Trip Report
Each year around the beginning of March we try to escape south for a mini-vacation to avoid cabin fever. This year we chose to head down to Texas and New Mexico (instead of our typical Nevada or Arizona trips). We devised a loop starting in El Paso that would take us to Guadalupe Peak, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Ruidoso area, White Sands National Monument, and back to El Paso.
The first leg of the journey was Guadalupe Peak. Guadalupe Peak is the state highpoint of Texas and is 8749' high. Given the flat nature of Texas, the peak really stands out among the flat lands surrounding it. The peak has a trail to the top that is 8 miles round-trip with a gain of around 3000 feet (although my GPS says it was nearly 3400' of gain).
I had been watching the weather reports for several days before our trip. No precipitation was forecast, but the winds were expected to be gusting to 60 mph starting around 1pm the day of our trip. Based on that, we left El Paso at 6am for the 2 hour drive to the trailhead to try and beat the wind.
We easily found the trailhead and quickly got our boots and packs on for the hike. An older gentleman approached and warned of high winds the day before that were predicted to worsen today. We thanked him and set off. We made great time at the onset, despite the steep trail. After 50 minutes of hiking, we had gained 1300' and were quite happy with our pace. Oh, and the winds weren't too bad either!
After a quick break we set off on the trail, which now entered a forested slope. The angle of the trail was lower now, there were less rocks, and we were in shade; all factors making it quite pleasant. Eventually we reached the backpacker's campground and then the infamous bridge crossing. Just after those landmarks, the trail leaves the trees and is more exposed to the wind. We sat down for our final break.
About the wind... we had talked with 4 or 5 individuals coming down the trail. All had reported the winds were heinous and all but one had stopped short of the summit. This was a bit concerning, but I kept telling myself we are hardier stock being from Idaho and we would be fine :-)
The last 500 feet or so we pretty quickly and soon we rounded a corner and the monument on top of the peak was right in front of us. Woo hoo!
We took in the impressive views (you can see a long way into Texas and there is not much other than flat). Carrie signed us in the summit register. For a few minutes we had the summit to ourselves, but eventually a young couple joined us and snapped our photo. The much anticipated winds never materialized and we relaxed on the summit quite awhile before heading down.
We both really liked the peak and meeting people from all over the United States on the trail. Fun way to start the vacation!
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