Guadalupe Peak, TX
Date: 09/01/2007
Persons in Group: Brian and Dave
Weather Conditions: 60 in the morning, 90 in the afternoon. Mostly sunny,with a 30 min window of clouds as we approached the summit..
Route: Guadalupe Peak trail from the Pine Springs campsite. Round trip, 8.8 miles.
Notes: At 8749 feet, Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas. Located about 110 miles east of El Paso Texas, it was my 4th state highpoint, and my Uncle Daves 14th.
I recently relocated from Burlington VT to Dallas TX, where mountain climbing doesn't exist. After going 3+ months without seeing a real mountain, Uncle Dave didn't need to twist my arm when he came up with the idea to bag the highest poin in Texas, Guadalupe Peak
Guadalupe Peak lies in the remote, Guadalupe Mountains, about 120 miles east of El Paso, Texas, and at least 40-50 miles from any sort of civilization. In the range are 5 peaks over 8000 feet high, with Guadalupe Peak being the highest, at 8750 feet.
Uncle Dave, having flown in to Oklhoma City from Hartford CT on a business trip had rented a car, and after a business stop in Witchita Falls, he headed down to Dalls and we drove clear accross the state of Texas.
After a crazy 600 mile drive though west Texas, we reached the Guadalupe Mountains at about 6:00 AM MST on Saturday September 1st, and hit the trail around 7:20 AM, just as the sun was comming up.
From the parking lot, a morning picture of El Capitan (8085 ft) on the left, with the very tip of Gudalupe Peak showing on the right.
A closeup of El Capitan, again from the parking lot.
Hunter Peak (8368 ft) in the morning sun, from the parking lot.
Looking north from the parking lot.
The trail register, at the start of the Guadalupe Peak trail from the Pine Springs campground.
Getting started.
A view into "The Bowl" as we start working our way into the trail.
A few pictures of the local plant life...these two are just a sample.
Cloud cover starting to lift over The Bowl.
As we start to climb, a look back out to the north east, desert flats.
Some cliffs looking like they are just waiting to go down.
As we get higher, looking south west to the desert.
As the morning progresses, the clouds over Hunter Mountain start to lift.
Working our way up the first shoulder on the ridge to Guadalupe Peak.
Some of the surrounding views on this completely open and exposed hike.
Me with Hunter Peak in the background.
The second shoulder of the ridge we need to get too...
Looking at Shumard Mountain from the trail.
Some views of Hunter Mountain again, and a view of the ridge. Notice the trail switchbacking up the to the ridge on the second picture.
Once we reach the second shoulder to the ridge, we finally get a view of the actual summit...just as the coulds started rolling in.
Heading along the backside of the exposed ridge.
A view of el Capitan from the ridge, slowly comming out of the clouds.
View west to the Salt Flats, far below.
el Capitan out of the clouds.
The summit marker. A large steel monument from American Airlines.
The marker with el Capitan in the background.
Uncle Dave at the top, 46er #1247.
Me at the top.
Groupshot.
Thumbs up the views.
More VFTT.
el Capitan and Guadalupe Peak from the drive to el Paso, where we had some flights waiting for us.
