Malheur County Highpoint Trip Report

BM Stevenson

Dates: August 16-17, 2005
Author: Ron Tagliapietra

Disaster! We had rented a Pacifica (4WD but no high clearance). We got to the last T-intersection with a gate on the right and parked. We jogged much of the way to the hp and back racing sunset. Decided to go out an alternative route, since the road had been so bad. We hoped that this was the alternate road in a trip report but we knew it was on our Rand McNally map. We drove about 1.5 miles through the gate and decided to sleep.

Next morning, we got about 10 more miles before a rock ripped out the gas line. By then, we had passed most of the bad parts but hit the one rock in the road. We didn't know it but we were 32 miles from the nearest town (McDermitt, NV). I have AAA and Dan had a cell phone but it kept cutting off while trying to call. Three ranchers in a truck drove by and said they would give us a lift on their way back out to McDermitt. They did, about 4 hours later, and the drive took an hour. After more phone calls, we went back to the car, where we learned that a tow was not possible with the wheels on the ground. Back to town. The rental company wanted it delivered to Boise, Idaho. Another guy from Rome, Oregon, (an hour away) came out with a flatbed and took us back up to the car at dusk. It took him 3 hours to drive to McDermitt and then he continued to Boise, arriving about 10 AM the next morning. By the time we did the paperwork and found an alternate rental company, it was after noon. His sacrificing, all-night drive to Boise salvaged our plans for Granite Peak, MT.