#3 OKLAHOMA –
Black Mesa (4,794 ft)
(1st Time) Summit Team: Andy Means, Annie Miller, & Andrew Patterson
Date: June 3, 2002
(2nd
Time) Summit Team: Andy & Lara
Patterson
Date: June 21, 2003
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Andy, Annie
& Andy on top of Black Mesa after a two hour hike |
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The Clones
(Andy & Andy) claim victory over the Oklahoma desert high point. |
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Overcome
with emotion, Andy celebrates his triumph at the monument. |
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A plaque
engraved on the monument commemorates Oklahoma’s highest point. |
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Annie & Andy
rest by the monument before the return hike. |
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Andy, Sarah
& Andy stand on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere on the way to Black
Mesa. |
Lara and I
returned to Black Mesa one year later.
SUMMIT NOTES
It took us three hours to get from
Taos, New Mexico to the trailhead of Black Mesa, Oklahoma. Much of this drive was done on dirt roads in
the middle of a rugged desert wasteland.
New Mexico Highway 456 turned out to be just a dirt road through the
desert. After miles of traveling dusty
back roads we arrived at the trailhead around lunchtime. After gearing up with lots of water and
snacks, Lara, Annie, Andy, Sarah and I (Andy) headed off to the base of the
mesa. Unfortunately, about a miles down
the trail, our dog Sarah began to overheat.
She was already panting and stopping at every bush to find shade. The day was extremely hot and humid with
very little places to find shade. But,
it was kind of expected since Sarah was an indoor dog with little exercise this
winter. Not to mention, we began our
hike right as the hottest part of the day began in the desert. It was obvious she wasn’t going to make this
summit. Lara volunteered to go back to
the CR-V with Sarah to keep her in the air conditioning. Andy, Annie and I set off for the summit
alone.
The hike to the base of the mesa was easy but the desert sun beat
down on us with no mercy. With no
shade, the trek was almost miserable had it not been for the good natured company
of my great friends. We were
continually annoyed with the company of some nagging horse flies but reached
the base in a short while. The climb up
the mesa was not very strenuous but the intense sun kept us all on the verge of
heat exhaustion. We had plenty of
water, sunscreen and eye protection.
Even so, we all reached that point where your head begins to buzz and
your stomach is churning because the heat was extremely unforgiving with no
place to hide.
After a short while we reached
the top of the mesa to discover we had more trekking to do. We expected the summit to be just at the top
but it was actually about another mile along the top of the mesa. Two hours after we began, we reached the
summit marker for the high point and rested for just a few minutes. We signed the registrar, ate some Fig Newtons,
drank more water and began our hike back just as a summer storm began to blow
in. Our trip back was more enjoyable
with the emergence of dark clouds, a cool breeze, and a few raindrops.
We arrived at the CR-V three
hours and thirty minutes after we had begun.
Lara greeted us up the trail but Sarah remained in the air conditioning
and refused to come out.
Overall, the desert adventure
was worth it and I was glad to have the company of my great friends Andy &
Annie with me. I was sorry Lara had to
miss another summit, but happy to see my dog Sarah survive another desert
attempt. No more hot weather attempts
for Sarah.
One year later, Lara and I
returned to the high desert of Oklahoma so that Lara could make the
summit. We again tried to take Sarah up
the mesa. Even though it was much
cooler, our dog didn’t make it. She was
used to spending her days lying around the house and getting fat. I left Sarah in an air conditioned room at
the Black Mesa Bed and Breakfast, thanks to the extremely gracious owners Monty
and Vickie, and Lara and I bagged the peak.
After picking up our dog, we headed back to Texas.
FIREMANBUZZ go to 50 PEAKS