White Butte was another peak that defied expectations.  First of all - no rattlesnakes!  We looked high and low, under rocks, behinds trees, under the car, and the only thing we saw were bugs.  We started our hike at about 11:30 am, so it is possible that they had all go home to avoid the sun, or watch soap operas, or the like.  We did encounter "cattle with an attitude", but they stayed on their side of the fence and so we were all happy.

The hike to the butte is fairly uneventful, and takes about 30 minutes to reach the peak.  Again, thanks to Charlie Winger for excellent directions on getting there and climbing the highpoint.  Some extra notes while they are still fresh in my mind.

• Not only did we find no one home at the Van Daele's farm, it looked like it had been years since anyone had lived there.  There was a pickup truck, and we left the requisite "donation".
• It was a little tough finding parking that was not in high grass or on the dirt road.  We finally found a good spot next to the big tree just before the old farmhouse
• Per the instructions in Charile's book, DO NOT drive past the farmhouse unless you can manage deep sand.  The road ends just past the farmhouse anyway, so it won't save you much walking.
• At the end of the road there is a gate - it was tied shut.  It was very easy for us to step between the wires.
• There are several side trails shortly after you cross through the gate - follow the fence as far as you can.  Once you reach the first steep section, you can go up next to the fence, or more to the right.  I think going to the right was a little easier.
• The trail will wind a bit but is fairly apparent from this point on.  The grasshoppers really do sound like "rattling", so they can be a bit unnerving if you are not expecting one to jump out at you.
• Unless you really drag your feet or are severely out of shape, round trip time is about 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
• Watch the weather - This would not be a fun one to come down in the rain (esp a thunderstorm)!

I read somewhere that there is an alternate path to the summit from another farm.  It looked like there were several farms just a short distance (visible to the east, and also the west I think), that do not charge the fee.  It looked like the access from either the east or west would be fairly straightforward.

The view is really spectacular!  I though I would be looking at a lot of flatlands and scrub brush.  Instead, there are fantastic views of buttes and mesas in all directions.  We saw a shape to the northwest that looked like a giant Aztec pyramid, with the sun glinting off of the top.  The view is so far in all directions, it is tough to describe.