Deaf Smith County High Point Trip Report
Dates: September 22-23, 2002
Author: Bob Packard
I drove east into NM, 2013 TX changing into NM 19. Then drove north, west, north to NM 241 which I
drove east to Texas state line where route changes to TX 1058. I camped on a field track just south of that
road change.
Did the 6 areas for HP Deaf Smith County, TX. This is how it went. From the NM 241-TX 1058 road
change I drove north on the good dirt road. I'll number the areas south to north. Drove into area #1
stopping a the PT 4466 which seemed hp of that area. Drove north from there to PT 4451, opened a gate
and drove east 4/10 miles to near a windmill. Short walk to area #2 to the southeast, hp fairly easy to see.
Back to state line road at PT 4451 went 1 mile north, passing through area #3 and stopping at PT 4469,
1 mile east, 2 miles north to PT 4398, then 1 mile west and 4/10 mile south and parked. Walked south along
fence line 6/10 miles passing PT 4461 in area #4..
Now for the interesting part. Drove back to PT 4398 after talking to young buck Caleb at the ranch
buildings to the northwest. We had nice talk, but he couldn't give me permission to park anywhere in that
ranch property. From PT 4398 it was 3 miles east on Road 13, then 3 miles north on Road UU to it's corner
with Road 16. I then drove a fence line through open field north exactly 1 mile where, no surprise, I was
fenced in by the north-south fence line I had been following and an intersecting east-west fence line.
Parked and hiked 2 miles west along that latter fence line to PT 4392 in the northeast part of Endee Hill
Quad. A little north on old bladed road (some of previous 2 miles had old blade marks, too), then more
blade marks northwest to the windmill, then more blade marks winding west to Bippus BM, area #5,
elevation 4469. The owner of this area is Bridwell Ranch, telephone # 806-289-5900, information I got
from Caleb but didn't use. I confirmed my position with my GPS, but found neither BM nor reference nor
witness post after concerted search in and around the eye drop turnaround at the end of the blade and which
was right at the hp. Went over to the clearly lower area #6 to the northwest, went over to the edge of the
cliff and looked into the valley 300 ft below.
Total for the 3 hikes was 3 hours duration and 8.75 miles distance with 50 feet of gain.
Once back at the corner of Road UU and Road 16 I drove east 7 miles to Road R which I drove north 14
miles to Road 29. 16 + 14 = 29 here I guess! This put me in the exact spot from which Scott Surgent did
the Oldham County, TX HP which I did the same way he did.