Upshur County High Point Trip Report

on county line 1,800 ft north of Cold Run (3,160+ ft)

Date: August 20, 2001
Author: Mike Schwartz

From WV 151 (Delorme shows as CR 151, and is actually old US 33), about 2.8 miles west of the Upshur/Randolph County line, go south 4.1 miles on CR 26/Sand Run Road, bearing right at 2.2 miles at a church. Go left at T-intersection onto CR 9 and zero odometer. After about 5.6 miles, CR 9 goes straight, becomes gravel, and is signed for Jenks Fork Road. Ignore it and stay on the paved road to the right, cross bridge, and reach a fork at 5.7 miles. Bear left CR30/19, Hemlock Ridge Road, and reach a junction again with unsigned CR 9, shown on the topo as the first junction east of Hemlock, at 10.3 miles. Zero odometer again, bear left, then turn sharply right in less than 1/10 mile as shown on the topo. Descend, then climb to the Mt Olive Church and cemetery. Ignore track road to the right of the cemetery. Once past the cemetery, the pavement ends (0.4), and take the right fork steeply downhill. This road is pretty humble, but passable by passenger cars. Cross stream on wooden bridge at 0.7 miles, cross pipeline right-of-way at 0.9 miles, ignore gravel road to left after passing pipeline, and at 1.5 miles reach the jeep road (not the jeep trail) shown on the topo leading ENE to outbuildings. The jeep road is signed, but not "posted", as the property of the Coastal Lumber Company, at utility pole #5632. A power line crosses a short distance ahead; if you see it, backtrack. There is good parking alongside the main road just north of the jeep road.

Hike the road, cross stream on rickety bridge, ascend and pass an abandoned truck, hunting stand on left, and reach the large open area shown on the map, about 200 feet from a barn and an occupied home. I saw no one. Stay in the woods to the left if troubled by the house. Aim for the top of the cleared area, and look for a woods road once inside the woods. Take it as high as possible until it peters out, and start following the ridge line uphill. The woods road switchbacks its way up the ridge, but is badly overgrown with brambles that form an obstacle each time you cross the road while ascending the ridge line. Game trails are your best friend fighting through the brambles. As the grade lessens, cross a better dirt road (origin unknown), and follow the ridge line to the first knob. I found no markings at the county line. If you stay on the well-defined ridge line, you'll pass over the liner high point. I walked the whole summit area and verified the topography.

Round trip about 1 hour 15 minutes, including walking to the eastern knob.