's a Nextel BlackBerry 7100i (you know it's upscale when lower case "i" is attached). The 7100i has to-die-for features an astronaut would buy out-of-pocket.

Cool, but... if you're a clumsy, careless but frugal sort, can you afford to drop one of these pricey gadgets into a crevasse, lose it in whitewater, drop it on rock, or forget you left it behind on a pile of moose skat for a satellite read? Too, wouldn't you just hate being eaten by a big brown bear after spending all that money on the high tech gear you were wearing then? (This reminds us of recent documentary, Grizzly Man. Timothy Treadwell, the bear guy, was eaten by one, wristwatch included).

Disclaimer: The crew here doesn't work for Backpacker nor are we anti-BlackBerry, whomever. We're just free-lance-tell-it-like-it-is info-sharing folks hoping that works for you. Note BPs "Best Buy" picks for optimal gear. Their field-testers work hard to evaluate the latest offerings. Hey, who else is providing consumers with the gear-info they need? www.backpacker.com/

RESVERATROL: What is it? Ah, you forgot.
(Chug a carafe of after-trek wine or just do trail GORP?)

Diane's coffee table is piled with outdoor mags, including A2Z and etc. She's a "Curves" client and part of that stack was the latest copy of, coincidentally, Diane. Flippantly flipping through it, I stumbled on a filler, A Glass of Pinot, Please. The University of MS did a study of 11 red wines and ranked Pinot Noir (CA) numero uno for the highest levels of resveratrol, best known as the wine ingredient that reportedly, ad infinitum, renders the French as superior to Americans, cholesterol-wise (but that's it!). Resveratrol, with it's high antioxidant properties, is credited with anticancer and heart disease benefits, yadda, yadda and, again, lowering LDLs. All good things. Anti-aging? Yes. Here, of course, the plot thickens.

The results of a Cornell University study claims that it's NY State wines that contain the highest levels of resveratrol, refuting the CA credits. It's all based on a particular grape, muscadine, and the role its skin plays in the fermentation process.

Meanwhile, University of Georgia scientists are engineering peanuts which have so far yielded 12.3 times the resveratrol levels in wine. Confused? Hang in there, especially if you have problems with wine and/or peanuts. Supposedly, de-alcoholed wine is equally effective. Does grape juice work? Welch's says so. Allergic to the legume? Then skip the GORP or just pick out the M&Ms.

Plug "resveratrol" into Google Search and you can probably learn more then we did to generate this post. That includes where to buy it in pill form. Typical on the www: RESVERATROL -ANTIOXIDANT BENEFITS, INFORMATION ON SUPPLEMENTS, ARTICLES, LINKS,

A panacea for a successful next trek? We don't know. And, not to be flippant, please experiment and report back....

Disclaimer: Sobriety is always the better choice, whatever your goal (snicker).

LIVING ON THE EDGE, LITERALLY...
Careers and adventure are available. Apply.

Imagine living and working at one of
the 7 wonders of the world. A year ago,
Jody was about to lose her job where
she lived in NE PA so commenced
mailing out her resume. Soon, after a
phone interview, she was flying to Arizona,
the beginning of her new life on the edge
of the Grand Canyon. See her web site
for her story and eye-candy photos.
http://southrimhiker.tripod.com/

Note: Jody does the hiring for her Xanterra
payroll dept. She currently has 2 positions
open that require accounting/bookkeeping experience and
intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
Contact her: southrimhiker@msn.com Hikers welcome!

THE REBIRTH OF A HIGHPOINT
(A great account of a Boy Scout's award-earning effort)

The Indiana highpoint has a much-needed new look thanks to Boy Scout Kyle Cumming's project to earn a merit badge leading to Eagle Scout. Read the Roger Rowlett interview in the latest Apex to Zenith (4th qtr '05, #71) and/or go to http://highpointers.org/gallery/indiana for a neat 22-picture story of the highpoint's renovation.

HIGHPOINTERS: Become an entrepreneur - Buy this store!

Allan Griggs, retired engineer, grape-grower, and owner of "The Merc" in Kenton, OK is selling this historic panhandle property which was built in 1898 by P.T. Barnum's nephew. Allan bought the store in '93 and has many fond memories as the hands-on proprietor. In September of '02, The Merc served as the registration station for the 200+ highpointers who attended the club's annual convention at nearby Camp Billy Joe. Allan was kept busy selling pop, trinkets, Black Mesa T-shirts and mugs, and his famous Dinosaur Burgers.

Griggs always said that Kenton (population: 16) was just waiting to be discovered and apparently it has. Investors have recently bought land in the town and close to the OK highpoint where a resort and store are being built. Allan will miss The Merc a great deal. "I got to meet a lot of interesting people from everywhere, including the President of Paraguay who stopped to shop one day. I never had a bad customer." He wants to devote more time to the vineyard on his expansive property north of Kenton at Robbers Roost.

Interested in owning Oklahoma's western-most business? For details go to http://www.kentonok.com/ or Allan can be reached at 810.424.6496.

MAN OR MOUSE. YOU?
(Or...Give me a piece of cheeeze, pleeeze....)

The January issue of Outside mag is out with a filler titled The Daredevil Gene. A Seattle-based research group has identified a gene, neuroD2, deemed responsible for "fear response," the tendency to chicken out when the prospect of being killed might be your concern. Experiments with mice engineered with only one neuroD2, revealed they showed less aversion to impending danger than if they possessed two of these, the normal number.

Human studies follow. "...different people could have different concentrations of the proteins the genes produce. Higher levels might lead to safer behavior, while lower levels might lead to more magazine covers."

The kicker: Insurance companies, armed with the results of your neuroD2 tests, could raise your premiums if you score as more man than mouse. Meanwhile, the next time you freak on a gnarly knife edge, "blame your heredity."

Water vs Coca-Cola

A few posts ago we covered some facts on water. And then there's Coke:

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days. 3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals:Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.
9. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.
Note:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

LA, MS, FL, IL, IN, OH, WI, MI, KY, VT, GA WV, TN, VA
(Or...high points are great places to meet interesting people).

The foregoing string of states represents an ad for Lois and Randall Horne for interested highpointers who might care to join them next year for an "East of the Mississippi Blitz." They're reeeal friendly-like and would love company to complete their quest.

We first met this pair two President's Day weekends ago (04) at the CT trailhead and the next day at the RI highpoint. They told us there they were sky divers, she with 250+ jumps and he in excess of 600. Yikes! They were just getting started as highpointers and we, as more numbered "experts," took them under our wing, keeping in touch by e-mail.

When they wrote saying they were getting married in Gloucester, VA in mid-May (05) and afterwards sky-dive in their wedding garb we, well...kinda invited ourselves to be there for THAT! As part of a tight cluster of 20-or so family and friends on the landing field, we were allowed to locate close to "The Pit" - that circle which jumpers target to touch down - and witness them re-earth all around us. Of all who participated, Lois, in her wedding dress and pink parachute, was the only one to nail the pit from her plane-load of free-falling nuts. (See pic: A to Z, 3rd qtr, Iss. 70. P.36, lower left).

Lois is a pilot, has ice-climbed, rock climbed, played rugby, ice hockey, and aspires to scuba diving, ASAP. He's from SC, she from NY (they met at a jump event in Illinois). They just bought a home in her neighborhood. That means acclimatizing warm-blooded Rebel Randall for higher and cooler places, 44N for starters. Get in touch with them at Lois_Nice@hotmail.com

TTT Note: Hmm...now what was that Highpointer Club ruling on sky diving to a high point? Hey, let's get that subject going....

MOUNTAIN HIKER, 18, SUCCUMBS TO BOULDER ACCIDENT

Several days ago, local to this blog's home base, an 18-year old female hiker was pinned against a tree by an errant rock rarity and died several hours after being extricated. The freak accident occurred in the Hawk Mountain (raptor) Sanctuary in Berks County, southeastern PA. Full story (2): http://www.geocities.com/w_wentzel/boulder3.txt

Huge rocks moving with little or no provocation are reminiscent of Aron Ralston's Blue John Canyon experience. In his book, he alludes to climber Gerry Roach's "Classic Commandments of Mountaineering" as they related to his own dilemma in Utah. Roach's commandments are reminders that rocks can spontaneously break away ("geologic time includes now"). One will pull loose after barely touching it...when you're using it for a handhold and it shifts...that sometimes one will fall after you've already stood on top of it.

"It's rare. But it happens. Has happened."

Hike with Chris & Jean through a garden of England -
("But," you might ask, "do they do crop circles?")

Hi Bill - I guess I have said this before, but our paths are much different to yours, it seems to me that you have limited access, even for such a big country. Whenever I have been to the USA it seems as if one has to take a long car journey to get to 'The Trailhead.' We don't have trailheads as such, just someplace to park or somewhere to get off the bus. We then hike! I can leave here and be on footpaths within minutes, then I can hike all day if I like, over fields, through woods and even through farms and gardens at times! - Chris Halloway and wife Jean lead hikes all about the U.K. and beyond. For sure, their treks always include a pub stop for a pint. See their web site: http://www.cjhike.com/

COULD YOU SURVIVE? TTT TV Tip on New Series -

If you haven't stumbled across it yet, check out "I Shouldn't Be Alive" which premiered on The Discovery Channel on October 28th. True stories about people whose physical endurance and will to live kept them alive under the harshest of circumstances with titles like "Lost in the Snow" and "Escape from the Amazon." Watch Friday, 9PM, (EST) or check your local TV/cable schedule. Just surviving an episode from your recliner can be traumatic.
Discovery Channel :: I Shouldn't Be Alive :: New Series

" What we have heah is a fail-yuh to communicate!"
Cool Hand Luke, '67
(Another trail tale from Marty T. in Ohio)

I took my brother and cousin for a hike this Saturday. My brother quit about half way through. He was packing WAY too heavy a bag, and said that I told him it was only 4 miles, not 12. No way I told him 4 miles. When he asked how long, I told him 4 HOURS. He musta heard "miles." Anyhow, he lived through it since I suggested we take the shortcut turnaround at the halfway point, and we kept it level on a towpath trail. After all that, he called Monday to say he slept for 13 hours and felt great when he woke up. I told him we just need to discover our limits and keep sliding them forward. (Good advice , TTT notes, and mentions the old disclaimer: "I know you believe you understand what you think I said , but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.").

HIGHPOINTER CLUB KONVENTION SPEAKER...

The '06 Konvention Kommittee says Stuart Smith will be the featured speaker in Asheville. He is the 1st American and only 7th person to complete the Adventure Grand Slam—all the world highpoints and both the north and south pole. In the next issue of the HP newsletter, or the one after, there will be bio of Stuart, so be watching for it. Hopefully, Aron Ralston likes cheese and will show up at the WI-2007 Konvention near Timms Hill.
Links: Texan Stuart Smith has become the first American to complete the Adventure Grand Slam --
EverestHistory.com: Stuart Smith

BASIC WATER FACTS -
(...or "How I hate people who can do Guadalupe Peak in late July, hatless, wearing shorts, T-shirt, flip-flops, and carrying an 89-cent bottle of water bought at the last gas station.")

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzz short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

GETTIN' INTO THE MUSHROOMS

In the Fall issue of A2Z, The Highpointers Club Newsletter, under Klimbin' Kollaborator, a member asks for altitude sickness info and "tricks" that high climbers use to cope.

Yeah, we'd like to know some tricks, too. Prior to doing Whitney, my first 14K+ mountain, I got my doctor to write a prescription for acetazolamide (Diamox). He balked at the mention of my doing elevation stuff, but doctors are notorious for telling us we'll never walk again, etc. I decided it was an envy thing, them being stuck in their office all day examining hypochondriacs.

On arriving in California and curious about the pills in my backpack, I talked to the pharmacist at the Lone Pine drug store, thinking he'd know all about it being who he was where he was. He said the side-effects of Diamox could be similar to altitude sickness itself. Duh. Well, I didn't bother taking any after all and lived.

We're curious about gettin' into the mushrooms - reishi, in particular - to help allay high elevation discomforts. If you're reading this then you can probably research "altitude sickness" on the web. There are numerous sites covering the topic though often trying to sell you something. That's nothing new; wade through it.

Books: We have Going Higher, Charles Houston, and a new, compact publication, Altitude Illness: Prevention & Treatment, Stephen Bezruchka, M.D., M.P.H. Buy used from Amazon, save money.

Nineteen-K, Pen May, a tough hi-klimbin' Kilimanjaro hike leader with lots of Sierra Nev (CA) experience says, "Altitude sickness? Cannot help with "tricks" at all...just staying very aerobically fit, acclimatizing well en route and drinking lots of water...that's all I know!"

JUST ANOTHER HIGHPOINTING ALMOST

One of the gifts Diane gave me to celebrate my birthday recently was a copy of Between a Rock and a Hard Place. We had both seen the first Sep, '04 DatelineNBC/Brokaw interview with Ralston, "Desperate Days in Blue John Canyon." Mind-blowing stuff! I'm just getting into this hard-to-put-down, well written book. Actually, receiving it brought back the memory of our IN hp visit on Sept 5,'03.

We took our pictures and signed the log. Diane manages to spend extra of our time to read those things and, in this case, despite all the friggin' mosquitos there. She got especially excited over her find in the Hoosier Highpoint log. Apparently, Ralston had been there a few days before with his grandmother who we'd heard lived nearby. We assumed the log entry was authentic based on that fact and the squiggly handwriting.

Diane actually video-taped the log and the sign-in read in part, "Aron, 'the hiker who amputated his arm,' Ralston."And, "My grandmother's first official high point." Dated, Aug 29, '03. Also, we'd heard Aron was indeed a member of the Highpointers Club (he's listed in the '05 directory with 43 states but is now a 50-Kompleter) and, thusly, a highpointer. So...it musta been him, one of the club's celebs. We were disappointed that we missed so close an encounter of the third-kind with him, the remarkable survivor of a harrowing Out There experience.

Doing some web research, I discovered that there's a plethora of internet sites featuring Aron Ralston the auto-amputee, mountaineer, and high pointer extraodinaire, his experience presented every which way, his book, and his "tour" schedule. As a member of the HPers Club, (doesn't that make him akin to us?) it sure would be great if Aron could be asked and agreed to speak at one of the upcoming Konventions. But, he's quite the popular guy and for that to happen, I suppose, leaves the club between a rock and a hard place. Maybe. Write the '06 Konvention Kommittee. We Want Aron!
Interview: .: THE GUNKS :.

HIGHPOINTERS WEB RING -

Trekster Tripp Treadway announces recent approval and inclusion of The Trek Stop blog into the Highpointer's Web Ring. The Stop's creation was inspired and encouraged by Roger Rowlett in the HttP:// computer column, Highpointers Club Newletter, Apex to Zenith. Roger's article, "What is a Blog?" appeared in the First Quarter (Spring), 2005, Issue #68, P26. Blogger, Google's free blogging service, is suggested as a means to get your feet wet with your own web log, which shortens to "blog".

So, don't hesitate, just Do It! Climb on. Share your Out There experiences and observations. Start your blog now. Get it on the web. Take us somewhere. Say something. Be somebody!

To access the Highpointers Web Ring, use the nav bar at the bottom of The Trek Stop main page. To start your own blog, click on the appropriate link in the top margin of The Trek Stop.

PA/WV/MD 3Pt Visit, 19Oct05

A short drive from Mt. Davis, Markleysburg is aprx. 25 miles SW of the PA hp. In Markleysburg, locate the junction of Rt 281 where it makes a sharp right angle turn. At this corner, Brown Hill Rd. intersects. Disregard the "No Outlet" sign and follow this route for 1.4 miles, which breaks down to a ragged paved road for .4 miles, a better finely graveled section for .3 miles, then a rough, stoney but doable stretch for.7 miles. At the first yellow gas pipeline markers, park on the left; the tri-point is located to the right via the pipeline service road.

Head west toward the power line which can be seen in the distance. Here, the pipeline approach is a tad north of the Mason-Dixon Line on the PA side and provides an easy .2 mile walk to the marker. While crossing under the power lines, look up. When just below the final strand, make a hard left and go aprx. 35ft. off-road to the PA/WV/MD 3Pt. Magellan 315 reading: 39/43/16N, 79/28/36W.

Per Jack Parsell's description, "...there is another monument put there by the Boy Scouts in 1967 commemorating the bicentennial of the establishment of the Mason-Dixon Line." Note that just beyond the parking pull-off, where a second pipeline crosses the road, an historical M-D Line marker is located there, dated 188? along with other time-worn hieroglyphic-like engravings.

STATE HIGHEST POINTS: Apparent vs. Definitive.
(Or...it's the rock, stupid, the rock!).

On our recent trip to Mt. Katahdin, I found what I believe to be the Maine's high, or better - highest natural physical point. On making summit, we were so hell-bent getting our mugs in a photo with the landmark wooden sign, we almost didn't mount the higher rock next to it. The Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail, Mt. Katahdin, is marked by that Maine Appalachian Trail Club sign which is not located precisely at the highest natural physical point on Baxter Peak. It's close. I did miss noticing that rock along side when I was there in '97, but I hadn't begun high pointing yet so wasn't in tune with hp considerations. Katahdin's brass survey disk is embedded in a lower rock, off-photo right.

There are a few HPs which are "apparently" the true high point but, if you're a purist type, take note. Clingman's Dome: The highest natural physical point is not the top of the tower. The same is true for the Mt. Mitchell observation tower. Brasstown Bald: How many HPers manage to locate the bench mark next to the bottom step of the tower stairway? But, it cannot be assumed that the BM is synonymous with the highest point, in any case. It isn't true for Baxter Peak; use the eyeball method here and you'll find it.

Do an eyeball on that rock slab on Mt. Rogers. Methinks the BM is located lower than the highest bulge on that rock. KY is controversial so seek out both BMs on Black Mtn. And then there's South Dakota.... And where's the highest point location for Mt. Elbert?

Mentioned are a few of the few which are illusive or assumed. For fine-tuning purposes, throw in your observations for any of the 50 state "highest" points in the quest for the "definitive" location of each. A suggested term (TTT's idea) is "Highest Natural Physical Point/ Prominence/Elevation" or HNPP/P/E. As bagging high points go, we'll probably only go around once. T'would be good to nail 'em down on the first ascent. Are you a purist or tourist?