About

Who

My name is Mark Zimmer, and I am a 23 year old guy from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I am a goal focused individual who enjoys working in business and marketing.  Before Summit Up, I have started or been involved with numerous other ventures that have all been wonderful learning experiences for me.  I like most outdoor activities, and enjoy spending time with family and friends, and meeting new people.

What

I will be reaching the highest point of each state (I couldn’t say “climbing” because you can actually drive up to some of them).  I will be raising money by carrying the flags of companies who are involved in my climbs, and by collecting personal donations. 

When

Climbing will begin April 2009, and my goal is to average one summit a month. 

Where

This one is pretty obvious, but I didn’t want to skip it.  Where=the highest point of each state.

Why

As I mentioned, I am a goal driven individual, and as most other goal driven individuals can relate, the true satisfaction in life for us comes from reaching a goal that we have set.  However, in everyday life, certain goals are not so easy to measure, and sometimes involve years of work before they are obtained. This is what I love about going to a highpoint; the goal is so definite: get there, get up, and get down.  There is also something truly special about standing on top of a peak, and looking down and reflecting upon what it took to get there. 

I choose to do the 50 highpoints of the United States not because it is an incredibly mentally and physically challenging feat, but rather because it is something that so few people actually do.  An interesting fact is that although over 800 people have reached the summit of Mount Everest, just over 100 have stood on the highest point of each state.  The reason for this is that it takes a great deal of time and perseverance to do so.  I also choose to do this because it is a wonderful way for me to see this great country, and have a true purpose for going to each state. 

Finally, I choose to go about this goal in this manner because I feel it is a unique idea, and a wonderful way to get people involved with my goal.  By working with the Alzheimer’s Association, I feel that I can help raise funds to find a cure for a disease that has affected so many lives.  And in the end, I hope to be able to look back and see that I have inspired not only myself, but others, to try and reach their lofty goals.

History

The first highpoint that I reached was White Butte in North Dakota in September of 2006.  When I climbed this peak, I was doing it just for fun and had no plan to do any more.  A few months after the climb, I began to look into the idea of eventually reaching the highest point in each state.  I researched information on this, and revisited the idea a few times on and off.  Then, in January of 2007, I got the idea of carrying the flags of businesses along with me to help cover the expenses I was sure to incur.   At first, and I kind of hate to admit this, I planned on keeping the money that was raised. 

I started to bounce this idea of family, friends, teachers, business contacts, and anyone else that I could get feed back from.  Repeatedly I was told that if I could involve a charity, some cause I felt strongly for, this idea would have much more success.  Through my college, I got in contact with a teacher, in March of 2007, who also ran a marketing, branding, and design business.  He was the first professional I talked with and his initial response was very inspiring.  He loved the idea, and again confirmed the benefit of working with a charity.  By May of 2007, I had decided upon the Alzheimer’s Association, and by mid-summer, work was being done on both the stationary package and website.  This continued on through the rest of 2007, while I spent my time looking for potential businesses and individuals to contact once we were ready.