Fremont gets his very first state highpoint, Taum Sauk, Missouri.

2010 stands to be the year I return to my state highpointing quest. For those who may not know, I’ve been slowly chipping away at my goal to stand on the highest natural ground in all 50 states since 1997, when Jody P., Ryan S. and I got our first official state highpoint at Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. I closed out 2009 by adding one more to my list, Taum Sauk Mountain (1,772 ft.) in Missouri, which I “climbed” on December 21st (sweet, a winter ascent!) on my way cross-country. Taum Sauk was my 36th state highpoint and my most recent since I drove down to Texas and ascended Guadalupe Peak on April 14th, 2006.

This was a notable highpoint for a few reasons. It’s the first I’ve gotten with my Toyota 4-Runner but more importantly, it’s the first highpoint for Fremont, my (then) 4 month old border collie puppy. He’s off to an early start; I didn’t have my first highpoint until I was 21 years old!

Fremont taking in views of the Ozarks.

Taum Sauk is in the heart of the Ozarks, a modest mountain range that reminds me of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. The landscape is more rolling hills rather than jagged mountains, but still beautiful and I imagine a feast for the eyes when the autumn colors take over the deciduous trees. When Fremont and I made our trek, we were the only visitors there. As a bonus, we pulled into the parking lot right as the sun began to break through on an unusually cold Missouri morning. Trees and bushes were coated in skeletons of crystal clear ice and as the warming rays of the sun began to melt from the branches, natural prisms painted the ground with rainbows of all shapes and sizes — it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before (excepting, of course, Rainbow Road in Super Mario Kart).

The path to the true highpoint is a modest, 1,000 foot, flat, paved sidewalk, which is cool because it allows access for handicapped folks. As you can see, the humble highpoint is a mere rock in the woods ala Rhode Island minus the crazy old guy threatening to fill your hindquarters with a round of buckshot. (You read that right — the crazy old guy with the shotgun was in Rhode Island, NOT Missouri, just for those assuming it was opposites day in highpoint land).

Fremont and I top out at Taum Sauk, Missouri. This highpoint is in the style of Rhode Island's Jerimoth Hill, minus the gun-toting madman.

Perhaps the true bonus in all this is the short 2.6 mile round trip hike to Mina Falls, Missouri’s highest waterfall. Mina Falls starts just past the highpoint and was a gorgeous romp through the forest for the Freeman and me. As my little border collie dashed through the woods still semi-glazed with ice, the sun lifted the veil of fog and expanded views in all directions. In the distance, the hum of rushing water grew louder and louder until we reached the falls. Fremont took a healthy drink from the crisp, cool water and I snapped a few photos. Fremont was nostalgic enough to bring a souvenir stick all the way back to the truck!

Fremont dashes on the trail just above Mina Falls.

Views of the Ozarks open up along the Mina Falls trail.

Taum Sauk was a pleasant surprise, though I have to admit the lack of crowds and incredible setting added to mystique. On the way out, I stopped at the observation tower and scrambled up as high as I could to get a last photo of the land. The sky was still too overcast and the light too flat to get a spectacular portrait. It was still fun to charge up the stairs of the tower and the rickety staircase gave an unexpected thrill (translation: it was pee-in-your-pants scary). Fremont and I got back on the road with smiles on our faces — me with my 36th highpoint in the bag, Fremont with his first– but more importantly, with an awesome munching stick for the long drive back to Connecticut.

The fire tower, with its rickety stairs. Notice how much the sky has cleared up! The observation platform was closed but you could take the stairs almost to the top.