The road ended at another fence, which we crossed.
We passed a corral and soon entered into scrubby forest. We started hiking the next morning at 7 a.m., heading east past a fence and along a rough track for 1.5 miles. I recall the weather being nice, a little warm. Andy and I slept in the open under the stars, while Ken slept in his vehicle. Ken provided the entertainment, as we watched to see if he would blow himself up with his camp-stove, leaking fuel then lighting it anyway. The ground is rocky and covered in a thick mat of grass and cactus. We arrived to Lolamai Point in late afternoon and set up "camp", such as it was, in an open area. Ken was driving us in his brand new Isuzu SUV. We left Phoenix Saturday afternoon (June 3rd), planning to camp at Lolamai Point, then make the long hike (and long drive back home) all on Sunday. Andy Martin of Tucson was aware of our plans and introduced us to Andy Bates, also of Tucson, who was down to just this one highpoint to finish the Arizona list. and Andy Bates, and again in 2004 with my wife βð, Bill Jacobs, and Barb Lilley and Gord MacLeod.įirst Visit, June 2000: Ken and I agreed to team for a hike to Black Mesa's highpoint, both of use close to finishing the Arizona County Highpoints (I was down to my last two). I have used this route on both my ascents, in 2000 with Ken A. This route involves a lot of hiking, but the road access seems to be the most stable. The "traditional" route comes in from the southwest, near Lolamai Point on the mesa's north rim, about five miles from the highpoint. Getting to the highpoint is challenging, as there are about a half-dozen possible routes, all involving remote dirt roads, locked gates, cliffs, canyons, and potentially long hikes. The highpoint does not have an official name, although for purposes here, I informally call the whole north promontory "Kayenta Point". The highest point of Navajo County is a spot elevation of 8,168 feet located about one mile east of Kayenta Benchmark (8,120 feet) on Black Mesa's northern rim. Teammates: Andy Bates and Ken Akerman in 2000 βð, Bill Jacobs, Barb Lilley and Gord MacLeod in 2004īlack Mesa is a complex of mesas covering hundreds of square miles in the Navajo and Hopi Nations of northern Arizona. Gain: 168 feet (net), nearly 1,000 feet gross (Navajo Mountain in the background)īlack Mesa's impressive cliffs, as seen from Kayenta (behind a Holiday Inn)ĭates: (1) J(2) May 30, 2004 Klethla Valley from Lolamai Point, 5 a.m.
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