Start of the Guadalupe Peak Trail Mike at the start of our 3 day hike.	Look Close Mule deer on Guadalupe Trail.	Enjoy The View. Matt stops to enjoy the view and get some rest.	Mike On The Trail Headed up to Guadalupe Peak.	More Mule Deer You have to look close.
Matt on the Trail	Great View Towards the East	Dead Tree The peak in the background is Hunter Peak.	View From Gradalupe Peak Trail	Short Break One last break before we get to the camp area.
Another Great View	Sunrise From My Tent Guadalupe Peak Campground This picture was taken while I was still in my sleeping bag on Saturday morning.	Sunrise from Guadalupe Peak Campground Sunrise on Saturday Morning.	Near Guadalupe Peak Camp Area Matt on the edge.	Near Guadalupe Peak Camp Area Mike on the edge.
Guadalupe Peak - Matt Lawrence Matt at the top of Guadalupe Peak.	Mike At Guadalupe Peak Guadalupe Peak is the highest in Texas.

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise on Saturday morning.  After breakfast we went the last mile to the peak to enjoy the solitude of a morning without the noise of people and technology.  We ended up staying at the peak much longer than we planned so we ran back down the our campsite and packed for the trip down to the trailhead.  We made the trip down in about 2 hours.

After a short break at the truck we hit the trails again with fresh water and supplies.  This time we took the road less traveled, Tejas Trail.  We watched this trail for hours while climbing the day before.  There is a clear view from across the canyon.  The lack of shade was the first thing we noticed the day before and it did not take long to feel it today.  From the start of the Tejas Trail we had a great view of the Guadalupe Peak Trail and the Devil's Hall Trail below.  This trail is rated "strenuous" and after about 3 miles of it you see why.  The climb to Pine Top camping area is quit difficult.  Still, we did not stop there, we pushed on to Tejas camping area.  Near Pine Top we entered the forest area know as the Bowl.  The sun all but disappeared when we stepped into this seldom seen corner of Texas.

Tejas Trail	View From Tejas Trail	Close Encounters These deer came within 5 feet from us while we rested at our camp site.	Camping With the Wildlife These deer stayed near near our camp site from about 6:30pm until after dark.

No sooner did we start setting up camp then the wildlife came out to say hi.  I was getting my stove out when Mike says, "Look over here."  There, not 10 feet from us, stood three mule deer.  They stayed with us through dinner, camp setup, and finally vanished just after sundown.  You would think that would be everything until the next morning, but NO!  As soon as my head hit the ground, all the night creatures came out to play.  Now, I'm sure people that spend time in the back country would think nothing of it but when something run right in front of the tent door, I got a little nervous.  Mike and I stared into the black night looking for anything that might be causing problems.  "Right there!" I whispered as a white tail popped up on the other side of a fallen log about 5 ft. away.  Mike's light came on and, you guessed it, a skunk!  Well we just could not stand for that so we yelled at it to leave.  We thought it did, key word being thought.  Some time in the middle of the night I heard something at the net door of the tent, which my head was right next to.  As a started to raise my head I feel a hand on my back.  "Don't move."  I slowly move my sleeping bag back a little to find that skunk looking me in the eyes with only 3 inches and a mosquito net between us.  Your darn right I did not move.  It went on like that all night.  When we got up in the morning, there were scratch marks all around our tent and campsite.

Forest in the Dessert Matt in The Bowl.	Hiking The Bowl Mike hiking throught the forest area known as The Bowl.	Blurry Hornytoad Once a common sight in Texas, this little gary hornytoad is the first I have seen in years.	Looking Down at Bear Canyon Matt at the top of Bear Canyon.	Bear Canyon Matt under a rock bridge in Bear Canyon.

There was a chill in the morning air.  After breakfast we got back on the trail for the final leg of our three day adventure.  We hiked the Juniper Trail to the Bowl Trail on our way to Bear Canyon.  On the way we found a horny toad and got a blurry picture of it.  In this area of the park you can really tell where the forest fires of the past few years cleaned up the under growth.  The forest looks much healthier.  At the top of Bear Canyon you can see that you do not want to climb it!!  This is the steepest trail we have been on yet.  Thank God we were head down, unlike the poor souls we met on the way down.  We past 4 brave people working there way up.  The canyon is beautiful.  I highly recommend seeing it up close.

Guadalupe Mountain National Park Official Site.

© copyright Steven M. Lawrence 2002