#1 TEXAS – Guadelupe Peak (8,749 ft)

 

Summit Team:  Andy & Lara Patterson

Date:  September 3 & 4, 1999

 

Summit Notes

Lara and I drove deep into the night to reach the Guadelupe Mountains.  As we traveled through the darkness, occasional lightning bursts painted for us an eerie picture of what was to come.  In the distance, massive mountains began to grow larger with each flash from the approaching thunderstorm.  These beast-like monsters seemed to grow out of the earth as we drove on in silence.  Our high beams on the CR-V cast a ghostly image on the human size cactus we passed beside on the highway.  We pulled into Guadelupe Mountains National Park around 2 am, greeted by a summer downpour.  We spent the night cuddled together in the back of the CR-V.

 

We awoke to a beautiful desert morning.  It was perfect backpacking weather.  We loaded up with gear and headed into the mountains.  This was our first backpacking adventure together.  I had only limited prior experience.  Lara had none.  As we began our ascent, we came to realize that we shouldn’t have packed everything we decided to.  We could have been up there for a week with everything we brought.  Oh, well.  Lesson one was being learned. 

 

Although the day was warm, we were able to find shade around bends in the trail and overgrown brush that accompanied the trail.  The hike was strenuous at times with the load we carried but for the most part was just simple plodding along.  We reached the high campsite in about 4 hours and set up camp before heading off for the summit.  As we continued to climb, Lara began to complain about the enormous blisters she had on her feet.  She had purchased the cheapest boots possible instead of opting for more expensive, yet better hiking boots.  We didn’t have any moleskin so we duck taped her feet to seal off the blisters.  Lesson two was being learned.

 

In another thirty minutes we were standing on the highest point in Texas.  We shared our first summit on September 3, 1999 at 8, 749 feet.  We conversed for a few moments with other highpointers and made our way back to high camp.  But as we declined I began to feel the effects of rookie mountain climbing mistakes.  I had spent all day in the high desert sun with no sunblock, no sunglasses and only a tank top.  I had heat exhaustion.  I had a buzzing headache and my stomach began to cramp.  Had it not been for the nursing care of my wife Lara, it could have gotten worse.  When we arrived back at high camp, she got me under the shade of our tent and dabbed alcohol baby wipes all over my body to cool me down.  Lesson three learned.  As the sun dropped I found relief, but the buzzing in my head never left.  I was left to spend the night on a high desert mountain with an eerie feeling of  unease. 

 

As night approached, storms blew in from opposite sides of the mountain giving us an incredible show of nature’s beauty and power.  As the sun set, we could see the Guadelupe mountains trailing off far into the distance.  The summer thunderstorms seemed to be all around us, but never approached our high campsite on the side of the mountain.  The view was truly incredible. 

 

I didn’t sleep much that night because my head continued to buzz and my uneasy feeling never went away.  We made our departure down the mountain at the crack of dawn, before the heat of day could attack my wounded ego.  A couple hours later we were back at the safety and comfort of our CR-V.

 

Overall, our first adventure with mountain backpacking was worth the effort.  We had suffered rookie mistakes, but we were both wiser in the end.  One down.  Forty nine to go.