American Alpine Project
Ascending America's Highest Peaks to Raise Spirits Around the Globe
Ebright Azimuth, Delaware
Ebright Azimuth, DE
Elevation: 448 ft.
Summit Attained: 1 p.m., 01/04/07
I had undergone an ACL reconstruction in August, and was finally on my way to pick up my sports knee brace. Since this highpoint was only an hour from my home, I decided to celebrate by making a short detour to knock off Delaware's highest peak. The highpoint is somewhere in the vicinity of a residential area just south of the Pennsylvania/Delaware border. I mean JUST south...a fast runner could definitely get to the border in under 10 seconds.
For those of you trying to find this place, I have a pretty good route: Take 202 south from the Philadelphia area (or pick it up from 100 south, which you can get via the PA turnpike 312 West Chester exit.) Near the PA/DE border, you hang a left onto PA-491. For a landmark, there is a large Wawa on the left side of the intersection. Take 491 for about a mile, through one small traffic light, and then turn right onto Ebright Rd. About half a mile down Ebright road, you will see the tower that marks the summit area. Take a left onto Ramblewood Dr. and park somewhere in the neighborhood. Remember to be courteous with your photography. A lot of people come to this spot and, although the locals are very patient, I'm sure that it gets pretty annoying.
Anyway, I was taking some pictures of the tower and the sign that tells you about the highpoint when, out of nowhere, a woman appeared and asked if I would like to have my photograph taken next to the sign. I said that I would, and so she took my camera and snapped some pictures for me. She introduced herself as Doreen Kupchick, and told me the story of Ebright Azimuth, which I will relate as well as I can.
Definitely the resident expert, Doreen knows everything there is to know about Ebright Azimuth. Basically, she told me that no one is really sure where the highest point in the area is. There are a few markers, placed by an early survey of the area (circa 1933.) One of these markers is located near the tower base, right off the sidewalk next to the intersection of Ebright and Turf, at 447.85 ft. elevation. The other two are located near an old farmhouse about a hundred yards down nearby Belmont Dr. (According to Doreen, the PA/DE border curves so that one of these latter two markers is actually in PA, disqualifying it from the list of potential highpoints.)
The main reason for the confusion is that a good deal of artificial ground has been added over the years, making it difficult to tell where the highest natural elevation is located. To further compound the problem, a number of large rocks have been placed in various places within several hundred yards of the tower. A few of these rocks top out above the surrounding land. Most notably, one rock next to a mobile home on the right side of Turf Rd. (next to the stop sign) provides an elevation of just over 451 ft. The Highpointers club has recently attempted to determine the exact location of the real highpoint, and soil samples have also been taken in several areas to determine whether certain prominent mounds are natural or artificial. As far as anyone knows, however, the highpoint could be in any of several spots. Thus, just to be sure, highpointers should to cover their bases and visit all of the potential locations.
After Doreen finished telling me about the history of the area, I signed her logbook, which she keeps in perfect condition. Doreen has talked to nearly all of Ebright's visitors, and had some interesting log signatures to show me. One sponsored group of college kids from Great Britain managed to nail every highpoint in the continental U.S. in 26 days (their sticker adorns the blue and yellow highpoint sign). Another man from Austria, who had visited a few days before me, had done all fifty highpoints, all fifty state capitals, a marathon in each of the fifty states and, to top it all off, a run from Coastal California (San Francisco I think) to New York City. Wow! A signature by another guy, who had just turned 80, said that he was just 5 climbs away from doing each of the fifty highpoints twice!
Armed with a map provided by Doreen, I set out to hit each of the highest spots. I was wearing an altimeter, and I checked each spot's elevation. Surprisingly, the highest point I found was just behind the old barn, on a grassy incline leading up to the silo (not sure if I was still in Delaware, but if I was...)
This highpoint may not be an exciting climb, but it has a unique history, and I had a really good time exploring the area. Special thanks to Doreen Kupchick for providing me with such a wealth of information and reading material.
Elevation: 448 ft.
Summit Attained: 1 p.m., 01/04/07
I had undergone an ACL reconstruction in August, and was finally on my way to pick up my sports knee brace. Since this highpoint was only an hour from my home, I decided to celebrate by making a short detour to knock off Delaware's highest peak. The highpoint is somewhere in the vicinity of a residential area just south of the Pennsylvania/Delaware border. I mean JUST south...a fast runner could definitely get to the border in under 10 seconds.
For those of you trying to find this place, I have a pretty good route: Take 202 south from the Philadelphia area (or pick it up from 100 south, which you can get via the PA turnpike 312 West Chester exit.) Near the PA/DE border, you hang a left onto PA-491. For a landmark, there is a large Wawa on the left side of the intersection. Take 491 for about a mile, through one small traffic light, and then turn right onto Ebright Rd. About half a mile down Ebright road, you will see the tower that marks the summit area. Take a left onto Ramblewood Dr. and park somewhere in the neighborhood. Remember to be courteous with your photography. A lot of people come to this spot and, although the locals are very patient, I'm sure that it gets pretty annoying.
Anyway, I was taking some pictures of the tower and the sign that tells you about the highpoint when, out of nowhere, a woman appeared and asked if I would like to have my photograph taken next to the sign. I said that I would, and so she took my camera and snapped some pictures for me. She introduced herself as Doreen Kupchick, and told me the story of Ebright Azimuth, which I will relate as well as I can.
Definitely the resident expert, Doreen knows everything there is to know about Ebright Azimuth. Basically, she told me that no one is really sure where the highest point in the area is. There are a few markers, placed by an early survey of the area (circa 1933.) One of these markers is located near the tower base, right off the sidewalk next to the intersection of Ebright and Turf, at 447.85 ft. elevation. The other two are located near an old farmhouse about a hundred yards down nearby Belmont Dr. (According to Doreen, the PA/DE border curves so that one of these latter two markers is actually in PA, disqualifying it from the list of potential highpoints.)
The main reason for the confusion is that a good deal of artificial ground has been added over the years, making it difficult to tell where the highest natural elevation is located. To further compound the problem, a number of large rocks have been placed in various places within several hundred yards of the tower. A few of these rocks top out above the surrounding land. Most notably, one rock next to a mobile home on the right side of Turf Rd. (next to the stop sign) provides an elevation of just over 451 ft. The Highpointers club has recently attempted to determine the exact location of the real highpoint, and soil samples have also been taken in several areas to determine whether certain prominent mounds are natural or artificial. As far as anyone knows, however, the highpoint could be in any of several spots. Thus, just to be sure, highpointers should to cover their bases and visit all of the potential locations.
After Doreen finished telling me about the history of the area, I signed her logbook, which she keeps in perfect condition. Doreen has talked to nearly all of Ebright's visitors, and had some interesting log signatures to show me. One sponsored group of college kids from Great Britain managed to nail every highpoint in the continental U.S. in 26 days (their sticker adorns the blue and yellow highpoint sign). Another man from Austria, who had visited a few days before me, had done all fifty highpoints, all fifty state capitals, a marathon in each of the fifty states and, to top it all off, a run from Coastal California (San Francisco I think) to New York City. Wow! A signature by another guy, who had just turned 80, said that he was just 5 climbs away from doing each of the fifty highpoints twice!
Armed with a map provided by Doreen, I set out to hit each of the highest spots. I was wearing an altimeter, and I checked each spot's elevation. Surprisingly, the highest point I found was just behind the old barn, on a grassy incline leading up to the silo (not sure if I was still in Delaware, but if I was...)
This highpoint may not be an exciting climb, but it has a unique history, and I had a really good time exploring the area. Special thanks to Doreen Kupchick for providing me with such a wealth of information and reading material.
