Southern Oklahoma is surprising (to me) in that it actually has small but impressive hills and mountains sprinkled throughout, many of them extrusions of bare granite jutting above the flat farms and ranches. Such is the case with Walsh Mountain in Greer county. From the town of Granite at the junctions of highways OK-6 and OK-9, I headed west on OK-9 a little under 3 miles to a paved road signed "Rock Cemetary". From here I went north 1.5 miles, passing the cemetary along the way, to a dirt road on the right marked by two tires painted white at a cattle grate. I drove in a half mile and came upon a locked gate near some animal pens.

After encountering said locked gate, I asked at the nearby residence for permission to hike to road to the top. A kind woman, Fay Haynes, answered the door and gave me permission to hike it after about 15 minutes of friendly chatting. I thanked her and started my way to the top. I passed the gate and walked past the animal pens, where some cattle gave me the eye. The road simply winds its way to the summit, sometimes rather steeply. In places it was pretty rocky and recent rains had made it muddy and slick in spots. I reached the top in about 15 minutes, roughly a half-mile and about 570 feet of gain. I found the benchmark embedded on a rock amid some small buildings and antennas. The air was humid and the sky cloudy - generally pretty uncomfortable. But a profusion of wildflowers on the hillside made for a very pretty sight. I hiked back down, about a 30 minute hike overall. I went back to the home of Mrs. Haynes to thank here again and to let her know I was safe and on my way. Fifteen minutes later, I was finally on my way!

I have to say, Mrs. Haynes was extremely friendly. She was slightly hesitant at first to let me go up but she later explained they have periodic problems with trespassers. The mountain and the surrounding land has been in her family since the 1870s. Easily one of my most enjoyable highpoints, especially so with the friendliness of the landowner!