2023-11-26: Webster Parish highpoint

Webster Parish highpoint, elevation 480'. Louisiana parish highpoints 2/64.

"No trip is complete without a highpoint."

I had just spent most of my Thanksgiving break with some of Audrey's family in Dallas, a welcome break from the monotony of college life, and I was rather enjoying the nine-hour drive back to Pensacola. I was awake, rested, and enjoying the scenery, which in many areas was surprisingly colorful in the late autumn season. But I wasn't about to take such a long trip without reaching the highpoint of something.

Extensive research had informed me that the best option for this trip was the unnamed highpoint of Webster Parish, Louisiana. This spot is located northeast of the town of Minden, near the historical site of Germantown, a 19th-centure commune. This isn't far from the interstate, easily accessible on state land and only a few hundred feet off the road. I would be doing this hike alone, as Audrey was starting to feel sick, so she would stay in the car while I made the quick bushwhack up to the highpoint. Louisiana uses parishes as their subdivisions instead of counties, so this is the equivalent to a county highpoint anywhere else.

The town is Minden is a relatively poor area, although not particularly more so than most parts of the rural south. I continued north past town and headed up the clearly-marked forest service access road, which was gravel and no problem in my passenger car. I parked right along the side of the road, as it didn't seem to see much traffic, and headed to the obvious higher ground to the north.

Lovely autumn forests and bushes along the road.

Looking up at the crest of the hill along the gravel forest road.

Unfortunately, this highpoint would be slightly more difficult than I had expected. While the area had been clear-cut in the past few years, thick underbrush had begun to grow up in its place. Many of these, from seedling to sizable sapling size, were thorny locust trees. With each step, I had to carefully maneuver around the dense brush, trying to keep the thorns off my exposed skin while willingly sacrificing my clothes to the endeavor.

Thick thorny brush near the summit.

It was hard to tell where the highest land was with all the brush so I tromped around for awhile. Eventually I found a strand of pink electrical tape on one of the bushes. These often mark bushwhack highpoints, and whether it did or not here, I figured I had wandered through the thorns long enough and headed back to the car. After enjoying the forests for a moment longer, I returned to the highway to continue back to college, another parish highpoint in my pocket.