Outdoor Club Adventure: Guadalupe Peak

Yet another amazing excursion for the ACU Outdoor Club! During the first weekend of March (the 5th-7th), the Club led a rockin' group of 18 students to the far western reaches of the state of Texas. Everyone was seeking friendship, escape, adventure, and a weekend of experiencing God. None seemed disappointed.

Getting ready to hit the trail in the morning

We scrambled to leave Abilene Friday afternoon amid some afternoon showers, but were able to hit the road before too late in the day and had smooth sailing all the way. We were able to fit all 18 of us and our gear into only 4 vehicles. That's right, doing our best to minimize that carbon footprint! We entertained ourselves on the road with solid conversation, great tunes, and fun on on the two-way radios. After a bit of a fiasco trying to find a decent dinner in Eunice, NM, we found ourselves at the Pine Springs campground around 10 pm MST. Everyone got down to business and we had tents set up in no time. Needless to say, I didn't have to twist any arms to get people to go to bed...

The next day, we awoke to amazing views of the sun rising over an inversion below us: the cloud bank covering the surrounding desert wasn't broken with islands of mountains like it is on Big Mountain back home during the ski season, but impressive nonetheless. After breakfast, we summitted the highest point in Texas: Guadalupe Peak at 8,741 feet. It felt pretty good to get gain some elevation since it's kind of lacking in Abilene. Gaining 3000 feet in 4.2 miles, the trail to the top isn't a pushover. Kudos to everyone for pushing to the top! Back in camp (after the knee-jarring, foot slapping descent) we had time for rest, relaxation, and reflection before having a super satisfying spaghetti dinner.

Members of the crew on the summit of Guadalupe

For some however, relaxation means something different than most. Asa and Ethan had brought their downhill mountain bikes on the trip in hopes of riding the Peak trail, only to read halfway through the drive over that it was prohibited. Not to be denied they hauled their bikes up the side of a ridge and rode down. They said the top was pretty nerve-racking but once they got into the groove they were able to connect some great lines near the bottom. I believe both of them crashed at least once (being saved certain doom via cactus and rock by wearing jeans and full-face helmets) and Asa got 2 flat tires. Although both conceded that they wouldn't do it again, they felt as though it was worth the effort.

Another group of crazies (I have to include myself in this one) had brought climbing shoes with the goal of climbing some of the limestone boulders near camp. We sauntered across the dry creek bed to a giant one visible from camp and climbed some new routes (possible First Ascents...). I will post a more detailed description of the actual climbing, along with photo documentation later, since I feel it deserves more attention that I can afford in this trip report. For now, know that we had a good session.

Some of us hikers relieved after making it back to the parking lot

Eventually, everyone was drawn back to camp, their empty stomachs being enticed by the promise of a hearty meal. With everyone satisfied, we got ready for the night's rest and met in the guys' tent for a devotional. It felt really good to be singing praises to God after witnessing first hand the awesomeness of his creation on the mountain earlier that day. And who better to share it with than the very people that he loves so much! Thus it was with hearts filled to the brim that we settled into our sleeping bags.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our adventure: exploration of Carlsbad Caverns!