Polk County High Point Trip Report
Laurel Mtn (3,589 ft)
Date: November 23, 2002
Author: Bob Bolton
Using topozone printouts, I had traced a couple of possible routes from the second Lincoln HP to the Polk
HP using back roads. The phone number for the FAA station no longer works, even with the 541 area code,
so I thought I'd just take my chances on this one. I chose one of those pre-planned routes and followed it to
the gate on the Laurel Mountain road. The sign on the gate warned about trespassing on "this property",
but it didn't indicate anything like "keep out". I thought a possible interpretation of "this property" was the
tower and any surrounding buildings which would likely be enclosed within a fence, so I took a chance and
headed up the road.
As I walked I noticed that the once-blue sky was filling with fog not far overhead, and that the summit area
was already socked in. The fog was not very thick, however, and I'm sure that I could have been seen by
someone in the tower.
on-site GPS coordinates with NAD27 CONUS datum - (44.9235° N, 123.5719° W)