The first week of November I went on a camping/hiking trip with my
friend Nathan. We traveled to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
and Big Bend National Park.
We left at 5:00 AM Monday, November 1st from my place and headed west.
We pulled into Guadalupe Mountains National Park at 11:30 AM, but we gained an hour since we
went into Mountain Time. We setup camp which is where I found that my 20 plus year old North
Face tent rain fly has deteriorated to the point it was not useable. I ended up throwing the fly
away and used an extra tent Nathan brought along. The air bed I brought along did not work that
well either and I ended up using a spare that Nathan had. I was in his debt for his foresight to
bring extra equipment. As I thought mine was up to par, but was not.
After we finished setting up camp we went on our first hike on a trail
called Devil's Hall trail. It was not a tough hike, but another hiker we passed along the way
said that the recent flooding has actually caused it to be more difficult than it used to be.
When Nathan and I got to the stopping point, I noticed my boots, Asolo hiking boots, were
falling apart. The soles were coming off and only attached at the heel and toe, which was
actually lucky. We made it back to camp and tried to figure out what to do with my boots. I
tried on Nathan's extra shoes, but they were too small. I did not want to duct tape them either,
so we drove the 50 miles to Carlsbad, New Mexico and luckily found a local sporting goods store
that had some boots. $55 later and I was good to go.
The next morning we began our trek up Guadalupe Peak trail. This was
Tuesday, the 2nd of November. We started at just after 7:15 AM local Mountain time. I'm not sure
what I was expecting, but the climb to the top took a lot out of me. I did not think I would
need to top off my hydration pack, which was a mistake because I ran out of water. We were the
first ones on the trail, but we got passed about three quarters of the way up by two groups.
That was because of me and all of the resting we had to do. The elevation took a lot out of me.
Although, it was not a race, so it did not matter. We reached the top just before 11:30 AM. We
stayed at the top for an hour and had lunch and rested. The trip down was fairly easy, but I did
mention to Nathan I did not think I could do another trail like this one again so soon. It took
us just over two hours to reach the bottom. Passing numerous people on the way down who were
heading to the top. We got back to our campsite and rested for an hour. Later, after resting we
drove out from the park and down towards the highway. We found our way via back roads to the
Salt Basin Dunes. The road to get there was gravel and bumpy and parts of it looks sketchy, but
it was worth the drive just to see the different area. We got in some good pictures then headed
back to the campsite to cook dinner. We went to bed and woke up to a cold and cloudy day.
On Wednesday, Nathan said we should do an easy day and since there was
cloud cover the entire day in the mountains, we drove over to Carlsbad Caverns and toured the
Caverns. That was another great experience. We walked down from the top through the cave
opening. They said it was a 75 floor decent, but there were no stairs. Just steep declined
walkways. Walking around the caverns was just awesome. So many cool geological sights to take
in. After we left there we stopped by the Frijole Ranch trailhead and hiked the Smith Spring
trail. It was a bit on the cool side, but once we got to hiking, it was not so bad. We say the
natural spring and it was amazing. Nathan and I were the only people there. With the cloud cover
it was quiet, so the spring noise was very relaxing to hear. We finished that hike and went back
to camp. It was getting colder and rainier as the day progressed. We sat in the truck most of
the day before making sandwiches and going to bed slightly early. It got cold that night, but
the rain and clouds cleared for the next day.
Thursday, November 4th, Nathan and I drove over to McKittrick Canyon
trailhead. We had to wait in line behind 6 other cars as this trail is only open from 8:00 AM to
4:30 PM daily. It was quite a drive to get to the trailhead building, I think almost 6 miles. We
got ready and headed out. It was cool to start, but quickly changed as we got warm from hiking
and had the sun on us. We took the McKittrick Canyon trail. Three miles in we arrived at the
Pratt Lodge. This was a house/cabin built out there which was amazing. Then we hiked another
mile in further and went to a place called the Grotto. It was a geological formation that would
probably look like something from Carlsbad Caverns if it had not been exposed to the open air.
We rested for a few minutes, then doubled back about a quarter mile and then hiked up the
mountain to a place called the Notch. This place was astounding. The view from the Notch showed
both sides of the canyon and was breathtaking. We got in a lot of pictures and headed back down.
We passed two other groups on the way up and a park ranger that was heading that way too. We
assumed the ranger was heading up there to make sure to tell people to head back since the park
closes at 4:30 PM. We hiked back to the Grotto and had lunch. While eating we took off our shoes
and socks to let our feet rest for a bit. After eating, we hiked back to the trailhead center
and drove back to our campsite. Nathan said he wanted to change plans and take me out to Big
Bend and show me around there. To do this, we had to leave early Friday morning so we could get
to Big Bend at a decent time.
Friday morning Nathan and I broke down camp and packed up the truck and
left by 6:00 or 7:00 AM. We drove to Big Bend and he took me on a whirlwind tour of the places
he thought I would like to see. I honestly do not remember all of the places we went to, but
they were all stunning. Big Bend is just amazing and I feel I will go back there again. We went
on three quick hikes, all were mile or less hikes. We drove from one end of the park to the
other showing me everything he could think of. Around 7:00 PM we made it over to our campsite
and setup. It did not get as cold as the other nights at Guadalupe Mountains, but my down mummy
sleeping back did its job of keeping me warm.
Saturday we packed up and headed home. Nathan did take me by the
dinosaur exhibit at Big Bend which was worth it to see. We did the 8 hour drive back home. Once
I got unpacked, I took a shower, which was the best feeling after going 5 days without one. Then
I sat back and watched some TV before going to bed early.
I took over 1500 pictures and 6 short videos with my phone. After they
images were uploaded to the cloud, Google created over 50 panoramic images from my images. The
trip was amazing and I hope that I can do it again. Next time, I will have to invest in a lot of
new equipment for the camping part. The cost will be well worth in my opinion.
Nathan made a video of our hike to the top of Guadalupe Peak.
Nathan also made a video of the Smith Spring hike
Nathan took
this picture of me at Balance Rock.
Me at the Balance Rock - November 5th,
2021 Big Bend National Park
Here are a few of the pictures I took during the
trip.
Along the trail to Devil's Hall
- November 1st, 2021 Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Along the trail to Devil's Hall
- November 1st, 2021 Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Devil's Hall - November 1st,
2021 Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Sunrise from the campsite -
November 2nd, 2021 Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Panoramic view from the trail -
November 2nd, 2021 Guadalupe Peak Mountain
An early-ish morning view from
the trail - November 2nd, 2021 Guadalupe Peak Mountain
View from the trail - November
2nd, 2021 Guadalupe Peak Mountain
Wood bridge along the trail to
the peak - November 2nd, 2021 Guadalupe Peak Mountain
The certified monument at the
top of the mountain - November 2nd, 2021 Guadalupe Peak
Mountain
Cave entrance down to the
caverns - November 3rd, 2021 Carlsbad Caverns National
Park
Carlsbad Caverns - November 3rd,
2021
Carlsbad Caverns - November 3rd,
2021
Carlsbad Caverns - November 3rd,
2021
Smith Spring trail - November
3rd, 2021 - Guadalupe Mountains Park Frijole Ranch
The natural spring on the Smith
Spring trail - November 3rd, 2021 - Guadalupe Mountains Park
Frijole Ranch
McKittrick Canyon - November
4th, 2021
McKittrick Canyon - November
4th, 2021
Pratt Lodge at McKittrick Canyon
- November 4th, 2021
The Grotto at McKittrick Canyon
- November 4th, 2021
McKittrick Canyon - November
4th, 2021
From the Notch at McKittrick
Canyon Trail - November 4th, 2021
Sunset from our campsite at
Guadalupe Mountains National Park - November 4th, 2021
Big Bend National Park -
November 5th, 2021
Big Bend National Park -
November 5th, 2021
Balance rock Big Bend National
Park - November 5th, 2021
One of the tinaja's that Nathan
showed me - November 5th, 2021 Big Bend National Park
Me next to a dinosaur bone -
November 6th, 2021 Big Bend National Park
