#4: [11-May-18]

#3: [20-Feb-11]

#1: [22-Jul-00]

19-Feb-2011 -- Every day on my commute to work I circle around Woodall Mountain, the highest point in Mississippi. Being in the presence of such a landmark always fills one with a sense of awe, even on those occasional days when clouds and mist envelop the mountain’s top. Rising to a height of 806 feet above sea level (246 meters), the peak, it can be said, dominates the surrounding landscape (it would not exactly be true, but it can be said…). So, imagine my excitement to be traveling in the neighborhood of the even more impressive Hoosier Hill, the highest point in Indiana. Soaring into the sky a full 1257 feet (883 meters), Hoosier Hill, if it could be magically transported to the Magnolia State, would tower over the lofty Woodall by over 450’ (137m)! Before getting on with the business of confluence hunting today, I had to at least make an attempt to conquer this majestic high point…

Like 40N 85W, Hoosier Hill is located on private property in rural Wayne County. Coming from east or west on Interstate 70, you can approach either by exiting at Richmond, a little over ten miles to the south. In 2005, Eagle Scout Kyle Cummings (Troop 820) contacted land owner Kim Goble about building a trail, sign, and picnic area at Hoosier Hill. Six years after his successful project, I am sad to report vandals have removed the sign, although the picnic table and a mail box containing a visitor register still remain. Geologically, the hill sits in southeast Indiana’s Dearborn Upland, on a portion of the upland buried underneath glacial debris known as the Tipton Till Plain. As a result of the Ice Age smoothing, the topographic relief is almost flat with Hoosier Hill being barely 30 feet (10m) highly than the rest of the area’s gently rolling farmland. Although armed with detailed maps, GPS, and aerial photographs, I put these aids aside when I spotted the first small sign directing me to Hoosier Hill. This proved a mistake, as some of the following signs have been vandalized as well, and I spent a good bit of time backtracking, after discovering this fact, before arriving at the highpoint in a small wooded area in the midst of open farmland [40°00’01”N 84°51’05”W]. Geologically, my timing was great as I later learned residents of the area have been concerned that a nearby landfill to the north in Randolph County has requested permission to expand its fill area to be higher than Hoosier Hill! So Hoosier Hill could soon be replaced by a new Mt. Trashmore. Does Everest or Kilimanjaro have to worry about a neighboring manmade landfill replacing it as the technical highpoint in the area? Ah, the indignity of it all!

After lingering too long on the roof of Indiana (did I mention the flock of sandhill cranes flying over?), I rushed (except for a few right angle turns along the way) almost due west towards 40N 85W. I turned north on Centerville Road, then after passing an abandoned house on the left at the 40th meridian, immediately turned northwest into a dirt road I assumed would lead me to the Davis hog farrowing facility. There were fresh tire tracks on the road, but this late on a weekend day, no one was around. The bare field was extremely soft after the recent snow, and, even picking my steps carefully, my boots were quickly covered in mud. With wide open reception, only a brief dance was needed to complete the visit.