(OK-) Texas: Guadalupe Peak

While still in New Mexico on work I also had the chance to swing by Texas on a "calm" day. Guadalupe peak is a gorgeous mountain with an impressive prominence in an otherwise calm area over looking salt flats and having sight such as Carlsbad Caverns nearby.

The hike up the mountain is a nice, albeit dry, hike on a well maintained trail. The hike is short and decently steep for a good workout and a quick progress up the Mountain to reach early vistas of the surroundings. Brian W. joined me for the hike to the top of Texas.

The trailhead is conveniently located near a major road so access is real easy and part of the road can be sene in the photo above. Much of the trail had very prominent rock crystals visible in large crystaline peices. Which were osme of the most clear rock crystals I've ever seen out hiking.

On the top there is a small monument. The shear prominence of the peak will often lead to high winds as the weather tries to nagigate the topography. Thus one cools down very quick while enjoying the top for a few minutes.

In the background from Guadalupe peak one can see the peak "El Capitain" which is a nice peak with a very significant drop-off to the south. So not for the faint of heart when it comes to vertigo.

Eve the hike up Guadalupe peak  offers some nice safe exposure as the trail hugs the mountian side and pass a small bridge along a cliff. seen in the photo below.

The area offers mostly desert-like vegetation with cacti, and wild flowers that can clad the whole mountain and surrounding valley with beautiful colors year around.

Delicious Prickly Pears can be found high up the mountain and further down the valley we were treated to sights of the threatened Texas madrone, which is characterized by its bright red berries and distinctive orange bark.

All in all we were treated to blue skies, quite good visibility and a nice cooling breeze on the hike up. A visit to Guadalupe Peak is recommended for Texans and non-Texans alike and offers a different side of Texas, while still keeping true to the Big and Impressive motto...

Stats:
State: Texas
High point: Guadalupe Peak
Elevation:  8 749 ft (2667 m)
Date: October 14th, 2012
Total elevation to date: 248 285 ft (75 677 m)
Access: hike, class 1, moderately strenuous
Difficulty rating (of 10): 4
Potential Difficulties: strong winds, high temperatures, dehydration

Oklahoma: Black Mesa (-TX)

Oklahoma's highpoint Black mesa is indeed the top of a mesa as the name indicates, although fittingly enough it is also one of the largest mesas in all of US. The trek is about 4.2 miles one-way along a well signed path that starts below the mesa and after about 2 miles turn up to the plateau. 

The lanscape along the path shows many interesting rock formations and smaller table-top mountains such as the one seen below.

Once you reach the top of the plateau the only minor obstacle is that it is deceptively flat so figuring out where the high point really lies is not too easy. Just following the trail though you get to the marker for the highpoint eventually.

I went with Brian and we decided to try to bushwhack a bit on the way back to save a few minutes (or half a mile), that is kind of risky though due to the abundance of cacti, especially dried out dead cacti which easily pierce shoes with the needles. We made it back in one piece though, but the time saved was probably quite negligible.

A USGS marker pointing out it is unlawful to molest (?!?) marks the elevation and highest spot in the state of the Sooners.

Stats:
State: Oklahoma
Elevation: 4 973 ft (1 515.8 m)
High point: Black Mesa
Date: October 13th, 2012
Total elevation to date: 239536  ft (73 011 m)
Access: hike, class 1
Difficulty rating (of 10): 3
Potential Difficulties: getting lost on top of the mesa. Cactus needles...