"Virtual Hike" page 5: THE Point on Headwaters
Hill
I spent a little time trying to figure out exactly which spot
drained to three different places in the ocean. It was more difficult
than I expected, because the area right at the top of the mountain is
rather flat. But I finally concluded that the spot where we're
standing in the photo below is it: the spot where the three
watersheds meet. If it were raining on this point, the puddle forming
at our feet would be draining into three different places in the
ocean. Water behind me (the guy on the left) flows into the Gunnison
and the Colorado. Water behind my dad (on the right) flows into the
Arkansas. And water flowing towards the camera eventually winds up in
the Rio Grande.
You know how someone who climbs a difficult mountain will
sometimes plant a flag to prove they were there? My wife sewed the
flag above for that purpose. But it wasn't a difficult climb, and we
certainly weren't the first ones up there. Plus, I wanted to keep the
flag as a souvenir - so don't expect to find it on the summit if you
go up there!