A Nomad’s plan to reach the Top: Guadalupe Peak

Later on today, or I should say early tomorrow morning, I would be on board a Greyhound bus heading towards El Paso, Texas. The plan is to rent a car in El Paso and drive to Guadalupe National Park where I would climb the Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. The park is located in a very remote area.

I figure I’d get to the park late Monday evening and after studying the maps and familiarizing myself with the area, I would call it a night and get some rest. I normally wake up at 4 AM to meditate and to pray, so after doing that, on early Tuesday morning I would head up the trail that leads to the top of the mountain. It  is an 8.4 miles strenuous hike to the top, so says the website. I walk 4 to 6 miles everyday, so it is a little more than usual, but I know there is a big difference between walking on flat surface and hiking up a mountain trail, so it would be challenging. I will be carrying 12 half liter bottles of water with me to keep myself hydrated, and I will pace myself taking rest stops along the way.

I estimate a trek of four to five hours to the top. so I should be there around 9 AM. I will enjoy the view, take some pictures, savor the moments and rest for a while, and then head back down around 11 AM and should reach the camp site where I would have my rental car around 3 PM. After fresening up, I’ll head back to El Paso to return the car.

Since I am travelling on a seven-day Discovery Pass, I’ll take the next bus leaving to wherever it is going and figure out the route back to Houston as I go. I need to be back in Houston by Friday afternoon, so I will have plenty of time to roam the territory. Along the way, I will look for places where I can connect to the ‘net and even if I can’t, I’ll drop you an update or two via Tweeter, since I can do that using my cell phone.

I am really excited about this trip in particular for two reasons. First, climbing Guadalupe Peak, the highest poiint in Texas at 8749 feel above the sea level is the first step on my five-year plan to reach the top of the world, by climbing Mt Everest. And second, this is first of many excursions I will be undertaking as part of my nomadic lifestyle. I have set a goal of atleast three before the end of 2009.

My neext one is planned for August 21-25, when I will be taking my sone to the Yellowstone National Park to have the first hand experience of the wonder of geysers, particularly the Old Faithful.

So what are you doing or planning to do that you’d like to brag talk about? Use the comments section below to share it.

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