Black Mesa, Oklahoma

Black Mesa got it's name from the color of the lava rock found on top.




This is an easy hike, but long enough to tire you out, at 8.5 miles round trip. The climb is very short. Most of your time is spent on the flat land around the bottom, it's a little over 2 miles before you actually reach the inclined trail.

There was no cell phone service here in May of 2006. There is a payphone across from the mercantile, and a phone inside the mercantile that you can use during business hours.




A good place to stay, the nite before your climb, would be the Kenton Kabins, located in Kenton, Ok. Small, and somewhat sparse, but CLOSE to the trail head - maybe a 10 minute drive.

Don't expect much as far as snacks, trail food, or any breakfast at the mercantile next door. Bring your dinner, breakfast and trail food with you, and maybe a bottle of wine to enjoy. Get the larger cabin if you want to sit on the porch at nite.

http://www.geocities.com/kenton_merc/Kabins.html



This is how the approach looks. You'll pass several high areas on your left, and wonder why the heck you aren't climbing up yet.

On the day I climbed, it was 82 degrees when I started at around 9:30 am, and got up to 102 on the top in just a couple of hours! The humidity was low, around six percent, so even above 95 degrees was comfortable as there was a breeze.






When you get to this point, the trail cuts to the left, and you begin to see the switch backs that take you to the top. Not very steep for the most part, and not a very long climb.












Just before you reach the top, the trail looks like this......






And if you turn and look directly behind you.......





It looks like this! This area looks pretty much the same for miles in every direction. Vast. Flat. With mesas popping up all over.


Today, May 20th, was "Cops on Top" day, commemorating fallen heros. Summit attempts were made on most US highpoints. At the time of this post, I'm not sure if everyone was successful. From the info on their website (see below), it looks like a few peaks were unatainable. Regardless, it was nice to be there as the Oklahoma team, from Edmond, made the trek to represent the Edmond P.D. It was nice meeting this group, including Bryan Weathers. It certainly made the trip more interesting!
http://www.copsontop.com/climblog/CategoryView.aspx?category=2006

(Note) Bryan was probably the only highpointer in the country who changed a "poopy diaper" while at the highpoint! That was quite a trip for his little guy - who was probably the youngest highpointer of the day.



And at the end of the day, expect a spectacular sunset!

Sunflower Mountain* Kansas

The most striking part of visiting this highpoint isn't the highpoint itself, but the trip to get to it.

I drove up from Black Mesa, Oklahoma, after doing that highpoint the day before. I highly recommend driving up through western Kansas to see this point. It is so VAST, it can't be captured in photos. Mile after mile of crops, animals and snakes along the roadside, an very few buildings or people. It's quite incredible if you've never seen it.



The guest register is in this mailbox. It's filled with the usual mix of profound writing of finding one's inner self, along with a few not-so-profound entries.
It's always fun to read a few pages. The log showed four visitors on this day, on a weekend no less. I guess more people are drawn to the highpoints that involve a nice hike.




The garden sculpture is the only thing to see for miles, other than emptiness. This is a good place to just sit quietly and reflect on life. The endless open expanse makes one feel somewhat insignificant and small.


You can see the curvature of the earth on the horizon. This road leaving the parking lot is a contrast to your average traffic jam!