TRPA director makes history on mountaintops

Andrew Pridgen
Bonanza News Editor
July 22, 2005

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Call him Mr. 138.

John Singlaub, Zephyr Cove resident and executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, became the 138th man in the world to climb the highest point in each of the 50 states.

From the scary-even-for-a-professional three-week race against the elements to the top of Denali, Alaska, to a day hike up Mt. Driscoll, La., where he was greeted on the trailhead at dusk by two rare black foxes, Singlaub's journey to see America from atop each "high point" began almost four decades ago. Aug. 16, 1968, to be exact.

"My grandfather drove me and my parents to Brasstown Bald, Ga., part of a relaxing drive through the country near their Mountain City home," Singlaub, 54, wrote in his journal. "My father had just returned from Vietnam. I had just graduated from high school in northern Virginia. My grandfather took a picture of us with the Brasstown Bald tower in the background, and recorded the event in his diary, which he maintained meticulously for 47 years."

Two decades went by before Singlaub was to attempt his next climb. After being relocated to Colorado for work, he was inspired once again to climb mountains that surrounded him.

"It wasn't a mission at first," Singlaub said. "I just got to 10 high points when I decided to do all of them."

High points, Singlaub noted, are not necessarily the highest mountaintops.

"It is what it sounds like, the highest point in every state," Singlaub explained. "In Nevada, for example, the highest point is the side of Montgomery Peak - a California mountain. The highest (Nevada) Mountain is Wheeler Peak. The only other state like that is Connecticut. It's a funny thing that not quite everyone understands."

Another thing people might not "get right away" is that the technical difficulty of climbing a Denali or a Mt. Ranier in Washington State was not the most insuperable part of Singlaub's journey. The real obstacle in many cases he noted was simply gaining access to the peaks themselves.

"Some of these places are on private land," Singlaub said. "So, you've got to time it right. If you miss your window, it's another year wait."

Singlaub's 49th peak, Jerimoth Hill, R.I., is only open for climbing on Sundays of federal three-day weekends. This is why he made his ascent up that high point on Sunday, July 3, just two days before he was scheduled to climb his 50th and final peak, Mt. Katahdin, Me.

It was for the final ascent that Singlaub "ended the journey the way it started - as a family affair." Wife Katy, Washoe County Manager, as well as son Niki, 30, from Bend, Ore., and daughter Aneka, 26, from the Tahoe Basin made the final ascent as a family.

But Mt. Kataden was no cakewalk. The most difficult climb on the East Coast proved to be a challenge for all involved. While both children are avid climbers, wife Katy is more of a "recreational hiker." The family's voyage up the famed Kife Edge Ridge was not for the faint of heart or inexperienced.

"I knew it was going to be a push, especially for Katy," Singlaub said. "I guess that's what impressed me most. Not only has she lived with this obsession for so many years, but there she was, putting herself on the line for this special moment. Bless her heart, it was truly amazing."

As he neared the mountain's peak, Singlaub said a flood of memories came over him.

He recalled climbing Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina last fall, just weeks after hurricanes Francis and Ivan hit. "It was a beautiful day and I was literally the only one up there."

He reflected on scaling King's Peak, Utah with famed climber Pete Schoeneg. "It was just three months after he attempted Mt. Everest with (author) Jon Krakauer. As many people know that expedition didn't make it, and they lost many experienced climbers. (Pete) was going to be the oldest guy to reach the top of Everest. There he was with me, right back to climbing after that tragedy. It was his 49th high peak."

But, by the end of the day, Singlaub's reflection was specifically on that first climb so many years ago.

"I guess when you come to the end, or literally the peak, of a climbing experience you want to be surrounded by the people you love most whether they're there in person or not," Singlaub said. "I was lucky enough to have both."



Singlaub's story will be featured on www.highpointers.org. Over the years Singlaub has documented each of his excursions chronologically and is currently compiling a journal based on his climbs. His future plans include exploring more local ranges with climbing friend Bob Ader, and, of course, his family.