El Capitan My Capitan

What stood out to us the most about our trip to Guadalupe National Park was the stark change in foliage. Compared to Big Bend this place was a forest! You can tell when you are getting close to Guadalupe because the greenery gets denser, the trees get taller, and a great mountain range to greet you. 

We got to Guadalupe mid-afternoon and checked out the Visitor Center. Unbeknownst to us and the rangers, it would become our second home. After getting some information on desired hikes and taking a peak in the gift shop, we sat outside in the shade readjusting our plan for the next couple of weeks for several hours. Once it was cool enough, we headed back to our campsite and got ready for bed. 

The next morning we woke up at a cool 2 AM to eat breakfast before we hit the trail by 3:15. We planned on going most of the way on the El Capitan trail that winds around the face of the mountain. El Capitan is arguably the most recognizable mountain in the Guadalupe Mountain range despite not being the tallest nor the namesake of the park. Most of our hike was in the dark, as the sun doesn't really rise until about 6:30. At that point we had made it to El Capitan and enjoyed watching the sunrise on the mountain before heading back to camp. Once we returned, we rested for an hour or so until it got too hot in our tent and again returned to the Visitor Center to stay cool. 

Here, we learned that Guadalupe National Park used to be a coral reef! The park had a small exhibit about the reef and how the landscape changed through time. We went back outside to eat lunch, having bought a couple of things from the gift shop. We ate bread with mango habanero pepper jelly, bison smoked sausage, pepper jack cheese and prickly pear candy. It was delicious! 

We continued sitting in the shade playing cards games until we decided to go to Frijole Ranch. This is one of the oldest still standing structures from the early ranching and farming days in the south west. We were able to see the house where the Smiths lived, a spring that they built which cooled a store house for their fruits and vegetables, and a school house they built in their property for the local children. 

About 5 pm or so, we went back to our camp and rested in the shade until we decided we were hungry again and cooked our hotdogs before going to sleep.