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Highest benchmarks in each state


GrizzFlyer

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The sort-of recent thread about each state's Center of Population markers made me think about each state's highest point. In Ohio, it's on Campbell Hill near Bellfontaine in Logan County NW of Columbus. There is a benchmark there, but its not in the database. Below is a photo of it. It's at 1548.81 feet, or 1549.09 feet, depending on which data source is used, both are mentioned at the site.

 

Also interesting to note is that there is one benchmark in Ohio listed as being higher, HY1192, in Scioto County south of Chillicothe. That must be in error, that area runs about 700-800 feet, and satellite photos show it to be lower than the surrounding area.

 

Let's see some more "highest points", I know you guys have some! :)

 

Here's the Ohio Highest Point. More photos of the area at Ohio Highest Point

 

GC15CQN_5.jpg[/img]

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I just visited the highest ones in the Lower 48 two weeks ago.

Depending upon survey, they range between 14494 and 14502 or so.

I think I found four of them, but I think I missed two or three.

 

That'd be Mt Whitney in CA, named after a state geologist.

 

I'll post up some pictures later.

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I just visited the highest ones in the Lower 48 two weeks ago.

Depending upon survey, they range between 14494 and 14502 or so.

I think I found four of them, but I think I missed two or three.

 

That'd be Mt Whitney in CA, named after a state geologist.

 

I'll post up some pictures later.

 

Rumpled, you must have inadvertantly missed ours down here in Louisiana at around 540 feet. :)

 

Reading this thread got me to looking to see if there was a benchmark on our hill........er, I mean Mt. Driskell. I couldn't find one in the gc.com database by doing a nearby benchmark search from the virtual cache listing that is at the top of the (cough-cough) mountain.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...d4-c7196e9b83b8

 

I also couldn't find anything in the NGS database by doing a search from the center of the coords on the mountain.

 

I would be interested in knowing if there was some kind of benchmark there, as I have not noticed one on my several visits up there. Any suggestions on where else to search for a possible listing on any kind of benchmark that could be there?

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Also interesting to note is that there is one benchmark in Ohio listed as being higher, HY1192, in Scioto County south of Chillicothe. That must be in error, that area runs about 700-800 feet, and satellite photos show it to be lower than the surrounding area.

 

There seems to be an epidemic of misstated elevations. Itleelim just noted that the national highest station isn't in Utah, either (HN0100 used to be listed as the highest in the US, based on the archived datasheets).

 

The HY1192 datasheet's elevation was originally stated as 704 meters rather than 704 feet. The online datasheet has been corrected, but the archive from 2006 contained 704.6 meters, so the Ohio Extreme Benchmarks page still shows it as 704 meters.

 

I've been spending the last few weeks downloading a complete new set of datasheets (all 760,000 of them), and that is now almost complete. When I finish that, a lot of the problems with out-of-date datasheets should be resolved.

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LSUfan... Try the Louisiana Extreme Benchmarks page for some info. Looks like CQ2866 is the highest noted with a benchmark on it.

 

I'm not sure about AT1299 being the oldest Louisiana station. That date may be 100 years off.

 

Thanks a bunch GrizzFlyer. CQ2866 is close to Mount Driskell.

 

Holoscenes.com is a great website. I just sent Jim a PM asking if he would mind if I posted a link to it from our local geocaching website.

Edited by LSUFan
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I'm not sure how to go about the search? :D

I certainly know where the highest peak in Arizona is, but if there's no mark there, what then?

Check all the peaks in AZ in reverse order of altitude until one has a mark on it? Doable. :)

GSAK has no field for elevation, so that isn't an option.

I don't EVEN want to think about manually checking ~15,000 marks for elevation! :laughing:

 

P.S. I just went to look, and indeed there is supposed to be a BM at the summit of Humphreys Peak, at 12,633' (FQ0624) last recovered in 1965 by the USGS.

I have been there, but that was a few years before I started Bench-caching...or was it Geo-marking?

Despite the virtual cache at the summit (with 57 logged finds), there are NO Geocaching logs for this BM...odd!

 

EDITED: To add P.S.

Edited by AZcachemeister
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AZcachemeister:

The fact that it's not logged on Geocaching would lead me to believe that there is no disk easily seen near the peak. Otherwise, there would be 57 or so logs on it, whether correct or not :):D

 

HEH! Well, your right about that...EXCEPT that someone did post a photo of one of the RMs in their log on the cache.

I suspect the BM is under a large cairn that nobody feels like moving.

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I'm not sure how to go about the search? :)

I certainly know where the highest peak in Arizona is, but if there's no mark there, what then?

Check all the peaks in AZ in reverse order of altitude until one has a mark on it?

As usual, Holograph has done the work for us:

 

http://www.holoscenes.com/special/geocac/extreme_index.html

 

Patty

The other thing you can do is if you use GSAK to track your marks, and I know a few of us here do, you can just use the sort function (just click on the top of a column) to get highest, lowest, most northerly, etc.

 

Of course I don't have every mark for every state (just the places I play in) so I defer to Holograph for the broad picture.

 

But I'm always searching for the oldest in a county or a state, and GSAK is good, since I use it anyway.

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I'm not sure how to go about the search? :)

I certainly know where the highest peak in Arizona is, but if there's no mark there, what then?

Check all the peaks in AZ in reverse order of altitude until one has a mark on it?

As usual, Holograph has done the work for us:

 

http://www.holoscenes.com/special/geocac/extreme_index.html

 

Patty

 

Thanks Patty...I should have known!

 

As an aside, while looking at all the extreme marks for AZ, I noticed the most northerly is yet unrecovered, and is right in 2oldfarts (the rockhounders) back yard!

 

BDT, I converted my .dat files quite a while ago, and used the less feature-rich BMGPX program. I am not eager to go through that process again with a different conversion program, even given the additional data to be made available in the resulting .gpx file. Doing the conversion is relatively painless, but removing all the marks I had already looked for was rather tedious the first time I had to re-create my database.

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There seems to be an epidemic of misstated elevations. Itleelim just noted that the national highest station isn't in Utah, either (HN0100 used to be listed as the highest in the US, based on the archived datasheets).

I think you mean me, ltleelim.

 

I noticed that you fixed HN0100, but then it was replaced with another mistake. Now NQ0787 is listed as the highest in the US, but again the elevation was wrong in the past and the datasheet was later corrected. I guess there were a lot of datasheets with wrong elevations. Hopefully, your webpages will be correct after you're done refreshing your datasheets.

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Here is a list of Highpoints by County and reports.

 

County Highpoints

 

 

Ooh. Hmm... County highpoints. I'm sure the information is available somewhere, but I haven't seen a reliable list. Point in question: Passaic County, New Jersey. County Highpointers list five possibilities. Someone set a cache by the cluster of three possibilities. Out of sheer malice :laughing:, I set out a cache by a fourth possibility. (Quarter mile bushwhack through mountain laurel, greenbriar, fifty-foot cliffs, and the possibility of bear...) Another Passaic County High Point I hope to visit the fifth possibility this year, and set out an Earthcache (record your altitude readings at all five points.) The Bearfort Benchmark, oddly, is not at any of the five possible highpoints.

But, I would think that there would be a reliable source somewhere that lists the highest point in each county.

Another anomaly is the highest point in Hudson County, New Jersey. The County Highpointers list one possibility in West New York, and another in Guttenberg. The New Jersey State Almanac states that the highest point in Hudson County is in Guttenberg. Not an exciting highpoint, to be sure... Oh, well. It's on Madison Street.

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This website Lists Michigans highest point wrong, the highest point was changed in 1982 when more modern equipment was used to calculate the highpoint:

 

http://www.holoscenes.com/special/geocac/extreme_index.html

 

Michigan's Highest point benchmark:

http://www.Waymarking.com/waymarks/WM44PA

 

I believe allot of geocachers have been incorrectly logging their finds for that Benchmark at the highest point on this benchmark which is on a hill three miles to the west, though I could be wrong.

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=RL1514

Edited by hogrod
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What are the odds that in some of the flatter parts of the country, the highest listing in the database is actually on top of a building or other structure? Flagpoles, finials, chimneys, etc have been used, and there are disks on top of buildings in some areas.

We need to convince the Disney folks to put a benchmark atop Expedition Everest. :laughing:

 

Just kidding--I know that's less than 200 feet, and the highest point in Florida is actually over 300 feet. Hey, that's almost high enough for us Californians to stub our toes on. :laughing:

 

But you've got a good point, Nick. It's feasible that an intersection station or even a benchmark on a manmade structure could be higher than the geologically highest point in some states.

 

Patty

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AZcachemeister:

The fact that it's not logged on Geocaching would lead me to believe that there is no disk easily seen near the peak. Otherwise, there would be 57 or so logs on it, whether correct or not :laughing::laughing:

 

HEH! Well, your right about that...EXCEPT that someone did post a photo of one of the RMs in their log on the cache.

I suspect the BM is under a large cairn that nobody feels like moving.

 

You all just had to point this out, now didn't you? I went up there yesterday and for now we'll have to be content with the fact that the RM (there is only one on the data sheet) is still there:

 

88d001f1-9645-4d03-9741-20419ff98756.jpg

 

30 mph winds prevented me from getting out the tape to measure, but I eyeballed the distance to a boulder which showed what may have been cement remains but I couldn't see a drill hole. If that distance and direction was off a bit, then the station location is likely under the south wall of the rock lean to that has been built at the summit.

 

Wind, cold and mild symptoms of altitude sickness kept me from being more thorough, as I spent about 40 minutes at the summit and most of that time I was wanting only to gather enough energy to start back down as quickly as possible.

 

A couple more pics here: FQ0624 log and some scenery pics here: cache log.

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You all just had to point this out, now didn't you? I went up there yesterday and for now we'll have to be content with the fact that the RM (there is only one on the data sheet) is still there:

 

88d001f1-9645-4d03-9741-20419ff98756.jpg

 

30 mph winds prevented me from getting out the tape to measure, but I eyeballed the distance to a boulder which showed what may have been cement remains but I couldn't see a drill hole. If that distance and direction was off a bit, then the station location is likely under the south wall of the rock lean to that has been built at the summit.

 

Wind, cold and mild symptoms of altitude sickness kept me from being more thorough, as I spent about 40 minutes at the summit and most of that time I was wanting only to gather enough energy to start back down as quickly as possible.

 

A couple more pics here: FQ0624 log and some scenery pics here: cache log.

 

I'm betting $1 that the disk is under the windbreak.

At 12K altitude, it's pretty tough to gather the energy to move 500-1000 Lbs of rock to look. Particularly with other visitors huddling behind the very pile you are trying to move.

Do you think we still have time to go up again this year, or should we wait until next May-June?

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I'm betting $1 that the disk is under the windbreak.

At 12K altitude, it's pretty tough to gather the energy to move 500-1000 Lbs of rock to look. Particularly with other visitors huddling behind the very pile you are trying to move.

Do you think we still have time to go up again this year, or should we wait until next May-June?

 

I looked through the photos and logs posted for the cache in Sept. - Oct. over the years and It seems like the fall window would close about the middle of October although one log on Oct. 23 showed a group in shorts and t-shirts. It really appears to be mostly whether it's windy or not and how can you know that? If I were to go again I think that having done it once I could do a little better to prepare for the altitude.

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This website Lists Michigans highest point wrong, the highest point was changed in 1982 when more modern equipment was used to calculate the highpoint:

 

http://www.holoscenes.com/special/geocac/extreme_index.html

 

Michigan's Highest point benchmark:

http://www.Waymarking.com/waymarks/WM44PA

 

I believe allot of geocachers have been incorrectly logging their finds for that Benchmark at the highest point on this benchmark which is on a hill three miles to the west, though I could be wrong.

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=RL1514

 

Holograph's site is actually correct. It does not list state high points, but rather the highest survey marker, published in the NGS database, which is HIGAN, RL1522. This triangulation station is about a mile southeast of Mount Arvon, Michigan's highest point. Mount Arvon is 1979 feet, HIGAN, RL1522, is scaled at 1948 feet. There appears to be no published mark on Mount Arvon. Prior to the 1982 survey, the highest point was listed as Mount Curwood, which is located about 5 miles southwest of Mount Arvon. Mount Curwood is now listed as 1978 feet, and also has no published benchmark, although there is likely a USGS disk at the summit.

 

You are correct about the incorrect logging. The MT. ARVON 1982 disk pictured in the Waymarking & Geocaching logs is a USGS disk, and is not in the NGS database. If it were, it would be listed as the highest station in Michigan (elev. 1979) on Holograph's pages. The disk pictured would certainly seem to be at the summit of Mount Arvon, based on the stamped elevation, and the re-designation of Mount Arvon as the state's Highest Point in 1982.

 

The ARVON triangulation station, (RL1514) located according to topo maps about 3 1/2 miles west, would be a USC&GS Triangulation Station disk stamped ARVON 1956. None of the logs (none with photos, anyway) are for the correct station, but for the survey disk on top of Mount Arvon. It's possible that someone actually visited the correct station, but no one has posted photos of the correct station. The ARVON triangulation station was likely so named because it was set at the site of the Arvon Lookout Tower (RL1515). I suspect the tower so named because it is located in Arvon Township, though I have not looked closely at township maps to verify this.

 

In short, you are correct--the disk being logged is NOT the ARVON tri station, but rather a USGS disk located on Mount Arvon. I actually plan to get out that way and visit all three--HIGAN, ARVON, and MT. ARVON 1982. Probably won't be yet this year though.

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OK, here goes my report on the highest survey markers in the contintental U.S.

My hike to Mt Whitney.

It's the highest point in the continental United States; California; Inyo and Tulare Counties.

That makes these the highest possible benchmarks in the kiwer 48.

The elevation has been at various times reported between 14494 to 14505. I'm going with the highest myself.

 

Here's my trip experience.

Wow, this was one tough hike. My friends and I spent the night at Trail Camp and then summitted on this Saturday, Sept 6th. . We had hoped to downhike all the way down on the same day, but we were so bushed that we stayed at Trail Camp another night. A wise decision it turned out.

On the summit, all I wanted to do was go back down. I was feeling horrible, good sized headache and breathing hard. I got some real cursory pictures, signed the summit register (another waymakr to create) and looked at a couple of the benchmarks. Before heading down; I looked for the physical geocache up here; but only give it a minute and a half or so and retreated to lower elevations.

The weather couldn't haven't been any better. It didn't get below freezing, too hot, or have any precipitation the whole time. And barely a breeze at any time - no winds to speak of.

 

Now that I'm back near sea level, I can run over my photos and evaluate the summit markers. I made no measurements at the summit; I'm going with the assumption that they are all were the real surveyors said they were - altitude included. This high up it's just not right to call it elevation, we were at altitude! The ceiling for some small planes is below this level!

 

Here are the GC listed BM's for the summit massif. I'm using the datasheets from GC. Maybe not the most current. I did check GT1811 and 1992 is the current datasheet.

 

GT1811 Whitney 1950 This is the main station for the mountain. 1992 VERTCON of 14505 feet

Whitney 1950 Datasheet

This is the Big Kahuna. It is the main station and the highest VERTCON at 14505 feet.

The horrible thing here is that it is the only remaining mark that I did NOT recover.

I'm a bit bummed by that. :)

 

GT1812 Mt Whitney Cairn Reported as destroyed by 1962 Scaled 14505 feet

Everyone logging this one is wrong.

 

GT0238 K72 1992 VERTCON 14499.2 feet

I did recover this one.

3a500cc1-f094-4615-b29e-29a8ba79d860.jpg

 

GT1808 Mt Whitney Smithsonian House Scaled 14505 feet

Easiest recovery there, who can't see a building? This is now 99 years old. This is obviously ~20-30 feet lower than station marks.

5f76d580-8869-4471-8309-ffa01b0b1842.jpg

 

GT0239 U43 1992 VERTCON 14499.6 feet

I did recover this one

dac79fc7-9294-4d67-9371-d45962ae8e4b.jpg

 

GT1809 Plaque Near Whitney Scaled 14508 feet

Been missing since at least 1962. Everyone logging this is wrong. The plaque there now is not this one.

 

GT1810 14502 Scaled 14508 feet

Only about 2/3 of the marker is there. In my photo I could make out the 502 barely. Slightly questionable recovery here.

bc61fdf5-bcde-42f9-8c20-f45187a1d069.jpg

 

GT0237 14501 1986 VERTCON 14502.7

This is a tablet and reports are that it is not there.

 

GT1813 WHITNEY 14501 Scaled

I'm pretty sure I did recover this one, a stamping would be better.

ef5b127f-a41b-44d9-a639-d74914ec2de1.jpg

 

 

Even though I camped for two nights within a couple hundred yards of the Azimuth mark; I did not attempt recovery as at 12200 feet the simplest of movements were difficult.

 

So, in the end - I've reocovered some pretty high markers at up to 14499.6 feet, though I missed the Big Kahuna at 14505.

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Nice report, Rumpled. Our daughter was up there in August, and took pictures for me of every disc she could find. She keeps promising to send them to me, and I'll let you know if any of them help your efforts, and I'll send them over to you. Fortunately, she was able to spend a couple hours on the peak, but she was pretty darn acclimated & in a wee bit better shape, having just hiked the 200 or so miles from Yosemite (in 3 weeks).

 

Unless we have some very serious climbers here, I think you bagged bragging rights on this thread!

Edited by Klemmer & TeddyBearMama
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Is there a disk at the summit of Denali?

There's an interesting story about that in Lasting Impressions. The USGS placed one in 1989, but recent reports have indicated that it's no longer there. There was no place for them to put it in exposed rock, so they had to mount it in ice and it's probably working its way downhill with the glacier...

 

Patty

 

Sorry, but I am just NOT going to haul a metal detector up there!

Probably too many lost/discarded metal items up there to make it worthwhile anyway.

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