Don, Jackie, Mike, Carl and David

What a start to highpointing! Friends said "Let's do our state's highest point in two months." I said, "Great," and started developing a plan to get in shape in the interim. A week later, they said, "The only time we can do it is in two weeks." Not only was I out of shape at the time, but in an effort to get ready quickly, I hurt myself racing up and down stairs three days before attempting the summit.

Still, with heavy dependence on a walking stick, taking the trail slowly (with many breaks to take pictures), and dropping off a couple water bottles at a switchback to lighten my load, I managed to make it all the way. However, I neglected to apply sunscreen beforehand and ended up with a terrible sunburn that was still evident on my legs two years later. If my socks hadn't been so uneven, it wouldn't have been quite so bad looking.

The first quarter mile is rather rugged, but gets much easier for most of the remainder of the trek. Because of the steep sides, there are several stretches of path that are cut into the mountain side, and a solid wood bridge has been built across one section where the mountain side is too steep to cut a trail. Not having reviewed a topographic map before starting, we found the numerous "false" peaks frustrating along the way.

It's hard to believe that the Guadalupe Mountains were once underwater. As part of the Permian basin, the entire region was ocean bottom during the late Permian Period when much of Texas' petroleum reserves were formed. Besides the usual evidence such as sedimentary rock formations (limestone) and the intriguing fact that much of the Guadalupe Mountains are old reefs, I discovered this shell fossil within a thousand feet of the peak!

Despite the pains, the trip home was filled with looking at a road atlas of nearby states and starting to plan the next trip!