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The notebooks inside have become a makeshift time capsule. Been Here? 9 Want to Visit? 87 [blank-f2c3] View all photos The desk atop Hancock Hill in 2021. Lars Plougmann / CC BY-SA 2.0 [Ml9rLmpwZw] The desk atop Hancock Hill in 2021. Lars Plougmann / CC BY-SA 2.0 [anBn] Visitors can write in the notebook stored in the drawers of the desk casualmonolith (Atlas Obscura User) [anBn] The Desk on the eastern edge of Hancock Hill overlooks the desert to the southeast casualmonolith (Atlas Obscura User) [aWxsLmpwZW] View of Alpine from atop Hancock Hill Patriarca12 / CC BY-SA 4.0 Been Here? 9 Want to Visit? 87 Sul Ross Desk Copy Link Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard Pocket Top Places in Texas Aerial view of camp. Camp Wolters Mineral Wells, Texas --------------------------------------------------------------------- Starship Pegasus Italy, Texas --------------------------------------------------------------------- National Museum of the Pacific War Fredericksburg, Texas See All In 1979, three students at Sul Ross State University decided they needed a spot away from campus to study. And why not grind on those exam reviews with a view? So Jim Kitchen, Bill Wagner, and Travis Miller carted a desk up to the top of Hancock Hill, north of campus. They would spend their afternoons and evenings studying at this spot and taking in the great views offered by the west Texas sun and expansive plains and mountains extending in every direction. One of the students decided to bring a notebook and wrote a note in it. When he returned later, he discovered that someone had replied. So began an epistolary tradition that now spans four decades. Today, the notebook kept in the desk's drawer offers visitors the chance to write to other visitors and reflect on what it means to leave a mark and make a statement in such a place at whatever moment in time they happen to be there. Completed notebooks from the Sol Ross desk are kept at the Archives of the Big Bend. According to a review of the notebooks by Texas Monthly, most of the writers are anonymous and entries range from short declarative statements (declarations of love, a simple statement of what date two names were there), to longer, more personal writing (reflections on the passage of time, a message to a lost loved one, confessions of deeply-held secrets). The original desk has been replaced several times. Locals believe that the current desk is the fourth one to occupy this site. Though the furniture has changed, the sentiment remains the same--there's always a place to sit and collect your thoughts atop Hancock Hill. Know Before You Go The desk is located at the following coordinates: 30deg22'14.8"N 103deg38'40.7"W The hike to the desk is along stony and loose gravel hiking paths and is not accessible by car. Maps at the Hancock Hill trailhead, behind Mountainside Hall, show the path to The Desk. The hike is about two miles out and back. There is ample parking at the trailhead and no permit is required. There is no entry fee. furniture hiking tradition universities mountains Community Contributors casualmonolith Added by casualmonolith --------------------------------------------------------------------- Published February 22, 2024 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Edit this listing Make an Edit Add Photos --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sources * https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/ notebooks-hancock-hill-desk-alpine/ * https://visitalpinetx.com/photos/the-desk-at-sul-ross/ * https://srlobos.com/news/2017/4/3/ general-video-football-hikes-hancock-hill-with-new-desk.aspx * https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/ Sul-Ross-desk-Alpine-West-Texas-students-landmark-12746215.php [blank-f2c3362333e2a7a073648cf7e50aa224b02674cd3b28b24000ca5cdc8980f] 700 N Bird St Alpine, Texas, 79830 United States 30.3664, -103.6533 View on Google Maps Nearby Marfa Lights 15.07 miles Rattlers & Reptiles 21.30 miles Faith Alive Cowboy Church Radio Station 21.69 miles Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member. Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member. Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member. Near This Place [blank-f2c3] Marfa, Texas Marfa Lights Mysterious glowing orbs float through the desert night. [blank-f2c3] Fort Davis, Texas Rattlers & Reptiles A rattlesnake museum showcasing over 30 species, in a century-old building that used to be the general store in this tiny West Texas town. [blank-f2c3] Marfa, Texas Faith Alive Cowboy Church Radio Station Not everything is bigger in Texas. Wrong Store Marfa, Texas Wrong Store This quirky outpost and gallery inside a former church is an unexpected trove of handcrafted art. Related Places [blank-f2c3] Norden, California Peter Grubb Hut This trailside hut was built in the late 1930s as a memorial to a young hiker. [blank-f2c3] Palmeiras, Brazil Morro do Pai Inacio This peak in Chapada Diamantina National Park offers the most stunning sunsets. [blank-f2c3] Florli, Norway Florlitrappene These 4,444 wooden steps straight up a mountain were built to serve a hydroelectric power station but these days, they're mostly used by hikers. [blank-f2c3] Glasgow, Scotland Blackstone Chair The 18th-century inspiration behind Harry Potter's Sorting Hat. In partnership with KAYAK Plan Your Trip Random Place >> From Around the Web See Fewer Ads Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads and no pop-ups. Learn More Get Our Email Newsletter [ ] Thanks for subscribing! 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