I'm glad ND was not selected as the meeting place for the 2011 HPers Konvention. IMO, the Club should not hold a meeting there until they make some improvements to the place.
Actually, maybe it could become a Highpointers Club project...adopt the trail, clear/improve it (with permission, of course) and get it to a state that it could easily be maintained in the future.
The bigger problem with ND as a convention site is the utter lack of nearby accommodations or meeting facilities. Unfortunate but true...White Butte really is in the middle of nowhere...
You're right about White Butte being in the middle of nowhere. There are several hotels in Dickinson, which is 55 miles from White Butte. That is probably the best place to hold a convention. There are also quite a few campgrounds out there for the camping crowd. Theodore Roosevelt N/P is nearby as well, which is nice added attraction. This could all work assuming the HP gets cleaned up. I definitely wouldn't recommend holding the Konvention there unless the owners agree to some improvements though. The HP in its current state is pitiful.
I remember the USGS sticking way up out of the ground. If that was where it used to be level with the ground then yes, it's deteriorating. There seem to be some eroding off the one side too.
Though I think it'd be great to have the convention there, so many people at once would do more harm than good. It'd be cool to make it a project for the club.
White Butte does have its beauty. I saw a North Dakota picture book at the bookstore and one of the pics showed the view from the top of White Butte and they mention it's the HP.
Dickinson does have the wider selection for hotels. Bowman - 20 miles south of Amidon has a Super 8 and a handful of Mom & Pop motels. A lack of accomodations didn't stop the OK2002 convention from taking place in Kenton.
When I was there a couple years ago, I found the ND highpoint to be primitive, and perhaps a bit welcome from all the other well-developed states. But yeah, things could be a bit better there. Instead of a "John & Dave" project, how about someone stepping up and contacting the owners and identify exactly what could be done there. The HP Foundation could help promote the project and raise funds. Currently, the Club's Liaison is Don Holmes, so maybe contact him first. Or contact the HP Liaison Chair, Stony Burk.
Aimdon could be the site of another "tent" convention, like the one we held in Oklahoma. Not every convention needs to be at a hotel. Lots of logistics to figure out though . . .
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