After a passable meal at a local steakhouse in Clayton, New Mexico, and a sober viewing of Blackhawk Down, we retired to a restless night's sleep. Back on the road for an hour to the Black Mesa trailhead - the first test of our will and skill. We will have to hike 8.2 miles and orienteer our way across a barren mesa top to the highest point in the state of Oklahoma.
The day was cloudy and gloomy from the previous nights' wild storms, which had knocked out cell phone use in the area. The hike divided into three legs: 2 miles west across rolling terrain at the base of Black Mesa; 1 mile of steep climbing up the side of the mesa, and another mile across the billiard table mesa top to the highpoint monument.
We met the totally unexpected here. Frisky and curious calves. At their first sighting of us, they began to lope toward us, kicking with apparent joy as though we were long lost friends. Two adult cows followed on their heels, and I began to get a bit nervous. Turner and I looked at one another. and agreed to pick up the pace. On we went across the rolling desert (lots of flowering Cholla Cactus) to the base of the hill climb. On the cattle followed about 50 yards behind us... "Trick or treat!" But they then lost their appetite for exercise when we climbed the mesa side.
The rest was easy. A straight azimuth SSW and lo and behold there was the 9-foot tall granite summit monument. We took a short water and picture break, and headed back across the sandy and cactus-strewn mesa top toward our car. Although the guidebook had warned us against rattlesnakes, we saw none. It did not warn us about the cows, who picked up their strange pursuit of us when we got back down to the bottom. Taking a respectful shortcut, we made it back to the car.
The journey home, including a grateful stop at the Sonic in La Junta, was uneventful. How uneventful? In the 100 mile stretch of road between the Black Mesa trailhead and La Junta, we saw just 8 other vehicles. Lonesome day in southeastern Colorado. Thus ended our first highpointing foray. We had driven 1000 miles and bagged two easy drive through highpoints and one moderately easy hiking highpoint. It was honestly a fun couple of days.
The day was cloudy and gloomy from the previous nights' wild storms, which had knocked out cell phone use in the area. The hike divided into three legs: 2 miles west across rolling terrain at the base of Black Mesa; 1 mile of steep climbing up the side of the mesa, and another mile across the billiard table mesa top to the highpoint monument.
We met the totally unexpected here. Frisky and curious calves. At their first sighting of us, they began to lope toward us, kicking with apparent joy as though we were long lost friends. Two adult cows followed on their heels, and I began to get a bit nervous. Turner and I looked at one another. and agreed to pick up the pace. On we went across the rolling desert (lots of flowering Cholla Cactus) to the base of the hill climb. On the cattle followed about 50 yards behind us... "Trick or treat!" But they then lost their appetite for exercise when we climbed the mesa side.
The rest was easy. A straight azimuth SSW and lo and behold there was the 9-foot tall granite summit monument. We took a short water and picture break, and headed back across the sandy and cactus-strewn mesa top toward our car. Although the guidebook had warned us against rattlesnakes, we saw none. It did not warn us about the cows, who picked up their strange pursuit of us when we got back down to the bottom. Taking a respectful shortcut, we made it back to the car.
The journey home, including a grateful stop at the Sonic in La Junta, was uneventful. How uneventful? In the 100 mile stretch of road between the Black Mesa trailhead and La Junta, we saw just 8 other vehicles. Lonesome day in southeastern Colorado. Thus ended our first highpointing foray. We had driven 1000 miles and bagged two easy drive through highpoints and one moderately easy hiking highpoint. It was honestly a fun couple of days.
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