Black Mesa was my first highpoint on my spring break trip. After spending the night at the Hardeman County rest stop in Texas, I went to Boise City via US 287 and from Boise City I took OK 325 to Kenton, OK. I stopped at the Kenton Mercantile, which is owned by a fellow highpointer, but the store was apparently closed up for lunch. After my stop at "The Merc", I continued on the Colorado road to the Black Mesa Nature Preserve.
After packing up my daypack, I left my car at 1:40 PM MST, and followed the jeep path around
the north side of the mesa. Almost all of the elevation gain on the hike is going up the
side of the mesa; the remaining parts of the hike are long but not difficult. I made it to
the summit in 1:15 and after a 15 minute visit on top, I made it back down in 1:15. My total
trip time was 2:45 - this is good considering that the Wingers' book says the average hiking
time is 3 to 5 hours. The temperature was in the low 80s for the duration of the hike.
Fortunately, I didn't see or hear any rattlesnakes on the hike. After the hike, I made
my way to Lamar, CO to stay for the night.