I have dedicated today’s climb in honor and memory of my good friend Johnny P. Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas and is one John did in 2016 or 17 as I recall. He was on a business trip in the southwest and like always, managed to squeeze in a couple of climbs, one of them being this one. I remember visiting with John about this climb and seeing his summit shot. He climbed it in a fog bank and he couldn’t see more than 100 feet or so on that day. Today, I climb it on a crystal clear day and photographed the views that he missed and would have loved.
My plan was to kill two birds with one rock….. climb a peak and shoot some sunrise photograph.
I started the climb at about 6am when I could just barely make my way without a headlamp. Oh boy was I treated to a sunrise.
The sky was seemingly on fire!
Do not adjust your screen, it really looked like this!
I decided that there needed to be a few trees in my sunrise images so hear ya go.
And, do you remember the wash from yesterday?
I’m starting to get pretty high up the mountain and needed to look for a place to take a break and watch the actual sunrise.
Right place, right time! Perfect tree, bush, and cliff on this switchback….. right at sunrise!
Same spot, different frame.
Much of the first hour of the climb was disrupted with photography so I was time to get motoring.
This climb actual reminds me a lot of a climb I did this summer. Check it out here.
Truth be told, this was a pretty mellow climb of an 8000’ peak.
In the distance, summit! It is a lot further than it looked here.
Hunter Peak in the morning light. Next time I think that will be on the docket.
Helpful bridges over the most exposed sections.
This climb also reminds me a bit of Mount Whitney in California as well. Check that out here , here and here.
Great view of El Capitan. It doesn’t look quite as hairy from this angle. The other side is a straight drop.
Summit!
Here ya go John!
One last image from the decent. A pokey plant.
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