The day started sunny but cool. We had decided to do a hike in Guadalupe Mountains NP. After driving down to the vistor center, we found the parking lot almost full and overflowing with spring breakers. We were lucky to find a parking spot. After taking care of the entrance fee and collecting the park pass stamp we decided to get away from the crowds. So we drove to the McKittrick Canyon trail head and found the parking lot pretty empty. A good sign! Last time we had hiked McKittrick Canyon was in 2011, the day after we had gotten engaged at the top of Guadalupe Peak. We hiked into Pratt Lodge and found the cabin was open. Last time we had been there, it had been closed. They no longer have volunteers stay over night in the cabin due to power and plumbing problems. But we talked with the ranger that was there before pressing on up the trail. We made it to the grotto before stopping for a late lunch. There was another couple there, from Michigan, and we exchanged stories from our national park journeys. As we were talking, the clouds moved in and the tempurature dropped. We realized we only had two hours to get out before they locked the auto gate, so we picked up the pace on the way out. We covered the 6.8 miles round trip in only five hours. The canyon felt so familiar, like an old friend. Being winter (they were expecting snow the next day), the canyon was stark since the trees were bare which really allowed us to see the magnificant canyon walls. I am sure we will be back again sometime.
The time zones were messing with our heads. When we left Alpine we had sprung ahead an hour (due to daylight savings time) only to lose that new hour when we crossed into New Mexico. Driving down from Carlsbad to Guadalupe Mountains NP, we had sprung ahead again only to lose it driving back. Medicating!
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| Entrance Sign |
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| The Grotto |
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| Leslie crossing the stream |
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