Thanks for all of you comments! Here is the last day. Not as exciting as Day 2, but a good read. Of course, I am biased. Link to photos is at the bottom of the post. It was an awesome trip and I would do it again in a second. We didn't make it to the peak or do any other hikes, but that was up to Mother Nature!
SUNDAY, DAY 3
I woke up after being in my sleeping bag for over 11 hours still tired. The wind was still howling and whipping the tent. It was 31 degrees. I put my down jacket and ski pants on and tried to put my boots on. They were frozen solid. They had gotten a good coating of snow and water the day before and were very difficult to get on now that the water had frozen. Matt was still sleeping.
Once outside I saw what we had been waiting for: clear skies! I watched the tent flatten under some fresh gusts of wind and wondered how Matt was still sleeping. I took a picture of it flattened during one gust of wind. Priceless!
Next I started looking for a good place to get some photos of the Guadalupes before the sun crested the horizon. Tromping through the snow, gusts of wind kept threatening to push me over. I snapped a few more photos trying to figure out how to brace myself against the wind so the picture wouldn’t be blurry. After trying to find a spot where the park buildings and campsites were not in my way, I found an ok spot and took a few more pictures. The sun crested and the Guadalupes looked gorgeous. Perfect light for photos!
I wandered up the road to the registration booth. I was parched after going all night with no water. I didn’t have the car keys so I couldn’t get my water. I tried the water faucet next to the registration booth but it was frozen. I tried the faucet at the outdoor sink. Finally I headed to the restrooms. The nutcase in the car was still sitting there but he had unplugged his extension cord. The water in the bathroom sink worked so I took a sip out of that and took off my balaclava. My hair looked like a rats nest. I should have taken a picture but I didn’t. It’s hard to get hair as short as mine messed up. I just had it cut with a number 6 (about finger width) last week but wearing a skully and balaclava all weekend made it look like I had a skin disease and was losing my hair.
Back outside I wandered around the parking lot taking some more photos. I had to lean forward so as not to be blown over by the wind. The photographer in the truck was awake and he was slowly driving over the iced over road. He had chains on his rear tires so he was set and on his way home or to get some more photos.
I took the trail to the visitor center. I had some trail mix in my pocket so I ate that and got a tea from the soda machine. The visitor center wasn’t open yet but the signs were still up from yesterday indicating that they were closed due to the weather. Icicle still hung from the roof. I saw the cross-country ski tracks we had seen yesterday. They headed up the Pinery Trail.
Back at camp Matt was awake and gone. His sleeping bag was gone as well so I guessed he as at the car packing up. I packed my stuff up and he came back with his Mountain House Oven and meal. I told him I didn’t feel like messing with the oven. He plopped in the tent to heat his meal and make his coffee. I lay on the snow and watched the sun rise and the light play over the mountains.
After Matt ate we packed up the tent. He claims he has to fold the tent to get it in the bag. I think he just like to fold his tent. (and I thought I was anal) We managed to get it folded up between gusts of wind that threatened to turn the tent into a parachute and carry both of us across the valley. I grabbed the tent footprint and started stuffing it in the stuff sack. “NO, that has to be folded also!” “Are you kidding me?” “No, it won’t go in the bag any other way.” “Dude, you have to get some new equipment. I have four tents and I stuff every one of them whether they like it or not!”
The tent had miraculously made it through the night still staked to the ground. It only had one minor rip in the seam next to a pole. Matt said he would have to find a tent repair kit. I recommended duct tape.
We walked back up the hill to the car. The crazy guy in the car had pulled out of his parking spot and was aimed down the hill to the road out of the park. He was just sitting there, waiting for the ice to melt I suppose. The wind caught Matt once and he slid all the way across the road. The guy in the car thought this was hilarious. I was glad I had my ice cleats.
We went about re-packing all of our stuff for the flight home and wondering how we would make it out of the park. We sat in the car and talked about our plan of attack. I was ready to get going. Matt thought we should wait for more ice to melt. He decided to go make more coffee and try to get rid of his stench in the bathroom. I opted to stay with my stench and play with my gps.
About then the park truck with the snow plow on it came by. The snow plow was barely scraping the ice, really doing nothing to help the situation. The ice was an inch thick with only a very few melted spots in sight. The snow plow stopped and the driver walked/slid to my window. He asked if we were stuck and needed help. I told him we were just getting packed deciding when we should leave. He said they had more machinery on the way from El Paso to help break up the ice because his plow wasn’t doing any good and they had no more equipment. I asked about the highway and he said it was in top shape after the crews cleared it yesterday.
He told me if I needed him to pull me or just follow me out he could. I looked toward the bathroom. Matt was still in there. I told him we would find him if we needed help. He left. I continued to wait. I reviewed my photos. I waited. I looked toward the bathroom. No Matt.
The park ranger that had visited with us yesterday came by. He got out of his truck and tried to walk to our car but couldn’t. The ice was too slick. He clung to his truck hood and tried not to fall. I opened my door and stood up. “No, don’t…” he started. Then he looked at my boots. “Oh, you have those!” Did I mention I love my snow cleats?
I walked over to him without missing a beat and he asked if we were stuck. “No, just sitting here”. “Did someone come talk to you?” “Yes.” He looked confused. I replayed the conversation with the snow plow guy. Apparently the snow plow guy had told the park ranger we were stuck and needed help. We cleared that up and he offered to follow me out of the park. I looked toward the bathroom. No Matt. He offered to at least follow me around the bathroom to see if I could make it that far. I agreed that that was a great idea.
I put the car in drive and slowly inched forward. I crept along with no problems all the way to the bathrooms. The park ranger gave me a thumbs up, I returned it, and he was gone. I went in the bathroom. Matt was giving himself a bath with wet-ones and drinking coffee. Sometimes I wish I liked coffee and cared about cleanliness on camping trips but I just wasn’t motivated to clean anything. Matt put on his plane clothes. I decided to leave my winter clothes on until we got out of the park.
Once he was finished we hopped in the car and agreed to get going. We crept past the guy in the car listening to his radio. We crept down the park road, made it over the speed bump, and around the curves with no problems. Just as we approached the part of the road that had been de-iced I pushed the brakes just for fun. We continued going as if I hadn’t even pushed the brakes. Boy were we lucky.
We hit the highway and gunned it. The highway was in top shape. We stopped at a rest stop for some photos and to check out the trash can that had an inch of ice slowly sliding off of it. We stopped a few more times when we thought there was a good photo opp of El Capitan. We were going good and had plenty of time.
We stopped at an area where the salt flats gave us a good view of the mountains. I changed into my plane clothes and we were off again. I saw a sign for the sand dunes at GUMO and took it just to see where it went. I had talked to a ranger a few week earlier and he said we couldn’t get down the clay road if there was any moisture on the ground. I hoped to at least see the road he mentioned. We were on a farm road with awesome views. We passed the clay road and it was messy. I made a waypoint on my gps and after consulting a map decided just to go to Dell City and loop back around on another farm road since we had time.
Dell City was a town of 481 people. The most exciting looking place in town was The Sheep Herder’s Bar. I was surprised to see they even had a bar. The town was deserted except for two churches. The Catholic Church had on car in it. The Baptist Church was packed. I guess the Catholics were still sleeping off Friday night at The Sheep Herder’s Bar.
Back on the highway to El Paso we dropped into a valley. The snow and ice disappeared. We ascended a plateau and it was all back. There was ice and snow on everything as far as we could see. Apparently anything over 5,000 feet in elevation was frozen. We dropped into another valley and the ice and snow disappeared again.
Back at the airport we returned the car and I changed shirts to make some effort not to smell so bad. We had time for lunch so we ate at a Mexican Restaurant. We had a margarita and I ate the fajita platter that the waitress kept pushing. I was very hungry. The fajita platter came with three tortillas, a giant mound of grilled bell peppers and just enough steak for two fajitas. What a rip off. At least the margarita was good. The waitress came by and asked if I was finished. “Do you see any meat on the plate?” I asked. “You’re not going to eat your greens?” she replied. “Well no, I ordered fajitas, I’m done.” I hate overpriced food, especially when the waitress pushes it.
We went through security without a hitch. Some lady was being held up because she had a bottle of water. Ridiculous. Our flight home was on time and we got back to Houston at 4:30pm. We took the shuttle to get my car and I drove Matt home. As we left the parking lot I realized my cell phone was missing. I had put it on my waist but it was gone. Matt searched the car while I drove. THIS would be a crappy way to end the trip if I lost my phone. I dropped Matt off and went back to the airport to get Mary Jo and Bryson when their flight came in. I stopped by the parking lot and they had my phone at the counter. I had left it in the shuttle bus. Yes!
As Mary Jo and Bryson, our 1 year old, got off the plane I walked up and gave them a kiss. Bryson looked at me for a second, then leaned into my arms and gave me a hug. He didn’t let go for 10 minutes. He just buried his head in my neck and patted my shoulder. THAT is the way to end a trip.
PHOTOS
