THE TRIPOINTER PATCH: You have enough t-shirts...




...but you do need one of our 'stinking' TRIPOINTER bat-chez. Si? Buy yours here for four beans ($4), or from the HP Club Merc. 3-inch dia. Don't hesitate, just order one TODAY while supplies last (don't worry, we know where to get even MORE!). Sew it on a cap, backpack, purse, wherever. Display it proudly and as a reminder that "Tripointing IS NOT for Wusses!"

CO/NE/KS TRI-POINT
Go direct or GPS zig-zag

The guide's directions are given from US34: if westbound, go 1.3mi past the CO/NE state line to RD RR (County Road). Go left (south) for 4mi. You'll pass RD 32 then a lone house (there ain't much 'round here) on the right at 3mi. and arrive at a 'T' in another mile (pictured), which is RD 31. Note the tri-corner arrow signs. Turn left. Drive 1.2mi and bear left, reaching the 3Pt "corral" in .4mi.

Coming from the south via US385, head toward Wray to RD 32 on the right. Turn here. Go east aprx. 8mi, crossing RDs JJ through QQ, to RR. Turn right. Pass farm house to the above 'T' at RD 31.

I set my Nuvi 350 GPS using the guide's coords. These were accurate though the GPS didn't follow a direct route. The above US385 tack is an interpretation of the GPS's zig-zag route. The Nuvi can't know all these dirt farm roads and would have no qualms taking you over 'no' roads to specific coords. The Nuvi screen B/W checkered flag indicated the goal to navigate towards.
Within the iron cattle fence is the brass 3Pt marker, a bronze plaque (unfortunately shot with bullets) with survey and states' info (see guide), and a big mailbox containing the register.

For us, many of these remote sites border on surreal: perhaps when we arrive Nicholas Cage will be there signing the register. Locating these 3Pt sites is always gratifying - an adventure of a ??? kind. Anyway, choose your own sport. Hopefully, it beats watching "others" on ESPN. Zzzzz....

http://bilwe.jalbum.net/CoKsNe

HUMPHREYS PEAK ARIZONA
3 false summits?

It seemed more like 4. This was the first of 42 hps I've scored that needed a repeat try. The scheduled AZ08 "managed hikes" for our day was in a bad weather scenario. Monsoon stuff. Yo! I opted out at the 11,400 ft. marker since I wanted pics on top, having missed photo ops on Wheeler a week before - not a Cedar Point Amusement Park experience. None of our late-start team (745A) made it. The leader and determined 'Ruth' got partway into the saddle when she, spooked by close-by thunder, decided against being electrocuted far from Seattle.

To become psyched and prepared, I like doing research prior to attempting any iffy goal, but I failed doing my best homework on this one. None of the popular hp guide books made mention of multiple false summits and rock scrambling over a gnarly basalt rockslide, a resultant characteristic of this one-time-volcano state high point, with summit non-trails at times.

The second attempt went much better on a better day. Great views for pictures all the way and on summit, but a tad too much sunny-Sunday traffic, amounting to mostly capless twen-tish hikers (NAU?) in t-shirts, shorts, sneakers, maybe a water bottle. They roared past us coming and going. And dogs, dogs, dogs. What's w/the dogs on these western peaks, anyway? Stepping narrowly aside for hikers/pooches broke our own momentum. The trail was challenging enough.

Distance: aprx 9 mi rt. Total time: 10 1/2 hrs incl 45min on top. Not bad for 2 old guys, me and Tucson Bob climbin' with his new "On Sale" $20 Walmart boots, original-issue Air Force cotton OD pants, WWII canteen/web belt, and curtain rod hiking pole. No wonder others couldn't wait to pass. Both coming and going.

Note: Bob's curtain rod did come in handy for draping our bedsheet summit banner w/felt marker lettering. Coo-wel, right? And, I confess to afterward leaving it rolled up in the log box for other's use. So, sue me! Otherwise, there's no summit marker there but several trail signs below. Huh? What's w/the USFS anyway? They sound like incomp dolts to us, speaking for The Trek Stop staff. Why make enjoying the outdoor experience almost as complicated as brain surgery?

Please put the friggin' engraved, rustic, wooden Humphreys Peak summit marker BACK!!! Jeeeze.... And, after that, get a life - like turning back ill-equipped hikers from doing that mountain at all in uncertain weather.

Links: Google Humphreys Peak AZ for lots of info. And, don't miss the important parts.

THE WINSLOW, ARIZONA CORNER
Street corner-pointing? Why not?

Just down I-40 from the Meteor Crater going east apiece, is the "Standin' on the Corner..." corner of 2nd & Kinsley in Winslow - from the Eagle's song hit. We stood there en route to AZ08, Flagstaff. Had the place to ourselves, actually. This is a highly visited park, but we were able to shoot tourist-free photos that morning. Now, we're debating whether we want to begin "Street Corner-Pointing." There's Haight-Ashbury, Hollywood & Vine, Broadway & 42 Street, Fremont & Main, 12th Street & Vine. Where's the Midnight Cowboy/Dustin Hoffman's, "Hey, I'm walkin' here!" corner, by the way?

How about "Standin' on the Corner Watchin' All the Girls Go By" corner? Hmm...that would be everywhere, huh?

History info: http://www.standinonthecorner.com/history.htm (There's lots more you can Google about this corner). And, if you hurry: http://www.standinonthecorner.com/

VISIT THE METEOR CRATER
But be careful out there....

We thought it would be wider and deeper but, oh well, we got a reduced rate to circum-trek the entire hole. The HP Club arranged for this special guided tour as one of the AZ08 events; otherwise, walk-in tourists are offered only a short out and back rim hike. The 2 1/2 trail is undulating, rocky, and rugged w/the AZ sun beating down - not a walk in the park. From everywhere on the rim, the hole looks pretty much the same, but it's real claim to fame is "the deepest depression in Arizona." And, it's more like 4100ft across, not a mile as often advertised - "nearly a mile" - which begs the difference. Depth = 570ft. The visitor's center is quite nice, containing interesting exhibits, a 20-min video, and a souvenir shop with a plethora of crater-related stuff to take along.

Get on a perimeter hike if you can but, hey!...watch your step.

Official site: http://www.meteorcrater.com/index.php
For hole collectors: http://oldadit.googlepages.com/big.hole.txt

Also: Click here: The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. - Meteor Crater, Northern Arizona, USA

WHEELER PEAK, NM
Go short. No, go long....

On our road trip to AZ08, Flagstaff, one of our goals was Wheeler. We researched trail info, read trip reports, and learned there were 2 popular routes: Williams Lake Trail, short (7 rt) but steep w/scree, and Bull-of-the-Woods (16 rt), over twice as long but gradual. When we contacted both HP Club NM liaisons for advice, one told us to "go long"; the other advised "go short." Well...back to square one. Once in the area, Taos and Ski Valley, local hikers seemed to lean more toward "short." So we did.

It was steep and there was scree but both were doable. Threatening clouds appeared about 2/3s the way, not to mention temp drop, poor visibility, wind, and sleet. I wound up solo, struggling with and cursing at the scree. Once in the saddle, I forgot - go left or right? I remembered...right. The ridge was akin to a dragon's back as I made my over it's humps, looking for the hump that would be Wheeler. The wind and sleet were getting serious and, as I was about to settle for the 3rd hump, return, and claim I made it, two hikers in shorts and cotton jerseys appeared out of the cloud. Which way to Wheeler? I asked the lead man. This way, he pointed as he roared by, disappearing into the white curtain which was hiding the 360 view I would never get from up here.

At the summit plaque I asked the rear power hiker to take 3 quick shots of me. He said his hands were too frozen but took the camera and clicked 3 off - the only pics I was to get on top. Then it was time to get down...NOW! We 3 headed out together. The 2 had come up long and now wore ponchos. I needed to find the scree in the saddle, but spied another nicely defined down trail after the 2nd hump. The lead guy told me it looked like a good trail. I took it, knowing better. Soon the sleet was masking this path and I had no idea where I was going except down. Where was the scree and the ascent drainage trail to return on? I slipped once on the sleet and again on wet grass. I had talkie contact w/Diane who was now back at the lake. I reported being lost. She said she was cold and was going to the car. No, I told her, not yet because I'm friggin' lost. As I dropped lower, the sleet let up and visibility improved. I glimpsed the trail and headed for it. The left drainage would have resulted in a bushwhack.

The summit pics came back from processing. Two of the 3 shots were blurred. One worked. (See here). I got a better shot of a marmot. How I hate to hand my camera to a stranger but couldn't take the time setting up my Leki hike pole/monopod in that environ.

Recommendation: Bite the bullet - just go short on Wheeler but choose a better day.

U.S. TRI-POINT UPDATE:
#3 of 4 + Drama...
There's a cluster of tri-points at the extreme end of the OK panhandle unlike nowhere else in the US. We were there in for the OK02 'vention but hadn't then developed a taste for tri-point questing. Consequently, we missed NM/OK/TX then but decided to bag it on our way to AZ08, Flagstaff.

We detoured miles from our straight-line route to redeem ourselves; however, we lost a roll of film in the process at or near this tri-point. Any finder of this errant roll of film will be richly rewarded w/a case of beer and a Tri-Pointer patch. Waddaya want, hey? How would you feel if YOU stupidly lost an important roll of graphic memories? Believed to have been left on the hood of our Jeep it musta rolled off nearby. We drove as far west as Clayton, 10 miles, before being traumatized by the realization. Doubling back, we searched NM/OK/TX diligently - no film was found, though safely inside a plastic canister. Darn, darn!

Soooo...what's one of these trips w/o a little drama?

Conclusion: Tri-Pointing IS NOT for Wusses!!! Or dummies.

Getting there? Another no-brainer: From Rt56/64/412, at the NM/OK line, go south on Feeder Rd. 1mi. to a T and you've arrived. Jack's guide describes other historic markers in this area.

Lesson: Take multiple cameras. We do that for redundant shots using various media - print, digital, etc. Reaching these outposts is costly and uses up your life. Get it all documented for your old-age scrap books.

U.S. TRI-POINT UPDATE:
#2 of 4 AZ08 en route corners

OK/MO/AR: This one's access info doesn't vary from the guide. Secondary roads will get you there. This formidable marker is too big and cumbersome to steal, so it's still there and undefaced, too. From South West City on Rt 43, go south aprx. 1 mile. Pics here show the "Corner Stone Station" across the road so you'd have to be stoned to miss this one. Have a Coke and a bag of Fritos at the store. Yak with whomever's there. All are friendly 'round here perhaps unlike where you're from. Knock yourself out after all that driving to reach it!

U.S TRI-POINT UPDATES:
#1 of 4 AZ08 en route corners

Traveling west on I-44, bagging 3Pt #19 is a no-brainer. In MO, go north at Exit 1, Rt166N. In a blink you'll come to a new round-about that will waft you CCW. Go 3/4 around (or 270deg) to the entrance of the "Downstream Casino Resort." Immediately past the casino portal, turn left on a rustic, broken paved road, leading .1 mile to the site. The obvious 12ft tall stone cairn on the right informs you that you're there. Since Jack's '91 visit, formal, engraved plaques within a metal railing now mark the true KS/MO/OK tri-corner.

The addition of the casino cuts Jack's final .3mi access in half. Perhaps, someday, this newly reported rustic access will be improved making this 3Pt a more popular "need-to-see" spot. Ah, tri-pointing.... Also, just a tad north in Galena, you'll find US66, the world's most famous highway.