The sense of pride and exhaustion is so great from us all right now. We climbed to the top, and down from the top, of the tallest mountain in Texas, Guadalupe Peak. This hike was almost 9 miles round trip, 3,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, and took us about 6 hours. More importantly than any of the numbers is the work and feelings that went into this accomplishment.
For the past couple of days Zak has been doubtful that we’d be able to complete the hike. It is a huge hike and still early in the trip. I don’t think he thought we were ready. He was also really nervous about the heat. The girls and I had a completely different view. We all knew we were going to do it. There was no question. No doubt. We were going to have a good attitude. Drink lots of water. And remember a cool pool met us in the evening. We had this in the bag.
I’ll spare you the suspense. We did it. We were rock stars. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. It was. Really, really hard at points. The elevation gain was insane and we took had to take breaks to catch our breath. We were fortunate to have a good supply of shade on our way up, but we utilized it for breaks rarely. We we’re washed with frequent-enough breezes that cooled us to the core. We pretty much just kept on trucking through the heat, elevation gain, and miles. The views were remarkable and provided a natural reward. Each switchback provided an even better view of the vast Texas land.
Ellie was our fearless leader. She was the first to step on each wobbly rock and tell us what was stable. She got rid of all the spider webs that had formed since the last hiker went through. She kept her mood chipper, encouraging us as she was slightly higher at each switchback. She gave us a head’s up for each lizard. This is one of my favorite parts of these hikes. Watching the girls become more confident and stronger leaders.
The summit was amazing. Just like I remembered from our previous ones. There is no way to describe it. We felt like we were on top of the world and what was so cool for this one is that we could say that we were the highest people in Texas at that moment. We enjoyed a picnic lunch, took pictures, and just took it all in. It is for moments like these that I am so thankful to have summers off.
The hike down was hard. It was just as steep as going up, but all new muscles and joints were being used. We did it in about half the time as it took us going up and were able to enjoy the views a bit more as we weren’t so out of breath.
One of my favorite parts of these long, remote hikes is meeting the other hikers on the trail. There were only about a dozen of us who did this hike today and we saw each on the way up or on the way down. This was interesting to me, because we must of been going a decent pace as no one passed us. With each interaction we exchanged hometowns, recent hikes, and a few tips on what was ahead. The conversations typically lasted only a few minutes, but there was such a connection with each person. This little group of us were the only ones to hike Guadalupe Peak today. We all shared this experience in some way. We had the summit to ourselves for a good chunk of time. Then a couple joined us. We chatted about all the mountain/hiking stuff we could and departed ways. We were shocked to find some cookies and a note on our car when we reached the bottom. They knew we were the only folks from Illinois and surprised us with a kind gift.
This whole day is why I hike. The blisters on my feet don’t matter. The salt from my sweat encasing my body doesn’t matter. My sore muscles and exhausted mind don’t matter. All I can think about is how we, as a little family, accomplished something huge today. And we couldn’t have done it without one another.
