Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 25, 1994 TAG: 9409260005
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-7 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PETER S. WILLIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: RINER LENGTH: Medium
Montana's Granite Peak was the final mountain to be conquered, and Sumner succeeded in August. It was an emotional experience, he said.
He shared the climb with ``Walkin''' Jim Stoltz, a musician known for his long treks across the country.
"I talked [Jim] into climbing it with me, and that made it real special," Sumner said.
The quest to fulfill his dream was a spiritual pilgrimage for Sumner. "The most important part was being in wild places; it was the emotional and spiritual renewal of being in the wilderness," he said.
Sumner has fond memories about all the peaks he climbed, but Mount McKinley in Alaska is a standout with a dark side. He completed the first south-to-north climb in 17 days, but along the way he recovered the bodies of three climbers killed while climbing the peak.
Granite Peak and Mount McKinley were the most challenging summits, while most of the others were little more than ``uphill walks,'' Sumner said.
Florida's Britton Hill was about a 100-foot walk from the car. "It was slightly more challenging than Kansas or Nebraska," Sumner said with a laugh.
The idea to climb the highest peak in every state came to Sumner in 1967 when he was a student at the University of Virginia. The original plan was to complete the climbs in less than a year and produce a movie about the achievement, he said. Unfortunately, no movie deal came through, and various other projects postponed completion of his quest.
Among these projects was a world bicycle tour he began after college graduation. The tour was an exciting - and occasionally dangerous - experience, Sumner said.
He narrowly escaped a berserk elephant in Thailand and was cured of a life-threatening illness by a witch doctor in Java, he said.
Throughout the tour, he maintained his interest in climbing by scaling Mont Blanc in Europe and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. The 4-year trip is detailed in his book "The Long Ride."
Love of nature has found its way into other aspects of Sumner's life. He is a wood turner who sells artistic bowls at craft fairs and gift shops throughout the country.
"We try to make wood immortal, make it an item of beauty that people can keep forever," he said.
Sumner also edits "World of Wood: Journal of the International Wood Collectors Society" and labors at completing his dream house.
When the house completed, it will resemble a chambered nautilus and incorporate more than 500 varieties of wood, he said.
Sumner is still "upwardly mobile" but has no plans for future expeditions.
"The obvious extension is climbing the highest peak in every country, but it's a project I could never complete," he said. He occasionally returns to sites of his earlier climbs with his wife, Jean, who is trying to match his achievement.
by CNB