 |
| White Butte from the road |
When I first started hiking in the fall of 2001, I met a guy who had been to 49 of the 50 state high points. He only had Denali in Alaska (keyword, "only"). He told me about the Highpointers Club which devotes its resources to making the 50 state high points accessible. This is not an easy task, as many are on private land. Illinois' high point is only accessible 4 weekends of the year.
White Butte in North Dakota happens to be on private land, but is readily accessible. After meeting this guy, I bought a few guide books on the 50 state high points. For some reason, White Butte always stuck in my head. It's one of the few Midwest high points that requires a real hike (the other being Harney in SD). It's famous for its rattlesnakes. I'm not sure if I've ever watched each step as closely as I did today. I also had never been in a region with all of these buttes. What is a butte? I really looked forward to this hike and it would not disappoint. This easily would be one of the more unique hikes I've been on.
In the two weeks I have been out it has rained almost every single day. Today would be no exception. After having some difficulty locating the road, I parked my car near the old farmhouse. Since I haven't been keeping up with information, I did not drive up the half mile to the trailhead. I walked it instead, watching where I planted my feet every step of the way. As another precaution, I wore my winter hiking boots.
 |
| The drive in |
 |
| The old house on the way in |
 |
| The old house on the way out |
After reaching the old house, it began to pour. There is no official trail, but a fairly recognizable path gets you to the top (with some cairns along the way). Once on the Butte, it made for a very slippery and muddy walk. Much of it felt like a white clay. I almost fell a few times, tweaking my back in the process. Soaking wet, I kept at it and finally reached the summit. It's a beautiful area, with the buttes rising up over the plains. I signed the register, asking, "Which is worse, Mosquitoes or finding out your raingear doesn't work in a complete downpour?"
 |
| Rain sopped trail |
 |
| Slippery when wet |
 |
| A good look down |
 |
| Near the summit |
 |
| The view from the summit |
 |
| Buttes |
 |
| White Butte from the west |
That places looks great. What an adventure you had. Looks like you had the place to yourself. I hope your back recovered quickly. Did you see any wildlife there?
ReplyDeleteActually I did see some wildlife. In the photo above with the rain sopped trail, there is something on the path. I believe it was an armadillo but I'm not certain. It's probably to far north.
DeleteI wondered if that was an animal. The armadillo has been expanding its range northward.
Delete