Thenaturalmedic Adventures
Hello there, and thanks so much for joining us here! You are probably wondering what this podcast is all about? In this podcast, we will talk about all sorts of outdoor adventures, but primarily, for now, we will focus on hiking and backpacking. No other outdoor adventure is so accessible to so many people! So please join us as we talk about how to hike/backpack and learn how to hike any length trail from your local neighborhood parks to those long trails such as the Appalachian and others worldwide! Remember... "in every walk with nature; one receives far more than he seeks... - John Muir " See you on the trail!
Thenaturalmedic Adventures
Conquering Guadalupe Peak: A Trek Through Texas's Diverse Landscapes
Ever wondered what it's like to conquer the highest peak in Texas? Join me, Craig the Natural Medic, as I take you on a thrilling adventure to the summit of Guadalupe Peak. At an elevation of 8,752 feet, this hike promises not only spectacular views but also a journey through a diverse array of landscapes and ecosystems. As we tackle the challenging 8.4-mile round trip with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain, I'll share fascinating insights about the unique flora and fauna we encounter, such as the intriguing Texas Madrone trees and the unexpected abundance of tree species at the summit. Feel the steep ascent alongside me and uncover the beauty of this rugged yet enchanting national park.
During our trek, I'll offer practical tips for navigating the southwest's rugged trails, from staying hydrated to choosing the right gear. Discover my personal gear favorites and learn why my trusty Altra shoes and comfortable hiking pants are ideal for this adventure. Journey with me from rocky paths to the lush pine woodlands, where I'll point out exciting landmarks like the gorilla face mountain and Hunter's Peak. Get ready for a vivid narrative that paints a picture of the stunning natural beauty and challenges that Guadalupe Peak holds for every intrepid explorer.
Hey, good morning and welcome. This is Craig the Natural Medic Hiking to the top of Texas in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The destination heading for is Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas 8,752 feet. 8.4 mile round trip, a little over 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Come along with me and see what we find, okay, straight over there, which you can see from the campground as well. There's a sideways face on that mountain right there. I think it's known as the gorilla face. Can you see it? You're definitely going to hear me huffing and puffing on this trip. Although it may not be super tall, it is super steep and, yeah, in spite of its ruggedness and diversity, it's not a very large park. This is looking up the trail. You can see how rugged the trail is and it's like it follows that ridge line up there around this big mountain. Here, I would say, similar to great basin national park, which also is not very large, the amount of stuff for lack of better term the amount of stuff that's in the boundaries, makes all the difference. Hey, for, like in this video, make sure give me a thumbs up, let me know you appreciate my content and that gets it out to more people. Thanks.
Speaker 1:One thing to remember, hiking any hike in the southwest is bring plenty of water. Out. Here in the guadalupe national park they recommend a gallon of water for a day, especially if you're doing these rugged hikes out here. I have a two liter platypus bladder I'll show you later and I have two 1 liter bottles, so I have a gallon on board. It is heavy, but there is no water available on the trail or in the park other than at the trailhead. So be advised, it takes plenty of water, takes plenty of water about exactly a mile up or a mile into the trail, 721 feet up. So quite quite a ways to go still, but you can look down here, see the parking lot where we came from, that's the parking lot of the camping area and, yeah, seems like a lot further than a mile away. This tree is pretty cool. It's called the Texas Madrone Spanish probably has a little bit more acento on it Madrone very intricate bark. A lot of the tree species that are here in the Guadalupe's are remnants of a cooler time in Texas when the forests were much more abundant but because of the nature of the mountains being a moisture sink able to capture some of that moisture, especially in areas like the bowl, which you probably should see when we get up to the top at Guadalupe Peak. The top at Guadalupe Peak, you have more tree species growing than you would really anticipate in Texas.
Speaker 1:Talk about footwear for a second. Get the camera to behave. See what kind of terrain you're walking on. I've got some Altras on here. I think these are a little bit older model. I was able to pick them up for really cheap when I popped into Goodwill in Santa Fe Pretty amazing to get them for 13 bucks and in size 13, which is my size.
Speaker 1:The trail goes from rock to kind of a crushed rock and then back to rock again. So you definitely want some rugged, supportive footwear that have good grip. I think my Altras fit the bill. For the longest time I've been hiking in some Salomon Crosstrikes. Those are about wore out, so it was time to find another pair of shoes. To find another pair of shoes and then for pants. I'm all for you getting out in your jeans to hike, but unfortunately, at least to me, jeans are not as comfortable, so I would use some Wrangler. Outdoor pants is what I'm wearing. Some kind of hiking pant would be more than ideal Comfortable, stretchy and breathable. Interesting transition. You can see here Behind me is more of a.
Speaker 1:It has vegetation but it's very small and short. I think I could be wrong, but I think that's Hunter's Peak, whereas in front of me here you have a north facing slope and you have a pine woodland. It's like mostly Ponderosa, some pinyon, some juniper and some understory growth as well, all the way up. Now I'm even walking through this pine woodland which is more in the mountainous zone of the mountain forest zone of the park, getting closer to the top, definitely different than the scrubby brush below in the parking lot which was more pinyon, juniper, madrone, stuff like that pretty cool. Pinyon, juniper, madrone, stuff like that pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Like I said, this park packs a lot of punch into its small size, similar to the Great Basin National Park. Getting close to the top at about two and a half miles in ascent, a total of just under 1,900 feet, and you can see the trail that we came up here. You can see people walking on the trail, maybe Down below and the other way, going the other way, and you can see the trail over here and it's funny, the trail over there on Hunter Mountain aligns with the one on this trail which takes us behind this ridge right here, which I'm not sure what mountain that is, but Pretty interesting, of course. Looking north through that gap, that's New Mexico, not too far out there, pretty flat part of New Mexico and and a little bit further to go, let's keep on pushing. So the interesting thing about not only Guadalupe Mountains but several other mountain ranges in the area, including the Apache and the Glass, this entire region of Texas was underneath a shallow ocean millions of years ago. So what you're seeing in this rock here, all these little kind of cylindrical things, are ancient corals that were caught in the rock or that were fossilized in the rock. Then over here you have I'm certainly not a geologist, but it looks like some brachiopods, which would be like mussels, clams or other shell-based creatures. Amazing how the landscape has changed.
Speaker 1:Coming up the mountain here, more of an open forest, now Mostly ponderosa of various forms, this one's kind of looks like it's lost its top maybe at one point and grew back, and there's several other ones in various stages of development. But as I said earlier, this is remnant forest from last Ice Age, as last ice age, as this area was more protected from the heat, it served as a moisture trap. You had these isolated forests in places like the Guadalupe's, the Davis's to the south and then the Chisos, of course, even further to the south. South in Big Bend. Alright, nice views, nice little lunch break. Got to continue up this trail here and up to Guadalupe Peak Almost there so far been going for about four hours. I guess this is a peak you technically could hike in summer. I do not recommend hiking in summer Anywhere in Texas. It's just too hot, but most of the rest of the year it's pretty good. Weather today has been perfect, definitely enjoying that.
Speaker 1:This is the marker on top of the Kuala Lumpur Peak. This side represents the post office of the Pony Express which passed by here on the Butterfly Stage. Over here you have the Brave Airmen. I'm wondering if it had something to do with the Scouts too and sort of leave there. The monument was dedicated in 1958. And it's dedicated to the airmen who, like the stage drivers before, challenged the elements through this pass with the pioneer spirit and courage which resulted in a vast system of airline transportation known as American Airlines. So in 1958 American Airlines put up this marker. That's their sign right there. Get a little better view for you.
Speaker 1:Took about. Took about five hours get up here a little bit over 4.2 miles, like 4.28, and just under 3,000 elevation change according to my watch. Whatever that's worth, now we're gonna head down. Listen to the wind blow through the pines. Take a moment, clear your head, let all your cares blow away. Isn't that neat? But when you get to this bridge, either way, if you're going in the last hard part up there, going over all those rocks up there, going all over all those rocks is ahead of you. If you're coming back, you realize the hardest part of the trail is behind you. And remember, if you fall off this bridge it's not the fall that kills you, it's a sudden stop. All right, hopefully you can see those signs behind me.
Speaker 1:Just got back down off of the Guadalupe Peak Trail and took about eight and a half hours. That's dilly-dallying, a little bit for snacks and breaks and etc. But stren's a strenuous hike. It had been since 1997 the last time that I hiked that trail. And what helped me today was I had these poles here from Trekology. These are folding trekking poles. I like them because they can fold up and go into my backpack very easily if I'm not using them. And that's awesome. Pretty strenuous hike today, but man, what a view. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did enjoy it, make sure to go for that thumbs up. Let me know that you approve of my stuff, approve of my video. Leave some comments down below if you've ever been here before or you want to go and you need to have some questions. I think that's it for now, pretty exhausted, going to go back to our campsite over on the other side of the park and until next time, see you on the trail. Okay, bye-bye.
