Rich Mountain Trip 20130511

11 May 2013. Dan Deloria, Rod Pendleton, and I hiked Rich Mountain in southeastern Oklahoma. We were searching an area where we believe the crash sites of an R4D (1945), an SNB (1950), and a T-6D (1951) are located.

Rich Mountain is a heavily forested wilderness area. Hiking isn't easy through here! This view looks north, through the trees at the west end of Black Fork Mountain.
At the west end of my search area, I came across a small pool in a rocky ravine.
After nearly four hours on the mountain, seeing nothing but trees and granite, I spy this piece about 75 feet downslope from me. It looks like a stabilizer!

Of course, it was only a rock...
As I put away the camera after taking a picture of the "stabilizer rock", I look down to take a step and I'm surprised to see a rather pretty Speckled Kingsnake!
After a few hours of searching with no luck, we decide to head over to the Arkansas end of the ridge and visit the crash site of a Cessna 177RG. The airplane crashed in November of 2010 in bad weather. The pilot did not survive the accident.
Comparing the site with the NTSB photograph. The Cessna came to rest just feet from AR88.
The crash site has not only been thoroughly cleaned, but the mountain has moved in to cover the traces. There was hardly any evidence of the fire that consumed the cabin. I'm standing about where the engine would have been.
Looking up towards the road. Dan is now where the engine would have been, and I'm near where the tail came to rest.
In spite of the underbrush, I was able to find this fragment of the airplane.
I found this larger plastic piece a few feet away.
Other side of the same piece.

END.