Texas - Guadalupe Peak (2,667 m)


When: 2016.01.29
Route: Guadalupe Peak Trail (Standard)
On the summit: 10:19 a.m.


Guadalupe Peak is the highest peak in Texas, with an elevation of 8,751 feet (2,667 meters). It is located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which is in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. We took the standard route to the summit, which is the Guadalupe Peak Trail. This is a well-maintained, 8.4-mile (13.5-kilometer) round-trip hike that begins at the Pine Springs Campground in the national park. The trail was well-marked and relatively easy to follow, with only a few steep sections that we tackled with ease. We brought our microspikes, which were helpful on the icy parts of the trail. The views from the top were beautiful and it was satisfying to reach the highest mountain in the state of Texas. At the summit, we found a stainless steel pyramid that marks the top. It was erected by American Airlines in 1958 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Butterfield Overland Mail, a stagecoach route that passed south of the mountain. One side of the pyramid has the American Airlines logo. The second side displays a U.S. Postal Service tribute to the Pony Express Riders of the Butterfield Stage. The third side displays a compass with the logo of the Boy Scouts of America. However, it was quite windy at the top, which made for a chilly photo opportunity. We took a quick photo before beginning our descent back down the mountain, which was equally as enjoyable as the ascent. We made it back to the trailhead at 12:47

Location: Guadalupe Peak, Texas 79847, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Alaska - Denali (6,190m)

Image
When : 2019.05.12 - 2019.06.02 (21 nights) Route : West Buttress (standard) On the   summit : 2019.05.30 14:54 Our 9th U.S. State High Point. As with all our trips, this expedition was unguided. We reached the top on Day 19 from the High Camp and were the only party there at the time. The wind was picking up and visibility was dropping, so after snapping selfies (skipping the group summit photo), we hurried back down. Shortly thereafter, I lost the track and left the summit ridge too early, without realizing. The infamous Pig Hill, which has claimed fatalities in the past, is where we were. It was getting steep and I started using ice screws, but thanks to the mountain gods, we saw a lone climber walking above us towards the summit, who was on the correct path. The wind kept increasing and on Denali Pass it was rather strong, but the tracks on Autobahn were still visible and unexpectedly easy going, compared to the morning ascent. Right at the end, when we could already see th...
Read more

Oregon - Mount Hood (3,426m)

Image
When: 2017.05.26 Route: standard On the summit: 15:00 In late May of 2017 my climbing partner Weiwei and I climbed Mount Hood, a potentially active stratovolcano located about 50 miles east-southeast of Portland, Oregon. At 3,429 meters, Mount Hood is not only the highest mountain in Oregon, but also one of the loftiest in the United States based on its prominence. We chose to tackle the south route up the mountain, which begins at Timberline Lodge and proceeds up the Palmer Glacier to Crater Rock, a large prominence at the head of the glacier. We spent the night in our Toyota Matrix at the Timberline Lodge parking lot, waking up to clear blue skies on the day of our climb. After a quick breakfast, we gathered our climbing gear and made our way to the ski lift, hoping to ride it to the top of the Palmer Glacier. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to ride the lift due to not being the skiers. Weiwei was determined to rent skis so we look like "skiers", and cache them at the to...
Read more