Meat, Sleep, Repeat

Nebraska’s highest point is Panorama Point at 5,424′ above sea level. Similar to Mount Sunflower in Kansas, Panorama Point is just a spot on the flat plains of the state. It lies where Nebraska borders Colorado and Wyoming.

The ‘climb’ to this high point consists of driving some dirt roads, paying a $3 entry fee, and parking next to the high point monument.

Summit register and high point monument

What was super neato was the buffalo herd that was grazing near by. I couldn’t get very close to them, but they appeared to be enjoying the sunshine and feast of green grass.

I also spotted a snake hanging out in the grass. I got right up next to this guy to take pictures. He was not at all frightened and actually quite photogenic.

States conquered: 19

Kansas is home to one of the most intimidating high points in the country. Mount Sunflower dwarfs the surrounding land with a commanding presence! Just to be clear, this was a sarcastic intro…

Mount Sunflower is on the boarder of Kansas and Colorado. The high point is on the western border because the plains of Kansas rise slightly from east to west.

To get to there, you drive off the interstate on to some farm roads and end up at a monument marking the spot. It’s decorated quite nicely! This is good because there’s really nothing else to look at.

It’s flat

One of the coolest parts of this high point was the storm I drove through on the way there. I was listening to the local weather at the time and there were reports of funnel clouds within 5 miles of me! I was on the lookout, but never saw any.

States conquered: 18

The highest point in Oklahoma is Black Mesa at 4,973 ft. The mesa extends into New Mexico and Colorado. In fact, the highest point of the mesa lies in Colorado at 5,715 ft.

Mile 2 rest stop

Black Mesa is named for the black pumice rock that can be seen all over it. This igneous rock was deposited by the lava flows from the Capulin Volcano located in New Mexico. The rock from the lava flows is less prone to erosion than the sedimentary rock underneath and all around. Erosion has worn away the areas not covered by the lava flows leaving Black Mesa to tower hundreds of feet over the surrounding area.

The edge of Black Mesa

The hike to this high point was a moderate 4.2 miles one way. The first 2.5 miles was on flat, dusty terrain. The trail then ascends the mesa rather quickly. The last mile or so is on top of the mesa and is a flat walk to the high point.

Pushing over the high point marker

The land is desert-like with a few varieties of cactus and some scattered shrubbery. The only wildlife I saw on the trail was a rabbit and some ants, but there was evidence of other life as well.

My expectations for this hike were pretty low, but I’d have to say that this high point was really cool! The history of Black Mesa, the surrounding rock formations, and even the desert scenery made for a great day on the trail.

States conquered: 17

The top of New Mexico is Wheeler Peak, a 13,161 foot giant in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains that looks down on the Taos Ski Valley. There was quite a bit of snow around the area, but no where near enough to ski. Since I couldn’t ski, I might as well climb!

I think the mountain was named after this guy

There are two popular routes to the top of Wheeler Peak. One is a 7.3 mile class 1 trail that climbs from 9,400′ to the top in a meandering and gentle manner. The other route starts at a higher trail-head, but is much steeper on average. I couldn’t decide which route to take, so I took them both! I walked the long route up the mountain, and took the more direct route back down.

The tail end of a big horn sheep

The trail to the top was pretty easy most of the way except for some large areas that were covered by snow. A bit of post holing and losing the trail made the journey much more scenic and slightly frustrating at the same time.

Found this little guy hangin’ out along the way

Once I reach the ridge line, the wind picked up quite aggressively. I made my way up and down and up and down for 1-2 miles until I reached the summit.

Nailed it!

Plaque and summit register at the top

I took a seat to duck out of the wind and have a snack. I was joined for lunch by a chipmunk who had obviously dined with many hikers in the past.

I put my day pack back on and headed down the steep slope to the ski resort area. A large section was covered with loose scree. I scree surfed my way down quite a bit until I reached the tree line.

summit view towards the Taos area

The opposite side of Taos

Once in the trees, I bushwhacked my way through waist deep snow for an hour before finding the path I had originally set out to take. This led me to the bottom of the ski lifts that were sitting idle.

A nice 3,761′ foot ascent and round trip distance of 12 miles! (estimated since I really wasn’t on a trail for a long time)

States conquered: 16

Day 2

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The alarm went off at 4:30am and I got suited up to attempt my summit of Mount Whitney.  It was a chilly morning, so I threw on layers to keep warm and defend against the brisk winds.

An early morning view. That snowy patch in the middle is the chute. Just to the left is the switchback route (but you cant see the trail in this picture)

The next section of the trail is known as the ’99 switchbacks’.  This section rises from 12,000′ to 13,700′ to the trail crest in approximately 2 miles.  Pretty steep stuff.

The alternative to the 99 switchbacks is a snowy patch to the right known as ‘the chute’.  While this approach is not available in the summer since the snow has melted, it is quite popular the rest of the season.  Most of the climbers were taking the switchbacks, but I decided to go up the chute.

The sun is coming out. Mt. Whitney is the peak furthest to the right. A long way to go!

I dawned my crampons and pulled out my ice axe.

This was my first experience with the ice axe and crampons.  It was probably not the smartest idea to try them out on a trail of this difficutly, but I’d watched a few youtube vieos on the subject and felt good enough.

Half way up the chute. Taking a quick breather.

I took it slow on the way up the chute.  Making sure that I had two of my three anchor points secure at all times (two feet and one ice axe).  Even so, I lost my footing and was kept from sliding down the chute by one hand and a well placed ice axe!

I probably looked something like this

I completed my ascent of the chute and met up with the trail at trail crest.  At this point, you get to see the other side of the mountains.  The view is spectacular!  This is also the point where you have to deal with high winds blowing you around and chilling you to the bone.

A half step backwards and the fall would be quite a long ways down

A short distance along the trail and there is a sign saying 1.9 miles to the summit.  I got really excited and even picked up the pace for a minute.  This didn’t really last… I was tired from climbing the chute and the lack of oxygen limits the pace you can take.

This last section was a test of will.  The chilling winds, 60% oxygen per breath, and exhaustion were intense.  I put my head down and concentrated on pushing through the pain.  I have no idea how long I spent on this section of the trail, but it felt like an eternity.

Along the way I caught my first glimpse of the summit shelter.  It was a like a mirage that never got closer.

That peak in the distance has a speck on top. That speck is the summit shelter.

At last I reached the summit shelter!  I jumped inside right away to get out of the wind which had been picking up more and more since I reached trail crest.  There was a group of three in the shelter already.  We congratulated each other while warming up and preparing for the descent.

Of course we got some pictures of ourselves at the summit.

Victory!

The group of three left to make their way down and I stuck around a little longer to enjoy the shelter and refuel.  Just before I was leaving the shelter, another solo summitter walked in.  We chatted for a few minutes and decided to descend as a team.

This turned out to be a very good decision as the sun had come out and turned portions of the trail into icy traps.  We worked together to get around these sections or clean up the ice with our axes.

All smiles on the way back

Back at the trail camp, I packed up the rest of my gear and headed back to the trail-head.  The second day saw an elevation gain of 2,500′ and a descent of 6,000+’ over 16 miles.  By the time I reached the trail-head, I had just enough energy to take my boots off and lay down.

Mission accomplished!!!

States conquered: 15

To kick off my campaign out West, I decided to top my home state of Texas. When you think of mountains, Texas generally doesn’t enter the conversation, but West Texas contains a portion of the Guadalupe Mountains.

Good morning!

Towering above the landscape is the 8,749 foot tall Guadalupe Peak. Not only is this the highest point in Texas, but it is also the tallest mountain in the Guadalupe Mountains which stretch into southern New Mexico.

One of my cooler pictures from this hike

The rocky, yet well groomed trail to the summit is a 4.2 mile stroll with a slight elevation gain of 3000′. I hit the trail very early in the morning hoping to avoid the heat of the day and capture my pictures in the morning sun. I think it paid off!

A view of the switchbacks and the parking lot

The trail started with an aggressive switchback section of nearly a mile that ascended the ridge-line  Once I reached the top of the ridge I got a taste of the brisk wind that was sweeping down the valley. While I had to secure my hat, the wind was nice on a warm sunny day.

The next few miles were quite mellow. Not a strenuous gain in elevation at all. In fact, with the wind gusting and the easy trail, it made for a very relaxing hike.

As the trail reached it’s final half mile, the incline increased to that of the switchbacks that started the hike. As the trail crossed a false summit to the other side of the ridge, the view of the mountain valley opened up to display the vast flatlands that extend as far as the eye can see. This abrupt change in scenery was the coolest part of the ascent.

Something flowery

Only a few minutes up the trail and I reached the summit. At the top was this super cool monument. This stainless steel high-point marker was placed on top in 1958 for the 100th anniversary of a stagecoach route that passed by the mountain.

Lookin’ good!

The wind at the top was twice as strong as anything I felt on the way up. It would whip around, gusting in all directions. Let’s just say that if you were relieving yourself at the top, the wind might turn against you without warning and possibly dampen your experience. Consider yourself warned.

You know you’re in Texas when there’s a hitchin’ post at the top of a mountain

I spent a few minutes snapping pictures in every direction, signed the summit register (contained in an ammo box by the monument), ate some jerky, and prepared to descend.

The only two people I saw on my way up had camped near the summit, so I must have been the first person to leave the trail-head that morning. On the way down, I ran in to 40-50 people making their way to the top. I met some hikers who were on the initial switchback section and told them, “you’re almost to the top!” I got a good chuckle from the group, except for a large man bringing up the rear who jokingly informed me ‘it was not polite to lie.’

I found a happy cactus

States Conquered: 14

Kentucky is a beautiful state full of scenic trails and the occasional backwoods distillery. Unfortunately, Black Mountain, Kentucky’s highest point, is not scenic or flowing with moonshine.

Black Mountain is in a coal mining area of the state. Industry has taken over this destination. It doesn’t bother me though. In fact, I got a nice elevated view of the landscape sculpture that is surface mining.

As this is not a nature destination, there really aren’t any trails to the summit. I drove a (quite fun) twisty windy road up to the top. You know you are there when you can see the Virginia welcome sign (and if you turn around, you’ll see the Kentucky welcome sign).

At the top is a little history lesson on a man that worked to put a tower at the top of Black Mountain way back in the day. He succeeded! Sorry to blow the ending…

The high point marker was hiding in the grass

States Conquered: 13

Another state high point along the Appalachian trial is Virginia’s Mount Rogers. This peak rises 5,729 ft above sea level yet it is still covered in a dense spruce-fir forest which typically doesn’t exist at that altitude.

I chose to approach Mount Rogers from the Massie Gap, approximately four miles away. The highlands scenery was quite different than the other Appalachians I had climbed. The land was scattered with large boulders and less dense vegetation.

As I made my way towards the summit, I was joined by a few wild ponies. We hiked together for a while before parting ways as the trail passed through a fence.

I kept walking and started to hear a light raining sound. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, so I was a bit confused and looked around to see where the noise was coming from. It turns out a frost from the night before had covered a cluster of bushes. The light raining sound was actually the ice falling from the bushing and rattling around as they fell to the ground.

The trail continued on and passed one of the numerous Appalachian Trail shelters. There I ran into a group of outdoor enthusiasts inhaling the ambiance of the mountains. I said a quick hello to the mellow hikers and continued on to the summit.

The side trail to the summit was a short and unchallenging walk through a dense and mossy spruce forest. At the top, I found two markers.

States Conquered: 12