50 U.S. High Points in 45 Days!

Tomorrow morning at about 10 in the morning, Hawaii time, 31-year-old Denver middle-school science teacher Mike Haugen and 30-year-old Seattle architect Zach Price will stand atop 13,976-foot Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island and celebrate their 45-day pilgrimage to stand atop every U.S. state’s high point. Their 50 States in 50 Days Adventure, sponsored by The Coleman Company, began on June 9 atop Denali in Alaska. Over the 45 days the pair and a driver logged 23,684 miles in a Toyota Highlander Hybrid as well as flying thousands of miles. The previous record to climb the 50 high points was 50 days, 7 hours, and 5 minutes.

Mike Haugen noted on a blog post yesterday: “I have been thinking a lot about the goals of this project…. It has never been about a record. Don’t get me wrong, we have definitely been busting our butt to make sure we are finished in fifty days, but it has been more about the personal challenge in order to get a few people more interested in the outdoors. We really hope that we have inspired at least a couple more people to get outside and enjoy the natural beauty that this world has to offer. We hear so much about how our environment is tainted and being destroyed, but there is so much natural splendor to be seen. Trust me…I have seen A LOT of it over this adventure.”

The 50 States in 50 Days Adventure was conceived to encourage America’s children to spend more time outside in the natural world rather than being couch potataoes. Kids were able to track the team in real time at the Coleman website with a blog and daily updates on the progress.

Photo above: Mike Haugen and Mount Whitney, highest mountain in the lower 48 states.
Photograph courtesy of The Coleman Company, Inc

Find out all the U.S. State High Points.