Hello there again blog world, it’s Andy! In pursuit of my life-goal of summiting the high peaks of all 50 states, I recently tackled Texas and Oklahoma! I let Don choose a friend to attend the ascents with him; he picked his new friend from Spain, Arrojado.
I flew from Fairbanks to Anchorage to Los Angeles to El Paso (welcome to living in Alaska!). When I arrived in El Paso, I picked up my rental car and drove to Carlsbad, New Mexico. While I was obviously intending to climb the highest point of Texas, Carlsbad was a perfect place to stay as the high point was right on the border of Texas and New Mexico. I had dinner that night at a restaurant near my hotel and retired early to summit the highest point of Texas!
The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak (also known as Signal Peak), at an elevation of 8,751 feet above sea level. Guadalupe Peak is located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park within the Guadalupe Mountain range.
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| Don and Arrojado ready to hike! |
Guadalupe Mountains National Park covers roughly 134 square miles and contains two other major natural attractions on top of Guadalupe Peak: El Capitan, the signature peak of West Texas (not to be confused with Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan), and the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line trail, a historical stagecoach service line that carried U.S. mail from eastern United States to San Francisco, California.
The entrance fee to Guadalupe National Park is $5.00 per person; this entrance ticket is good for 7 days. While most people hike the summit in a day, camping is available at Pine Springs Campground, near the headquarters visitor center. The campground includes potable water, pay telephones, and a drink machine. But, no showers. So, have fun drinking that Diet Coke, but no shower for you. Pine Springs Campground offers 20 leveled, graveled sites as well as an adjoining RV camping area. A self-registration board will prompt you to pay; sites are first come, first served and cost $8.00 per night for general visitors and $4.00 for the senior citizen discount/Golden Access Passport Holders. If you’re interested in backcountry camping, make sure you get a permit at the local visitor center; you are limited to three nights.
The environment was so beautiful; it was fun to watch it evolve and change as the elevation grew. The National Park includes three different ecosystems within its acres: deserts, grassland, and creosote desert. While animal sightings are rare, there are numerous ones to keep your eye out for including gray foxes, black bears, mountain lions, and sixteen species of bats!
Numerous trees grow in the area as well including pinyon pine, junipers, maple and ash trees, and different species of cacti.
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| Prickly pear cactus |
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| Beaver tail cactus |
The trail began with a series of switch-backs and multiple species of cacti. The winds in the area have been recorded at speeds of upward of 120 miles per hour; the day I went, fortunately, the wind wasn’t too bad.
As you continue to climb there are some areas of extreme exposure, so be extra vigilant about where you step. Once you finish the series of switch backs, you find yourself in a beautiful pine forest where you are most likely to see a mountain lion or bobcat.
Eventually you catch a glimpse of Guadalupe Peak in the distance. Continuing along the trail you cross a bridge. As you travel along, don’t miss the beautiful plateaus, canyons, and views along the way.
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| The bridge |
If you’re hiking in the winter, you’ll start running into snow around this area; this means the elevation is climbing and you are getting closer to the summit! At this point, the trail becomes fairly steep; don’t get discouraged, you are nearly there!
You finally hit the summit at 8,751 feet; at the top is a marker, placed there by American Airlines. Check out the gorgeous view of El Capitan and the salt flats below in the desert area.
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| They made it! |
Stay tuned for more blog posts on our Spain adventure and my summit of the highest point of Oklahoma!