After having visited my finacé's family after Christmas, I took a day to drive out to West Texas for an attempt at Guadalupe Peak (8,751 ft). I arrived at the TH before sunrise, and quickly got my things together so as to start at 07:40. The hike was cool and pretty windy, but I made it all the way up to the top wearing my hiking shorts and a fleece jacket (as soon as I arrived at the summit, however, I put on my windproof pants). The temperature recording on the summit showed 32 F, and the Rangers down below said that the wind was gusting up to 55 mph. Now I know why I started to get cold in just the shorts! The view was nice, albeit hazy, and I even saw a Cessna 182 flying beneath my elevation! This was a great was to start highpointing, as I was able to have the summit all to myself for a time. For anyone that's reading this, I strongly reccomend climbing this peak in winter; there are fewer people and you don't have to contend with the oppressive summer heat. I will definitely return to Guadalupe!
8.4 mi, 3200 vertical ft (up-and-down taken into account by my Suunto X6 wristtop altimeter)
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Guadalupe Mountains National Park
