Ascent of Black Mesa on 2008-12-17| Other People: | Solo Ascent
Only Party on Mountain | | Date: | Wednesday, December 17, 2008 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Peak: | Black Mesa | | Location: | USA-Oklahoma | | Elevation: | 4973 ft / 1515 m |
Ascent Trip ReportI'd done the Dallas-to-Denver run over a dozen times but had never made the time to visit Black Mesa, the OK state highpoint. With it finally an objective, I now wonder why I hadn't been there before.
The mesa land is absolutely beautiful and well worth the trip.
Unfortunately I only left myself 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete the 8.4 mile (as signed) hike; the park closes at dusk and the approach of the solstice meant my days were short. I'm sure 2:45 is a breeze for most folks but it left me with only about 10 minutes to enjoy the summit before hurrying on down.
Among the many pieces of interesting information etched onto the monument at the summit is the tidbit that Cimarron County is the only county in the US to touch four other states (NM, TX, CO, KS).
I signed the register as cohp #14 and state hp #1, in order of importance.
There was some snow at only 3500 feet further south in Texas, so I thought there may be some drifts on the trail ascending the north side of the mesa. Of course there were none and I may now be the only person to ever carry an ice axe in Oklahoma.
I did not see a single other person on the trail. I did see some amazing small azure birds that I had never seen before as the sun was setting, as well as some cows munching along the side of the trail around one mile in. |
| Summary Total Data | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail | | Gear Used: | Ski Poles |
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