Waking Up in the Guadaloupe Mountains

Even as an avid camper, I have never much enjoyed setting up camp in the dark.  However, when pitching a tent and cooking dinner after nightfall there is one thing that never fails to amaze me – waking up in the morning and seeing my surroundings for the first time.

As Amanda and my adventure continued into the colder and darker months, we became accustomed to arriving at our destinations at sunset, twilight, and even after dark.  The long drive through western Texas took us through the Guadalupe Mountains at dusk, where we watched the purple sunset behind the mountains as we drove to into the National Park.

It was dark by the time we reached our campsite, and after pitching camp and cooking an easy pasta dinner we fell asleep watching the bright stars through the mesh ceiling of our tent.  In the morning we were stirred by the heat of the warm sun and awoke to find ourselves in a desert valley bordered by the high and sloping Guadalupe Mountains.  This was quite a sight to see as we woke, and the mountains and valleys also provided a perfect early morning excursion!

We chose a hike into the Devil’s Hall through a desert valley that led into a canyon full of vibrant fall leaves, a natural stone staircase, and a narrow stone passageway of vertical cliffs that opened into a lush sanctum of trees and stones.

Excitedly, we embarked on our hike–tromping over the desert landscape of cactus, grasses, sand, and stones into the valley.  Soon we were greeted with some of the first, and by far the most vibrant fall colors of our trip by the shocking hues of yellow, orange, and red of the desert trees in this lush canyon.
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We passed some other hikers, one of whom had purple-stained hands from opening and eating some cactus’s prickly pears which were plentiful in the valley–the sour fruit hanging off nearly every spiny specimen that we saw.

The canyon ascended and narrowed as we hiked on, eventually revealing a perfect natural staircase that beckoned us forth into the depths of Devil’s Hall.  We scurried up the steps and soon enough we were in the hall – just tiny creatures within a towering chasm in the stony earth.

We emerged on the other side of Devil’s Hall into a lush opening that was a desert oasis void of water but full of life—trees, plants, and stones in a basin of cliffs with blue sky ceiling above.  A small sign read “end of trail” so we soon turned back to retrace our steps and enjoy the beautiful and opposite views from our hike into Devil’s Hall.

To arrive in a place at dark and awake to see it in the light is a special revelation no mater where you are.  To wake up in a place as diverse and special as Guadalupe Mountains National Park is an incredible experience that was also quite illuminating!