Nash County Highpoint Trip Report
Date: October 11, 2005
Author: Peter Barr
There are houses on each of the high points in this county and a good deal of
permission needed to be obtained or implied.
The southernmost point is just east of NC58. Drive south from Matthews
Crossroads (marked by sign at intersection and noted on topo map) 1.6 miles to
the third driveway before Crabtree Lane on the left. Pull up this driveway.
I knocked on the door of the brown house next door and got permission to walk
around the yard. No one was home in the house with the pool in the backyard and
the driveway I had pulled up. The high ground appears to be in the yard between
these two houses or the backyard of the larger house with the above ground
swimming pool and rock/fountain garden area, possibly extending into the yard of
the next house to the left as well. Walk the backyard of this house and the
ground on each side of this house between its neighboring houses. I also walked
the front yard of the brown house and up next to the house of the larger white house.
The 2nd area is north and about 1.1 miles on NC58. It is on the west side of
the road, and is a white farm house. I knocked for permission, the woman would
not open the door and I had to talk to her though the window. She did, however,
willingly allow me permission to explorer her yard. The high ground is more
obvious in the backyard near a large oak and just behind it on the left side of
the house. There is a large dog belonging to the owner. However, he accompanied
me happily to all of the potential spots. There are two trees on
the immediate right side of the gravel drive to the house next to the road that
may be worth checking too. These are near the edge of the third area/contour,
only a hundred feet or so from the area described below.
The northernmost point is an elongated and narrow contour running north to south
on NC58 just 1 mile south of Matthews Crossroads. You can tell where the road
rises to a slight height of land as it takes an ever-so-slight westward turn.
This turn is visible from the house at the 2nd area. It may be best just to
remain parked here and walk across the road northeasterly. The high ground is
somewhere in the area of the southern two (maybe three) houses (which can be
seen on the topo), one with a tractor mailbox. I believe the high ground may be
in the front yards of either, especially near two large trees in one front yard.
However, the road bisects the contour so I walked the east side right up next to
the pavement for a few hundred yards, as this may be the high ground too,
particularly in front of the aforementioned houses. It looks this way from afar.
I explored the front and backyards of the three southernmost houses seen on the
topo as well as walked the east side of the road for the length of the contour
until satisfied of achieving the HP. Nevertheless, Nash requires asking for a
good bit of permission that turned out not to be a problem, though numerous
houses (several in the northern area and one in the southern most area) had no
one home.
Also found three fire towers, all still ascendable: one west of Louisburg of NC581,
one south of Warrenton on NC58, and one in Henderson on US158.
Too bad it was a drizzly, dreary day.