WEBVTT - Guadalupe Mountains National Park Almost Killed Me 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:02.960 Not to be overly dramatic or anything, but Guadal of 0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:05.720 Queen Mountains National Park tried to kill me. It did 0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:08.440 not try to kill you, come on, yes it did. 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:11.119 And after seeing my life flash before my eyes on 0:00:11.160 --> 0:00:13.920 that El Capitan trail, I have no doubt that this 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:17.960 park wants to end me. I felt deceived, I felt attacked, 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:21.440 and I felt used. Of all the trails I've done 0:00:21.480 --> 0:00:23.520 at Guada Queen Mountains, and I've done a bunch at 0:00:23.560 --> 0:00:26.239 this point, in fact, I think this is the park 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:29.000 that I've done more hiking and more trails than any 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:31.520 other park over the course of my two visits here. 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:34.360 I will say that the El Capitan trail was the 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:38.760 least assuming I thought it was going to be easy. Honestly, 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:41.640 it's marked as moderate in every guide book and every 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:44.800 visitor guide, and even the trailhead categorizes it as moderate 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:48.160 since it's allegedly and mostly flat trail that goes out 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:50.960 on the base of this giant mountain looking rock face 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:53.479 known as Al Kabitan, just like the one in Usebity. 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:57.400 Kind of um, but I'm going to need to have 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:01.280 a serious discussion with someone about this, because five thousand 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:06.679 feet of elevation game several unending miles, seemingly and hurricane 0:01:06.720 --> 0:01:09.680 force winds are not my idea of moderate by any means. 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:11.840 That was a really windy day though, I mean, the 0:01:12.040 --> 0:01:15.480 RV was getting pretty high gust of winds throughout it, 0:01:15.600 --> 0:01:17.840 like the whole evening, I mean, and into the morning. 0:01:18.319 --> 0:01:21.240 They continue to wake us up multiple times. I'm just 0:01:21.280 --> 0:01:23.560 glad I didn't do this trail. But I'm Brad and 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:28.080 I'm Matt, and we sold our loft in Chicago and 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:30.280 gave up our study dwelling existence to live in an 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:32.880 RV in travel the country full time, just dozen our 0:01:32.959 --> 0:01:37.520 dog Finn. And today we're talking about Guadalupe Mountains National 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:51.960 Park in Texas. Thanks for listening. Trails. Yeah, So this 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:55.600 trail starts by the main visitors center. They're a bunch 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:58.960 of trailheads there, and it goes out pretty far into 0:01:59.000 --> 0:02:02.480 the desert, seemingly like it's going to be flat and 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:06.120 pretty level, But then it starts to steadily rise and 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:08.080 dip in elevation as that passes in and out of 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:12.160 these little canyon pockets, and it's inching like increasingly closer 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:15.240 to Al Capitan, which initially when you're starting it it's 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:17.640 kind of way off in the distance, and then the 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:20.600 miles progress and it gets closer and closer and larger 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:23.600 and larger, which is great and beautiful and would all 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:26.480 be well and good if it wasn't such a miserably 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:31.880 windy day today, I remember was particularly intense, and earlier 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:34.240 that morning though I had done the Premian Reef trail, 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:36.400 which is marked as strenuous, and that seemed like it 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:38.880 was pretty fine to me, so I didn't really think 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:42.240 anything of doing this. I thought it would be easy 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:49.720 in comparison, but I guess I was dead wrong. But 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:51.760 being I think the fact that it's kind of such 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:55.080 open desert terrain with no tree cover mountain sides to 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:58.240 shield me or deflect the wind, I was getting pelted 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:01.080 really hard, like head on and see like it seemed 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:02.839 like no matter what direction I was going, the wind 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:06.120 was hitting me dead on and going against me, which 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:09.160 was so frustrating and just sucked the energy out of me. 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:11.000 And it reached a point where I was starting to 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:13.000 like scream into the wind as loud as like it 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:15.200 because no one else was around. The wind was so 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.800 loud that it was stifling. As I've told everyone before, 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:21.520 I married a psycho, but at least your my cyco. Yeah, 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.040 I would definitely have a like having a psychotic moment 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:29.080 out there in the desert, um swearing into the wind 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:33.160 as if that would help um. But don't don't get 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:36.080 me wrong with the views were spectacular, especially as the 0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:39.360 trail winds along the base of this gigantic rock face. 0:03:40.400 --> 0:03:43.720 This thing looms so large, jutting directly up out of 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.080 the desert floor like a massive sheer cliff. The train 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:49.640 is mostly dry sand and rocks, but it's all dotted 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:53.640 with small greenery like little cacti and shrubs and these 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:56.880 spiky looking mescal plans. I love me some scale same 0:03:57.520 --> 0:03:59.960 that that made things worse because while I was out, 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:04.080 they're suffering. It just made me thirsty for Mescow cocktails, 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:07.160 which were hard to find when like the mes coloring 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:10.520 people were there, like yeah, the Native Americans, Like, I 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:14.040 don't get it. Yeah, the visitor center should serve Mescow cocktails. 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:16.760 That would really help me out. I needed a drink 0:04:16.760 --> 0:04:22.080 after this trail, let me tell you. But the like 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:27.800 all beautiful, all stunning. Unfortunately, the beauty was mostly lost 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:29.680 in me since the wind was hitting me so hard 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:31.839 that it was basically punching the glasses right off my 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:34.400 face and pulling tears out of my eyes. Like I 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:42.440 wasn't pulling tears crying, but tears were like flying out 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:44.760 of my eyes. What is this metal in your magneto? 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:48.600 I don't get it. Yeah, it was an experience, and 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:51.719 so that's happening as the trail is getting rockier and 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:54.920 rockier and more jagged and sharp, and I literally just 0:04:55.000 --> 0:04:57.040 kept getting knocked to the ground and against the side 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:59.800 like a rag doll being thrashed in a storm. It 0:04:59.880 --> 0:05:02.240 was crazy. I was waiting out of my almon a 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:07.080 little rack down. This is not even the worst of it. 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:09.440 The worst was when the trail reaches a pinnacle at 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:14.039 this overlook um like cliff edge. There were like sand 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:16.400 dunes of the distance. So it's on a nice day 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:19.120 when the wind is docile, I'm sure it's beautiful and peaceful, 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:22.360 but it was so horrifyingly windy here at this point 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:25.120 that I had to pretty much get into a sprint 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:28.320 in order to even inch myself forward. It was so strong, 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:31.720 and I was beyond exhausted at this point. As I'm 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:35.440 like looping around this trail curves back towards El Capitan, 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:41.840 and it's getting narrower to make things worse, and I 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:46.320 had to like crawl or duck down and like inched 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:47.880 my way along the trail because I was too scared 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:50.400 if I was standing up, I was afraid I was 0:05:50.400 --> 0:05:53.200 going to get knocked into the canyon below, like off 0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:54.960 the cliff. I just really wish I was there, because 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:57.080 if I was there, I feel like it would be 0:05:57.120 --> 0:06:01.680 a different story. I feel like matizing this, like, yeah, 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:06.520 it was. It got so bad. I was just screaming 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:12.600 and crying against my will, and I was It got 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:16.000 to the point where, like I was, El Capitan personified 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.960 my problems and I would blame it for what was 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:22.600 happening to me in the wind and feeling like I 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:28.000 was being destroyed, and I really felt betrayed by El Capitan. 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:30.840 I thought it was trying to It didn't want me 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:34.000 hiking this trail. You're just mad that El Capitan made you. 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:39.600 It's yeah, it definitely put me in my place, which 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:45.640 apparently is pretty low. But eventually, I, after what seemed 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:49.600 like forever, I rounded the kind of narrow, nightmare portion 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:52.600 of the trail and things started to calm down and 0:06:52.680 --> 0:06:55.560 like a little bit now that I have several cuts 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:58.279 and wounds from being thrown against the rocks. You really did? 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:01.120 I actually, I'm like prove it, and he did, Like 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:05.000 there was legit scrape scraps, and yeah, some of my 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:07.880 clothes were cut, Like I got hit. I hit the 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:11.960 rocks enough for my clothes to get torn. It's crazy. Yeah, 0:07:12.120 --> 0:07:14.720 So the wind kind of persisted for the rest of 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:17.120 my hig back to the trailhood, because of course it did, 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:20.280 but it wasn't nearly as bad as like this horrible, 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:25.240 terrifying moment. And when I finally finished this safely shut 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:27.880 away in our rental car, my legs were jiggling like 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:32.360 jello and my heart was pumping, and I kind of 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:34.640 felt like my whole body had been like just thoroughly 0:07:34.840 --> 0:07:40.440 electricated or something. Yeah. But let's just yeah, that was 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:43.400 not moderate by any means. I can't. I'm like appalled 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:46.560 that any guide booker trail head rates that as moderate 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:48.680 even without the wind. That's an insane amount of like 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:52.560 elevation gain and distance. It's it's crazy. Yeah, Normally they're 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.800 pretty like overrating things, and this one was definitely underrated. 0:07:56.000 --> 0:08:00.600 This was way off, of course, I'll copa on a side. 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:04.120 Guadala Mountains National Park isn't all nightmarish winds and near 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:08.720 death experiences. Fortunately, this West Texas park is is mostly 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:12.080 a paradise for hikers and rock levers as in geology, 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:18.280 not like genre music. Rockers can love it too. Yeah, 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:25.080 just bringing like your headphones, I guess, um, but because 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:30.760 you're trying to mute up my Yeah yeah sure, um 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:33.080 but yeah, but the thing that makes this so appealing 0:08:33.080 --> 0:08:36.480 for hikers is Guada Mountains has the tallest peaks in 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:40.240 the state of Texas, it has gypsum sand dunes, it 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:45.080 has tons of human history, and also most fascinatingly, the 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:50.439 largest exposed premian reef in the world. Yeah, so that's 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:53.880 something to chew on. Um. There's a lot to do 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:57.280 and see and learn in Guadape Mountains. And as long 0:08:57.320 --> 0:08:59.680 as you don't foolishly ventured into the into the park 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:01.840 and when the forecast looks like a scene from the 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:07.080 movie Twister, like I stupidly did, we'll have a great time. Yeah, 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:09.720 I know. For us, like Guadala Bay Mountains was actually 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:11.360 like a two part of trip since we had the 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:14.360 RV park at the campsite nearest Carlsbad Cavern, which is 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:17.480 about forty minutes away. But after a couple of days 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:20.720 of exploring the caves, we got to spend a lot 0:09:20.720 --> 0:09:23.120 of time in Guadalupe National Park. There's just a whole 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:26.000 new set of activities to do, especially the hiking, the 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:28.400 part that has a lot of great hiking trails, ranging 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:32.040 from difficult and lengthy, too easy half mile strolls by 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:35.920 a Spring to the hardcore eleven mile trails of that 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:40.600 vengevil Cap. I'll cuple ten. I can't even talk about that. 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:42.880 I don't I don't want to see a captan for 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:44.920 the rest of my life. I can't wait to go 0:09:45.000 --> 0:09:49.200 back now. But like, yeah, like you said, like Guadaly 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:51.520 Mountains is so close to Carlled Pod Caverns. It's a 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:53.880 great one to punch and to do both parts. And 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:56.120 they're about so different for as close as they are, 0:09:56.679 --> 0:10:01.600 dear graphically, their their world's apart. And that's phenomenal, phenomenal 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.800 and so cool. When I first visited Galpe Mountains, it 0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:08.000 was by myself. I was doing a little solo like 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:12.520 three day road trip down from Albuquerque, which so we 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:15.600 were in Albuquerque, you were selling um Britain's naple Wood 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:20.040 Farm Maple Syrup at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Yes, 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:24.880 this is the time when you decided to um freak 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:27.359 out on me because we had to curb those plans 0:10:27.440 --> 0:10:33.000 to go to another event. Um. You know, it was 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:36.800 stressful to plan this, but it worked out and we 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.040 became a great team because of that. Yeah, it worked 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:43.040 out great. I was clearly hankering for some hiking, so 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:45.679 as long as I had access to it, I was 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:49.160 very very happy. And so what we decided to do 0:10:49.280 --> 0:10:51.040 was just me kind of go off my own for 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:54.600 a few days, rent a car, drive down to Gutally Mountains, 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:56.959 which is just a few hours south of Albuquerque. We 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.520 got this key little airbnb in in Carl's Bad and 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:02.480 so drivable and close, and then I was able to 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:06.000 do some trails here, including the park's crown jewel and 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:10.240 one of my favorites, Guadalupe Peak its namesake. This is 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:12.960 the highest peak in the park and all of Texas. 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:18.280 That's a pretty big feat Texas, and yeah Texas is big, um, 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:21.839 And this is the biggest mountain in Texas. I guess 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:25.000 it's eight thousand, seven hundred forty nine feet tall. So 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:29.520 it's not huge compared to like a lot of Western mountains, 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:33.240 especially in states like Colorado and California, but still very 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:37.240 impressive and quite strenuous to do, especially since the trail 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:39.800 is really steep and it's about nine miles round trip. 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:42.640 But even that being said, this was a piece of 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:46.320 cake compared to a Capitan, which all never let go 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:50.640 um Guada peak. The trail starts from like the same 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:55.439 trail hud areas al Capitan, and it starts out pretty steep. 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:57.880 In the first couple of miles especially, there are some 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:03.680 serious switch back x that account for a majority of 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:06.719 the elevation gain on this trail. Switch back just like 0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:10.480 ruin me because they're kind of defeating, yeah, because it's 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:13.320 like I could just go straight up like like a 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:17.439 mountain goat. Yeah, like a mountain goat. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:19.760 So these switchbacks kind of zig and zag off the 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:23.000 mountainside and it's definitely rough, but the views of the 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:26.719 valley below are amazing, and there are a bunch of 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:31.160 points where you can see this sweeping panorama up the desert, 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:34.000 the whole like Chwoman desert out there, and a lot 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:35.720 of it's kind of flat once you're out of the 0:12:35.760 --> 0:12:37.640 national park, so you can see for quite a ways 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.040 and it makes for a great view and it's also 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:43.480 kind of a motivating factor to like, oh, I can 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:46.360 do this. It's it's great, it's beautiful. I love it. 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:50.920 And then the tail kind of rounds them into the 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:54.760 park around the mountain into a tranquil forests setting, which 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:59.079 was surprising and also very welcome reprieve and a break 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:02.000 to get into the shape aid and cool off for 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:06.280 a bit, also get off those awful switch backs. And 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:09.439 then you reach the section that feels like you're almost 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:11.840 at the top or like you're about to get to 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:15.040 the end, and then just kidding, no, you still have 0:13:15.080 --> 0:13:17.240 a long way to go, and it's very yeah, it's 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:20.880 very deceiving. Yeah, it turns out. I think that area 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:24.000 is just like there's a backcountry campground up there, and 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:26.720 as you're getting towards the campground, it feels like you're 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:29.120 getting to the top, and then it sucks you out 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:31.439 and you have to go around the mountain face again 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:34.520 and there's a whole another section which isn't too bad 0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:38.440 because it's it's not as steep as the initial parts, 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:39.760 So as long as you can get over the first 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:42.520 I would say two miles. Then you're mostly in the 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:44.160 clear as long as you have like the stamina in 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:48.200 time and water. Of course, it's the last stretch of 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:52.920 Gladoue Peak that gets pretty hands on. There's some scrambling, 0:13:53.000 --> 0:13:57.120 there's some rocks. Mountain, Yeah, like a mountain goat exactly 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:00.600 and well worth the effort because you get to the 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:05.040 top and there's this triangle shaped marker signaling the highest 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:09.080 point in Texas. And it's a very it's a very 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:11.920 rewarding experience if you feel like, oh, I really made it, 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:15.760 I actually did this, and it's it's great. I feel 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:17.880 like I can relax now and sit down and rest 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:20.800 my legs and have my little tuna salve bunch kit 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:24.480 at this point of eating tuna salve in the weirdest places, 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.320 to be honest, yeah, I think you have. I love 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:29.840 those things. We're going to hear more about other trails 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:48.600 after the short break. Hi, I'm Brad and I'm Matt, 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:51.440 and you're listening to park Landia today. We're talking about 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:54.600 Guadalupe Mountains National Park and we're gonna go on our 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:57.640 next trail, which is a little less insane than Matt's 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:01.000 over dramatic story of al Capatan and then some others 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:05.880 that was completely accurate my description. No it was not. Okay, 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:08.320 maybe it was. I wasn't there. But we're gonna talk 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:12.120 about McKittrick Canyon Trail. We did this one together, and 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:15.480 it's a much more level trail, you know, something that 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:17.760 you can actually like probably run up if you wanted to. 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:21.960 But I loved how it just went along the mountain 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:26.440 side and there's this beautiful stream in the park. We 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:28.960 even had to tiptoe across some rocks a few times 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:33.160 to cross the stream. The trail was really lovely and peaceful, 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:35.400 especially when you get out of the direct sunlight into 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:38.200 the shade of the canyons. Maple trees, these ones you're 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:40.640 not able to tap, you know, that's only grown and 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:45.560 like pretty much the northeast, But if I could, I 0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:48.520 would because that's how beautiful these trees were. I mean, 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:51.480 there was just so full of foliage and altogether I 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:55.120 guess this was only about five miles round trip, and 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:58.240 it takes you to this historic Pratt Lodge Um named 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:02.080 after Walter Pratt when who was a geologist with the 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.800 heart of gold. Yes, when an angel. Yes, we all 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:07.880 lost for Mr Pratt Um he and his family owned 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:10.040 about six thousand acres of land here in the canyon, 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:14.160 and because they loved it so much as a suburb destination, 0:16:14.560 --> 0:16:17.360 they even built a cabin there which you are able 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:20.440 to go and see to this day. Um, you can't 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:23.040 go inside of it, but it is a beautiful place 0:16:23.080 --> 0:16:26.560 for a nitiaded picnic. Yeah, great spot for tuna stala 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:31.560 my family. Yeah, come on every spot. You're just obsessed again, 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:36.800 You're obsessive and I love that about you. Yeah. Well, anyway, 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:40.600 this guy, Walter Pratt, he eventually donated this private land 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:45.160 to the government, allowing it to form Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:48.440 and today mckitcher Canyon is one of the most popular 0:16:48.440 --> 0:16:52.960 destinations here. Thanks Walter. I know, seriously, but this guy, 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:55.320 he wasn't the first person to discover the mountains by 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.040 any means. No, no, no, definitely not. I mean, there's 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:01.960 evidence of humans that lived here for over ten thousand years. Um, 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:05.720 there were definitely ancient hunter gatherers who left behind things 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:10.439 like rock art and pottery creations. The area's main occupation 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:14.399 was by the Mescalero Apache people. They eventually end up 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:19.680 retreating into the mountains because of the settlers who were expanding. UM. Sadly, 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:23.400 we've all learned that this kind of invasion before has 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:27.200 happened over and over and over again and UM. After 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:29.879 a series of conflicts between the APACHE and the soldiers, 0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:35.760 most Native Americans were forced on the reservations. Yeah, really awful. UM. 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:40.399 Settlers attempted to ranch here too at some point, but 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:44.880 the rain is just too rugged and difficult and unforgiving. UM. 0:17:45.000 --> 0:17:47.240 One thing that they did managed to accomplish was build 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:51.440 uh structure called free Hole a ranch. They did this 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:55.439 in eighteen seventy six. It's served as a residence and 0:17:55.520 --> 0:17:58.960 eventually as a community center and even a post office today. 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:02.600 That's just as all museum with ranching history, and it 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:04.679 serves as the entry point to a couple of the 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:08.840 park's easiest trails, which go to Smith Spring and Mansonita Spring. 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:11.639 Both are lovely. Yeah. I'd actually love to talk some 0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:14.920 more about the diverse terrain and trails opportunities here. There 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:19.040 was the Salt Basin Dunes. Yeah, I know this. It's 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:22.360 definitely a part of the park that is very unvisited undiscovered, 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:25.840 probably because it's really out on its own and it 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:28.480 takes a while to get there, but it's what It's 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:30.240 totally worth the drive. This place looks like a whole 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:33.280 other planet entirely looks more like Death Valley honestly than 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:36.160 Broadway Mountains. Yeah, you have to really drive a long 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:37.879 way to get there though. I mean you have to 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:40.520 drive outside the park and then around the southern edge 0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:43.640 and then back into the park from the west side. Um, 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.760 and then there's this like super long dirt road with 0:18:47.440 --> 0:18:50.199 you know, occasual homes and trailers and little farms with 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.479 goats that look like demons from that movie you know, 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:56.200 the which. Yeah, I know, I remember seeing like scary 0:18:56.240 --> 0:19:00.679 looking goats that I assume we're possessed by Satan. And 0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:04.600 it's good to keep driving, just keep on driving. The 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:07.480 section is so far out of the way, and we 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.119 were the only ones there were the only car in 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:14.400 the little parking lot, which was good. It was great, 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:15.879 and it was fun to do that and have it 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:19.320 all to ourselves. Really. It was a scorching hot day. 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:21.560 The sun was blazing. We had to spray a whole 0:19:21.560 --> 0:19:25.680 bunch of sunscreen, bring water, and then take the trail 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:28.280 into the dunes. Yeah, I mean it really wasn't much 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:30.480 of a trail really, it was like three course of 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:32.920 a mile through the desert until reach the sand, which 0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:35.600 is bright white color, you know, super smooth and fine. 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:38.600 It kind of felt like sugar. But these dunes aren't 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:41.520 really as nassive as um the one's and like the 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:45.000 great sand dunes you know, but they're shimmering and especially 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:47.359 beautiful at the mountain backdrop there. It's just a little 0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:53.399 different than what I expected. Um. Yeah, very It's still 0:19:53.440 --> 0:19:55.320 diverse and you can definitely see there's a lot of 0:19:55.560 --> 0:20:01.119 wildlife and creatures. Yeah, the views were extraordinary and very 0:20:01.640 --> 0:20:04.720 unique compared to especially compared to anything else in the park. 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:07.159 So that was that was fun. And we got to 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:13.119 see jack rabbits, runners, road runners, very exciting. Yeah, some 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:21.960 serious cartoon like wildlife out there in the sand dunes. History. 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:25.280 We should talk about the highest peak in Texas some more, 0:20:26.080 --> 0:20:28.960 because there's a lot of human history here. Um, it's 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:32.920 fascinating to mention the fact that most of the park 0:20:33.080 --> 0:20:37.240 is actually a gigantic fossilized reef. Yeah, it's actually the 0:20:37.320 --> 0:20:39.840 largest permian what's called a permian reef in the world. 0:20:39.960 --> 0:20:44.280 It's like the biggest and on Earth. Actually, it's kind 0:20:44.280 --> 0:20:46.000 of hard to imagine that what's now a does for 0:20:46.160 --> 0:20:51.240 environment being a tropical reef millions and millions of years ago. 0:20:51.800 --> 0:20:54.159 But this part of Texas used to be part of 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:57.760 a shallow sea and the heart of it was this 0:20:57.920 --> 0:21:00.800 enormous reef filled with shells and spun is and all 0:21:00.800 --> 0:21:04.639 that coral goodness. But now that the world has changed 0:21:04.760 --> 0:21:07.040 and continents have moved around and things have dried up, 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:09.959 all of this reef, all this ancient reef is now 0:21:09.960 --> 0:21:13.359 exposed in this desert climate, and a lot of trails 0:21:13.359 --> 0:21:16.720 you can see the how the rock walls look dried 0:21:16.840 --> 0:21:18.800 up with the coral reef, and how some of the 0:21:18.880 --> 0:21:21.760 rocks you're stepping on are actually crushed remnants of the 0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:24.399 same reef. Yeah, I know, it's it's crazy, and it's 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:28.720 especially noticeable on trails like the Premian Reef which I 0:21:28.720 --> 0:21:32.159 mentioned earlier. You can also pick up an audio guide 0:21:32.200 --> 0:21:34.760 from the visitor center for free, and as you're walking 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:37.119 along the trail, it will point out specific things on 0:21:37.200 --> 0:21:39.359 the route, telling you more about what the environment was 0:21:39.440 --> 0:21:43.439 like way back when when it was underwater, and highlighting 0:21:44.240 --> 0:21:48.280 the different reef portions with to the untrained I or 0:21:48.280 --> 0:21:49.840 if you're just kind of glancing over it, you would 0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:51.960 never you would not necessarily know it. You would think 0:21:51.960 --> 0:21:55.080 it's just a rock face. Or it's definitely good to 0:21:55.160 --> 0:21:58.000 like look at all those before going on your hikes. Yeah, 0:21:58.080 --> 0:22:02.359 I totally agree. And you can also another opportunity, you 0:22:02.359 --> 0:22:04.720 can get a real good reef you vibe at the 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:07.920 grotto section at the end of the McKittrick Canyon trail. 0:22:08.440 --> 0:22:10.760 It's an additional couple of miles past the prow Lodge 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:13.680 where we were, But I would say you should definitely 0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:16.000 do it, especially if you want to immerse yourself more 0:22:16.040 --> 0:22:20.680 in this like reef environment. This reef setting extra. Yeah, 0:22:20.760 --> 0:22:23.280 it definitely is. It's not that hard either. It's flat 0:22:23.320 --> 0:22:27.760 and a lot of it's shaded. And the grotto, this section, 0:22:27.880 --> 0:22:30.480 it gets its name not only from just how many 0:22:30.720 --> 0:22:33.480 of these lash shady trees there are, but also the 0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:37.040 this cave like reef wall that covers a lot of it. 0:22:37.040 --> 0:22:40.359 It's really tranquil, really unique, and it has these hillar 0:22:40.520 --> 0:22:43.640 like reef structures that dangle from the roof like stalactites. 0:22:43.640 --> 0:22:46.680 They're huge, they're kind of spiky and a little sharp, 0:22:46.760 --> 0:22:49.879 so don't like slam yourself against it, I guess, but 0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:53.919 why would you do that? And yeah, the grotto is 0:22:53.960 --> 0:22:57.240 a really lovely place to sit down, relax and have 0:22:57.400 --> 0:23:00.760 a have a nice little picnic with my favorite food, 0:23:01.359 --> 0:23:05.280