Guadalupe Mountain National Park, January 26-30, 2021
Feb 6, 2021 16:36:02 GMT -8
zeke, rebeccad, and 5 more like this
Post by trinity on Feb 6, 2021 16:36:02 GMT -8
Like most people, I have been in pretty serious need of a getaway these past months. Mine finally came in the form of a 4 night backpacking trip to Guadalupe National Park, in west Texas. I have made a number of winter trips here in recent years, and have never been disappointed. The Guads are really a magical place, and the high country is rarely visited in the winter, largely because conditions can get quite severe, mainly in the form of cold and extreme wind. Plus there is no water available in the back country, so you’ve gotta carry whatever you need.
It started snowing about the time I arrived at the trailhead, which made it pretty difficult to get my pack together. I got a very late start, hitting the trail around 2:00. Not good, since I had about 7 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain for the afternoon. It was a strenuous but spectacular climb.
I arrived at Tejas campground shortly after dark. Found a nice level spot, covered in a nice little dusting of snow. I was exhausted, and just ate dinner and turned in. It was also cold, getting down into the single digits overnight.
The next day was a much shorter day, mostly downhill. I hiked out to Dog Canyon Campground, on the north side of the park. It is a nice but very seldom used developed campground. As it turned out, I was joined by a large group of young men soon after I set up camp, but they turned out to be very polite and extremely quiet, they spent most of their time journaling and observing silence.
The next day was another tough one, as I loaded up with water (about 9 liters) and headed up to Blue Ridge. Climbed about 800 feet onto a beautiful grassy ridge before descending to Marcus Campground, then another long climb of about 2000 feet. A difficult day, but with incredible vistas.
Spent night 3 at Blue Ridge, a very nice back country site. Overnight temps were getting warmer, but it was starting to get windy.
The following day was a very short, mellow hike of about 5 miles. I was coming back around to the south side of the range, with great views towards Guadalupe Peak. Summited Bush Mountain, the second highest peak in Texas at 8,632 feet (no laughing from you Rocky Mountain folks).
The winds continued to build, but I was able to find a fairly sheltered site at Pine Top. Again, I had the campground to myself, with one exception.
The winds died down in the evening, but then began to build overnight to gale force. I believe they were gusting somewhere between 60-80 mph. The winds in the Guads are legendary, but I have never experienced anything quite like this! My shelter held overnight, which was a real relief, but it was miserable in the morning, a bitterly cold wind chill, and no way to escape the gusts. I quickly packed up and headed out, hoping to not get blown off a cliff. The wind almost knocked me down on several occasions, I have never had so much trouble keeping my feet in a wind. Eventually I came to Bear Canyon, where I crested the ridge and was directly exposed to the wind. For a short distance I had to sit down and scooch along on my butt for fear of being blown into the canyon. But as I got lower, the winds grew less, especially once I passed into some areas with a little vegetation.
I arrived back at the car worn out from hiking through hurricane force winds, but happy after another lovely 5 day backpacking trip. The Guads are a truly special place, by far my favorite backpacking destination in Texas. I have made 3 trips there, and have never yet shared a back country campsite with anyone. If you are prepared for cold temps, heavy winds, and long water carries, the Guads are a great winter backpacking destination.
It started snowing about the time I arrived at the trailhead, which made it pretty difficult to get my pack together. I got a very late start, hitting the trail around 2:00. Not good, since I had about 7 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain for the afternoon. It was a strenuous but spectacular climb.
I arrived at Tejas campground shortly after dark. Found a nice level spot, covered in a nice little dusting of snow. I was exhausted, and just ate dinner and turned in. It was also cold, getting down into the single digits overnight.
The next day was a much shorter day, mostly downhill. I hiked out to Dog Canyon Campground, on the north side of the park. It is a nice but very seldom used developed campground. As it turned out, I was joined by a large group of young men soon after I set up camp, but they turned out to be very polite and extremely quiet, they spent most of their time journaling and observing silence.
The next day was another tough one, as I loaded up with water (about 9 liters) and headed up to Blue Ridge. Climbed about 800 feet onto a beautiful grassy ridge before descending to Marcus Campground, then another long climb of about 2000 feet. A difficult day, but with incredible vistas.
Spent night 3 at Blue Ridge, a very nice back country site. Overnight temps were getting warmer, but it was starting to get windy.
The following day was a very short, mellow hike of about 5 miles. I was coming back around to the south side of the range, with great views towards Guadalupe Peak. Summited Bush Mountain, the second highest peak in Texas at 8,632 feet (no laughing from you Rocky Mountain folks).
The winds continued to build, but I was able to find a fairly sheltered site at Pine Top. Again, I had the campground to myself, with one exception.
The winds died down in the evening, but then began to build overnight to gale force. I believe they were gusting somewhere between 60-80 mph. The winds in the Guads are legendary, but I have never experienced anything quite like this! My shelter held overnight, which was a real relief, but it was miserable in the morning, a bitterly cold wind chill, and no way to escape the gusts. I quickly packed up and headed out, hoping to not get blown off a cliff. The wind almost knocked me down on several occasions, I have never had so much trouble keeping my feet in a wind. Eventually I came to Bear Canyon, where I crested the ridge and was directly exposed to the wind. For a short distance I had to sit down and scooch along on my butt for fear of being blown into the canyon. But as I got lower, the winds grew less, especially once I passed into some areas with a little vegetation.
I arrived back at the car worn out from hiking through hurricane force winds, but happy after another lovely 5 day backpacking trip. The Guads are a truly special place, by far my favorite backpacking destination in Texas. I have made 3 trips there, and have never yet shared a back country campsite with anyone. If you are prepared for cold temps, heavy winds, and long water carries, the Guads are a great winter backpacking destination.