@#$%*&! Spring Break
The entire state of Texas lets out for spring break at the same time. The entire state! That’s a lot of families and college kids vying for trails and campsites. When we set off to explore the area near Carlsbad, we had no idea what we were driving into. Now we know—wow! New note to self for future travels: do not go anywhere near Texas when it’s spring break.
Despite the hordes, we were fortunate to land one of the fourteen RV spaces at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. This park, like so many we’ve visited, has surprised us. The mountains loom over west Texas and are a stunning example of a fossil marine reef. The reef was built during the Permian era, 260-270 million years ago, mostly by algae and sponges. Tectonic forces later lifted the ancient reef thousands of feet above the surrounding Chihuahuan desert. In many of the rocks here you can easily see fossils of myriad marine species, which greatly entertained Alanna on our hikes.
In total, we will spend five nights here, which is a little longer than we expected, but it’s a beautiful park and we didn’t want to compete for campsites again this week. We watched way too many people who look exhausted and desperate cruising through the campground, willing a free space to appear, at six or seven o’clock at night. So, as we've learned along the way, you adjust and compromise and find ample amounts of gratitude for a small sliver of space.
Our first day here, we took on the Devil’s Hall trail, which was a good warm-up to the park’s marquee trail up Guadalupe Peak. Though Devil’s Hall did not offer much in terms of elevation gain, it did have interesting geology and lots of rock scrambling. For me, it was also a good warm-up in terms of the heat. On a couple of days, today included, I’ve felt like we’ve been thrown into a furnace as the temperature soars into the high eighties in this dry, dry desert.
On day two of spring break, we headed to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This was a stop that we’ve debated for a while since we’re NOT cave people. In truth, I’m a bit claustrophobic and the idea of going underground, way underground, freaks me out. We looked at pictures and learned that the caverns are roomy and have artificial lights. The caverns are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so it was clear that they are special. After much deliberation, we opted to go.
We learned from others in the campground that the crowds at Carlsbad were huge and that if we wanted to be sure and get in and not be swarmed by people underground (yikes!), we needed to be there before they opened at 8am. We got an early start which ended up being perfect as we got to experience a west Texas sunrise, an absolutely glorious site to behold. The horizon was a warm and brilliant peach for almost an hour, then suddenly just as we crested a hill, a sliver of dark red sun snuck above the horizon. Within a short stretch of time, the now blinding sun was quickly taking the chill out of the air.
I was nervous as we waited for the doors to open to head down the path. I was nervous when we got to the natural opening. I was nervous watching the swallows dart in and out of the opening. I was nervous for about the first ten minutes of our walk down, and then as my body and my mind began to acclimate, I calmed down and stayed that way until we were back on top. It’s hard to be in your head in this place—it’s so beautiful and surreal, close to 800 feet below the surface of the earth. Each stalagmite, column and stalactite is unique and interesting, and it’s mind boggling to think that over millennia, they’ve been formed by drops of water. We walked the mile long Big Room path with minimal people and minimal noise. When we were done, we opted for the elevator up—we were both ready to get back above ground!
Funny thing though, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we signed up for a ranger-led tour of the King’s Palace, the deepest part of the cave, on Sunday. Everything until then was booked solid. Who knows if we’ll ever be back here again, so we figured it best to take advantage now, and while we still have the nerve to go underground!
When we woke up on Thursday it was overcast. I was so happy to see the clouds! Our plan was to participate in the Texas spring-break tradition of climbing to the top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas (8,7549ft), and I knew that the clouds would save me. We climbed over 3000 feet on a rugged and rocky trail, 4.2 miles to the top. The wind was whipping at times, which made a few of the narrow and exposed ledges a little treacherous. Nonetheless, I was glad the air was moving and that the clouds were holding back the heat. We crested the peak and were greeted by a brilliant blue sky and views that stretched a hundred miles. After lunch at the top, we headed down, which was in many ways the more challenging part of the hike as there were some steep spots and those same unstable rocks we’d crossed over on the way up! An afternoon flopped in our chairs with books and crosswords was our reward for finishing the hike.
Since its a tradition here, we’ve seen tons of people hitting the trail to the peak. Many amply supplied and seemingly fit, while others head off with little to no water or they appear to be very much out of shape. On our way down, two groups asked us if they were close to the top. It was early afternoon and they were both less than a mile up. We told them they had at least three more hours to go to reach the summit. That evening, we wondered if they were one of the many groups coming down by flashlight, or more likely, the light from their cell phone. It makes us happy to see people out on the trail, but we worry that some folks put themselves and others at risk when they embark on a hike that they are unprepared for, either physically or with regards to supplies.
Turns out Texas isn’t the only place with a statewide spring break, next week New Mexico is off. We were not looking forward to crowds, so on the way down, we started talking about going further into Texas to Big Bend National Park. After studying maps and talking it over, we’ve decided Big Bend and all points in between are up next! I am very hopeful that one of those points in between offers us some serious Texas barbecue!! I’ll let you know.
P.S. We finally got around to putting up a list of the places we've been on the website. Its organized by state so check it out and maybe you'll find somewhere you simply must visit this spring/summer. Happy Trails!
