Marion County High Point Trip Report

one unnamed area on Ore City USGS quadrangle (530+ ft)

Date: July 5, 2003
Author: David Olson

To quote Jobe W, "From the junction of FM 729 and TX 155 in the center of Rock Island, Texas head east on TX 155 for 1.2 miles to a rusted blue gate on the right (south) side of the road." This is just short of a "pass" between two hills. The gate gives easy access to a coincident powerline/pipeline/service-road under the powerline. I followed the service road as high as it would go, then took an "animal track" upwards into the woods. At the top of the pitch I found a cairn, Jobe's I presume. This was far too close to the road to be the HP. In private email Jobe said he did not build his cairn at the HP, but within carrying distance of the HP, except he decided not to carry the rocks over there after all. After a few more emails he agreed that he had missed the HP altogether on his visit, by about 0.2 miles.

Jobe wrote, "There were a few trees scattered around the summit area, but more like brush." I disagree. It is thoroughly wooded up there, with a substantial amount of brush in the understory. From Jobe's cairn I headed southeast, counting paces. The going was easier 100 ft north of the ridge line. The ridge appeared to slope down a little, then at 160 paces it headed up again and looked like the junction of four ridges. I built two cairns, on two likely spots. I put a card (no baggie) in one of the cairns. A short distance north of my cairns I saw a pit and some beer cans, so we are not the first up there.