Hike to Hunter Peak

We stopped at Guadalupe Mountains National Park with the specific intention of hiking to the top of Texas. We had been to the national park before, loved it, and wanted to climb Mount Guadalupe, the tallest peak in Texas. We are not peak baggers, but we knew it would be a challenging hike with amazing views.

But once we arrived at the park, a different mood struck us. Maybe it was the forecast for high wind. Or perhaps we sensed that the road less traveled might be the better option. For whatever reason, we decided to forgo Guadalupe Peak and instead walk a different loop--same distance, almost the same elevation gain, but more of an unknown.

We don't know what we missed on Guadalupe Peak, but we absolutely loved our chosen route. First, it led us into a high-elevation forest of pines and firs--completely different than the desert environment at lower elevations. Second, the hike took us down Bear Canyon, which at the time did not seem like a plus. But after completing our two-hour descent, we felt incredibly accomplished. It is hands-down the steepest, rockiest, most challenging trail we have ever traversed. The canyon is so sharp and narrow that, from the bottom, it's very hard to imagine that humans could walk down it. Third--and this is the most amazing part--we saw exactly zero other hikers while on the trail. More than 8.5 miles and almost eight hours of hiking, and not a soul.

The birds were a little scarce, too, but we did greatly enjoy the acrobatics of violet-green swallows, as well as rock wrens, canyon wrens, and black-chinned sparrows.

More photos here, which, as always, cannot do justice to the place. Go see for yourself.