Douglas Butler
Author and Global Travel Photographer
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A Walk Atop AmericaFifty State Summits and a Dream to Reach Them All
by Douglas Butler282 pp., ISBN: 978-1-933251-44-8, Softcover. $24.95. Climb every mountain… or fifty state highpoints. Douglas Butler set out on a quest — a long-held dream — to hike, trek or climb to the highest geographical point of each state. His, however, was not a rushed excursion from state summit to state summit instead a journey of discovery along “blue highways” and secondary roads, exploring our nation and meeting its people. He carried a journal and camera along with an innate curiosity and love of adventure. A Walk Atop America — Fifty State Summits and a Dream to Reach Them All details that journey. In this book, author Douglas Butler vividly describes the challenges he faced trying to reach each state’s highest point, difficulties that ranged from blizzards and forest fires to obtaining permission from private landowners and forest service managers. He also recounts the people he met, the sites visited and the events that made this a life-changing adventure. Twenty-four black-and-white photographs and eight pages of color images taken by the author, an award-winning photographer, complement the text. Come, share the adventure. Book Available September 2007. Table of Contents Sample Chapter Press Release Winston-Salem Journal Article Carolina Living Book Review WFDD NPR Radio Interview |
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About Highpointing
The fifty state summits vary greatly in popularity, accessibility and difficulty. Four million people stand atop Tennessee’s Clingmans Dome each year — many without realizing that this Great Smoky Mountains attraction is a state highpoint — while hundreds of thousands of tourists reach Mt. Washington’s windy summit annually. Florida’s state highpoint is a sandy knoll, Delaware’s a street intersection. Yet state summits such as Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali (20,320 feet), Mt. Rainier (14,410 feet) and Mt. Hood (11,239 feet) challenge even the most experienced mountaineers.Thousands of “highpointers,” as these hikers and climbers call themselves, are members of the The Highpointers Club. However, reaching all fifty state summits is not easy. Since 1966 when John Hoeman became the first “completer,” fewer than 170 individuals have stood atop each of the fifty states. |
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About the AuthorDouglas Butler is an adventure travel writer and award-winning photographer whose hiking, trekking and climbing journeys have taken him to five continents. A love of people, sensitivity to native cultures and joy in exploring remote and pristine areas are shared through his prose and photography, work that has appeared in numerous regional and national publications. He has also published Ashe County — Discovering the Lost Province, a book about the North Carolina mountain region he calls home. An emergency and family medicine physician, Dr. Butler continues to work with underserved populations on American Indian reservations. |
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Appearances and Events
Book Reading and Discussion:Davidson County Community College Love Learning Resource Center P.O. Box 1287 Lexington, North Carolina 336-249-8186 Thursday, February 7, 2008; 9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Slide Presentation and Book Signing: Chargers and Rechargers Hiking Club 124 Blackberry Lane Jefferson, NC 28640 336-982-8591 Saturday March 15, 2008; 10:30 a.m. Gallery Talk and Book Signing: A Walk Atop America in conjuction with Into the Light exhibition The Hawthorne Gallery 1281 W. Fourth St. Winston-Salem, NC 27101 336-724-1022 Saturday, April 5, 2008; 10:30 a.m. Slide Presentation and Book Reading: New River State Park 358 U.S. 221 North Access Road Laurel Springs, NC 28644 336-982-2587 Friday, May 23, 2008, 7:00 p.m. Photo Exhibition and Book Signing: R. T. Morgan Art Gallery 120 N. Jefferson Ave. West Jefferson, NC 28694 336-246-3328 Friday, June 13, 2008; 5:00-8:00 p.m. Book Signing: Galax Book, Leaf and String Festival Chapters Bookstore 101 E. Grayson Galax, VA 24333 276-236-9703 Saturday, June 14, 2008; 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Book Reading and Writing Discussion: "Voice and Style in Memoir and Narrative" High Country Writers Watauga County Library 140 Queen St. Boone, NC 28607 828-264-8784 Thursday, July 10, 2008; 10:00 a.m. Slide Presentation and Book Signing: Catawba Valley Outing Club Catawba Valley Community College 2550 Hwy. 70 SE Hickory, NC 828-327-7000 Wednesday, September 3, 2008; 7:00 p.m. |
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Memberships & Links
HighpointersNorth Carolina Humanities Council Speakers Bureau Skyland Books Blair Publishers Parkway Publishers NC Mountain Books North Carolina Ski Resorts North Carolina Web Designers Top Ten Search Engine Rankings Blue Ridge Vacations Travel Guide |
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Douglas Butler
Author and Global Travel Photographer
5754 US Highway 221 NCrumpler, NC 28617-9403 |
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A Walk Atop America—Fifty State Summits and a Dream to Reach Them All Mountaineering Books - Hiking Books - Climbing Books Valid HTML 4.01! |
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