Mike Haugen: 50 Summits, 50 States, 50 Days
May 28, 2008
Many of you may remember Mike Haugen from the 2007 Mt. Everest season. He attempted Mt. Everest and successfully summited with the Coleman Everest Expedition, of which I touched on last season. Well, Mike has come up with a new adventure that hopefully will inspire kids to get outdoors and explore their surroundings.
50 Summits, 50 States, 50 Days
Just as the title suggests, Mike Haugen will be trying to reach the highest point in all 50 states, within 50 days. On some of these trips, an actual “summit” is a bit of a misnomer. A few of the highest points, think Indiana–lie only a few feet above sea level and are easily accessed by road. Some of them are even one the road, itself.
Denali, though, also known as Mt. McKinley, happens to be the highest. It stands at over 20,000 Ft., and includes a big expedition into the wilds of Alaska. Denali will actually kick off Mike’s attempt, with the clock beginning once he reaches the summit of North America’s highest peak. I am sure Oregon and Washington State will present new challenges as well, with Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood.
The Adventure Blog posted on this a bit earlier today and mentioned that Mike will be making blog posts, taking photos and video of the progression and uploading them to the Coleman.com site. Coleman, one of the leaders in outdoor gear, will be sponsoring Mike Haugen once again. Coleman will also be helping Mike with establishing a new website in the coming days that will focus on giving kids an activity to accomplish–one for each stage of the way–through Mike’s “50 States in 50 Days Challenge.”
Along with helping the kids get outdoors, Mike will also be working closely with the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum. Through Mike, the museum will be looking to update and ensure that they have the correct coordinates for the highest points in each state. This information could become helpful with future projects. Let’s wish Mike good luck as this big adventure gets ready to kick off on June 9th. I will try to bring a couple of updates as Mike’s expedition progresses.
For more information, I do have the official Press Release sent out by Mike and the Coleman team. It can be found HERE.
Sources: The Adventure Blog, Coleman.com, PRnewswire
From The Adventurist Vault:
Written by Jason A. Hendricks · Filed Under "50 States in 50 Days Challenge", Coleman, Mike Haugen, Uncategorized |
I think this is a very cool idea. Who knows, it might get some kids interested in climbing.