jumping-off place

jumping-off place idiom
    or point
  1. A starting point for a journey or venture, as in This tiny village is the jumping-off place for our trek into the desert. This usage probably alludes to jumping into the water. [Early 1800s]
  2. A very remote spot; also, the last place to be reached. For example, This was the jumping-off point for the first gold miners in Alaska. [Early 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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