Guadalupe Peak (8,749') Texas by Brian Schultz Tuesday June 7, 2011
Roundtrip mileage: 8.4 miles
Elevation gain: 3,015'
I made the long drive to Van Horn, Texas after spending four days visiting family in Mansfield, Texas. The overnight in Van Horn was convenient because it's located on Interstate 10 south of Guadalupe National Park and has plenty of motels and restaurants. The weather forecast called for 100 degree temperatures and because Guadalupe Peak is in the desert, I really wanted to complete the climb before noon. I drove the desolate highway to the National Park in the dark of the morning and arrived just before sunrise. As I was about to embark on the trail I noticed a sign stating that there's a $5.00 fee to hike to the summit. Two solo climbers started ahead of me while I registered and paid the fee.
I began hiking at 6:10 AM and soon passed one of the climbers, a young woman named Rachel from Lexington, Kentucky. I set a comfortable pace after visiting with her and enjoyed the desert scenery (photo 1, photo 2) along the excellent trail as it wound up the mountain. Near the campground below the summit, I caught up to the other climber, a fellow named Grant from Norman, Oklahoma, and hiked with him to the top. We were greeted with a surprising cool breeze when we arrived on the summit at 8:30.
Skies were hazy from forest fires raging in Arizona but we didn't smell any smoke while enjoying a thirty minute stay on top.We departed at 9:00, hoping to beat the heat, and hiked out non-stop. The eleven others still ascending the trail would be dealing with extreme heat on their descent because at 10:50 when we returned, it was already uncomfortably hot. Despite the heat I really liked this climb. It's easy, very scenic, and has a great trail all the way to the top.
Trailhead to summit- 2 hours 20 minutes
Summit to trailhead- 1 hour 50 minutes
Start to finish- 4 hours 40 minutes
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