Schleicher County High Point Trip Report
two areas in northwest corner (2,600+ ft)
Date: March 12, 2002
Author: Scott Surgent
Bob Martin and I lunched in Ozona with the intent of heading north into Irion county, but I went on ahead
to hike the Schleicher highpoints. Bob had done these already so I went alone; we met up again a few hours
later in the town of Barnhart.
From Ozona, I went north on TX-163 to Crockett County Road 09 on my right (east), which I followed for
about 15 miles or so as it went east then gently curved north through some pretty desolate ranch properties.
Eventually it met up with Irion county road 132, where I turned right (east) and went about 3 more miles to
a locked gate spanning the road. I parked here and started the hike in.
The hike follows a fence about 1.25 miles south amid rocky ground and a moderately heavy juniper forest.
I hiked until I came to a junction with a gas-line, marked by yellow posts and a pretty solid-looking gate.
The first of two Schleicher highpoint areas is just another few hundred yards south-east along the gas road clearing.
I hiked to within a hundred feet or so of a hunter's platform, trying to sense where the gentle
summit might be. After some minor pacing, I returned to the fence/pipeline junction, hopped the fence, and
hiked west and south toward the larger highpoint contour, the second Schleicher highpoint area. Here, the
junipers were very dense, so I couldn't sight between the two areas to figure which one might be higher.
I basically hiked about a mile out and back, sort of a big arcing loop, always going "uphill" whenever I could
sense it. In any case, getting to within this contour isn't hard but pacing the area is necessary. After a while
I hiked back to the main fence and back out to my truck, a total hike of about 4.5 miles and about 200 feet
of gain in a little over an hour.
From here I followed more dirt county roads to Barnhart, where Bob was patiently waiting.