Recently, I had the opportunity to do an overnight hike into the Guadalupe Mountains. It didn't quite go as planned, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I chose the Pine Top campground as my camping destination. The route began from the Pine Springs campground. I then took the Frijole Trail to Bear Canyon Trail and on to the top. From there I took a left on the Bowl Trail, and followed it to the Pine Top campground. The plan for the second day was to catch the sunrise at Hunters Peak, and then take the Bowl Trail to Juniper Trail to Tejas Trail, and then back to the campground to break camp and then head back to the trail head via the Tejas Trail. I had to return to work early, so the second day consisted of breaking camp and taking the Tejas Trail back to the trail head.



All water must be carried when hiking in the Guadalupe Mountains NP. So, for this planned two day hike I was carrying 10L of water to cover my drinking and cooking needs. 10L of water is roughly 22 lb., and this along with my gear added up to around 40 lb. I was carrying this in a Kelty MAP 3500, and it didn't carry well to say the least. I have since ordered another pack just for this type of trip.

The foothills trails are fairly uneventful terrain-wise. I always see a ton of lizards, but I encountered a couple snakes this time. I caught a Rattlesnake trying to cross the trail first, but it retreated back into the brush and gave me some warning rattles. The other one was non-poisonous, so I just stepped over him and kept going.







You can see the Northeastern face of El Capitan here.



You really start to gain some elevation once you get onto the Bear Canyon Trail.





Traveling up the canyon, I encountered this great little spot to stop and eat some lunch.





The view, while eating my ramens and jerky.



This part of the trail is pretty nice, sort of like an oasis.









Looking ahead, the top part of the trail is steep, open, and hot. Pretty much sucked with my 40 some odd lb. pack, so I didn't stop for any pics.



Finally, I reached the ridge and finally got some breeze and easier going.



A coniferous forest of pine and Douglas fir covers the high ridges and canyons, and is a much welcomed change in scenery.







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