Aaron is quite the hiking task-master. Spending seven slothful weeks at sea level has not been a recipe for great fitness. At Carlsbad we spent a couple of days hiking through the caverns, a nice introduction to exercise at higher elevations. When we reached the Guadalupe Mountains, we went for a four-mile hike into a cool slot canyon, but Aaron really had his heart set on Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, an eight and a half mile hike with 3,000 feet of elevation gain.The following day we had camping reservations starting at Hueco Tanks near El Paso so I was sure we wouldn't have time to hike before we left. But it turns out that Aaron has a way of being persuasive and I have a really hard time saying no. So in the morning, we made a plan where Aaron and I would hike for two hours and then turn around whether we were at the top of the peak or not, while the more sane members of the family stayed behind to catch up on work and reading. I was positive there was no way that we would make it the top under the time limit and I was already trying to figure out how to console him when the time came. Aaron hopped and bounced and skipped and chattered and ran up the trail in his well-worn flip-flops, while I chugged along on my tired legs trying to keep up. Blazing past amazed hiker after hiker, incredibly we made it to the top of the mountain in 1 hour 45 minutes, where Aaron exclaimed that it was the best view he had ever seen. After tearing him away from his picture taking, we headed down at a slightly more sane speed, with my super-hiker eventually admitting his legs were tired towards the end of the hike. We are going to feel this one in the morning, but it was worth it.
Click here for photos.
We are not in Fla anymore Toto
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