Hempstead County High Point Trip Report
Eight unnamed areas on Nathan, Nashville, and McCaskill quadrangles (540+ ft)
Date: December 27, 2002
Author: Hans Haustein
Beginning at the Pike/Howard County Line drive south on Highway 27 for 1.5 miles
to a sign for Bingen Community Center. Turn on to Hempstead County (HC) Road
27N the first part is paved and drive northwest 1.8 miles to the intersection HC
Road 352.
The first of the eight areas is in a field southeast of the intersection,
there is a spot elevation of 541 feet at the intersection. There is only a slight
rise to the HP in the field possibly making it about 545 feet, maximum.
The east-west road HC 352 is on the Pike/Hempstead County line. Go west on HC 352
for about 0.2 mile to the second HP area. From this point I hand-leveled
west down the road and it showed the next area (3rd area) higher. Continue west
about 0.4 mile to the next area. The HP area is just south of the road in a
barbed-wire fenced cow pasture. I hand leveled back to the second area
confirming it to being lower. A 560-foot contour is located only a few hundred
feet to the north in Pike County.
Continue on HC 352 about 0.2 mile to the intersection with Pump Springs Road (paved).
There is a spot elevation of 545 feet at the intersection on the Topo map.
I hand leveled back to the 3rd HP area and it was higher than my eye level
when standing. I estimated it to probably be about 7 feet higher than the
545-foot spot elevation making it about 552 feet, from what I could judge.
Continue south on Pump Springs Road 0.5 mile to a 90-degree turn of the paved road;
a gravel road intersects from the east. Take the gravel road 0.4 mile to
rather large 540-foot contour (4th area). There are a couple of abandoned
houses north of the road and one that is lived in south of the road with a cow
pasture south of it. The area north of the road is wooded, thick in places and
very little noticeable rise.
The next area (5th) is about 0.2 mile from the 4th area, around the corner on
the gravel road head south. This area is bisected by the road and has a spot
elevation of 540 feet. I hand-leveled toward the cow pasture of the 4th area
and it appeared only slightly higher.
Returning to Highway 27 the way I came in, I stopped at the 3rd area (the one I
estimated at 552 feet) and hand-leveled toward the wooded portion of the 4th
area and it was quite a bit lower than the 3rd area.
Note: The contour interval is 10 feet for the McCaskill Quad, on which the
following areas are located.
To reach the next 4 areas return to the Pike/Hempstead County line on Highway 27.
Take the gravel road to the east HC 355 (gravel) for 1.4 miles to the
community of Tokio to an intersection. Go northeast for about 200 feet to
another intersection at HC 31 then go southeast for about 0.4 mile to a crest of
a hill. The small highpoint areas are on either side of the road along with
matching trailers. The highpoint on the west side of the road is northwest of
the trailer (Beware of Dog sign present, only saw friendly dogs). The east side
of the road highpoint is north of the trailer (no dogs seen). No one was home
at either of the trailers.
The next area is 0.4 mile southeast on HC 31, this area is bisected by the road
and appears to be timber company land (very thick small pine trees). Highest
area was hard to determine due to thick vegetation and small elevation change.
The final area is reached by continuing southeast on HC 355 to a white gate on a
small road appears to the left (east), park at the gate (no postings) then walk
south on the old railroad grade (it is now a road) for about 600 feet to a road
going east. Go east about 200 feet then left (north) into the moderately thick
woods for about 50 to 75 feet and walk around a bit.
That all being said I feel confident that the highest area of Hempstead County
is area 3 that I estimated at 552 feet (34.0085° N, 93.8214° W)
and it is located on the Nathan Quad that has an interval of 20 feet.