|
2006.05.06 - After camping out on the flanks of
Hunter Peak and watching the sunrise from its summit, my attention had turned to the next
objective for the day. The sun was fully up when I set out north on the trail toward Mt.
Pratt. I was quite surprised at how cool it was hiking in sunny West Texas, however, it
would warm up a lot as the day progressed.
I saw a few more deer just off of the Bowl Trail that ran away as soon as
they noticed me. For the most part, the trail descended from its intersection with the Bear
Canyon Trail on Frijole Ridge, toward a dry creek-bed at 7,740', and though it made for a
great start to the day, I realized that I would be climbing back up this during the heat of
the day.
The hike down to the creek was very gentle and easy, and very soon I came
to the sharp bend in the Bowl Trail that would mark my jumping off point for the cross-county
hike to Mt. Pratt. Crossing over a few fallen logs, I made my way through a marshy area into
the heart of the Bowl. The ground was sandy. I could tell that a stream frequently ran
through the area, however, the dry weather of West Texas had left this as a mere wash. The
cool of the morning was quickly disappearing. In its place, a strong wind began to pick up in
the shallow upper valley.
I continued hiking south, surprising a deer near a dry pond that lay
beneath Pratt Ridge. After stopping for a few photos, I crossed a line of trees that
separated me from a tall-grass meadow just below the slope leading up to the ridge. I scanned
around my feet to make sure that I didn't surprise any snakes, and luckily, there wouldn't be
any run-ins that day. I quickly found my self leaving the flat portions of the route as I
progressed toward gaining the key ridge.
Although it looked like a relatively short slope to get up on Pratt Ridge,
the undergrowth was quite thick, prohibiting easy access. To solve this portion of the route,
I circuitously switch-backed up limestone slabs, through waist-high grass and around most of
the dense brush. As I was making my way up to the top of the slope, I carelessly stepped on
the top spine of a lechugilla, which went straight through my boot and into my foot. My leg
quickly jerked back up in reflex keeping me from really getting hurt. It would be a bit sore
for the remainder of the day, but I could still move without problem. I definitely paid much
more attention to where I was stepping after that!
I took the final few steps up the slope into a gale that hit me full on as
I gained the ridge. My surroundings were amazingly beautiful! Guadalupe Peak loomed large
over the Bowl to the southwest while Hunter Peak and Bush Mountain stood sentry to the south
and west, respectively. Upon gaining this lofty and weather-worn ridge, I was in the heart of
the Texas high-country!
This place was truly a wilderness; not only had I been the only human in
the vicinity that day, it was evident that hardly any people ever ventured out this far from
the trails. I now turned due north and started hiking along Pratt Ridge.
There was still a fair bit of brush, but I was able to move mostly
unencumbered amid the rocky, gentle ribs. After a few minutes of walking, I found myself on
top of the ridgeline's first peak, which I quickly had to descend. I then made my way back up
to the next, slightly higher, bump with much denser vegetation. The true summit of Mt. Pratt
was now visible to the northeast, and it looked like a simple traverse over.
Rather than continuing along the ridge, I opted to descend through a stand
of Ponderosa to an angled traverse across two drainages. This led to the base of a rocky
slope on Mt. Pratt proper. Since the east side of the ridge was sheltered from the wind and
the day's heat had really begun to build, I somewhat underestimated this route variation.
Progress on this stretch was slow, but steady. Sweating through the traverse, I eventually
plodded my way up to the rounded summit area of Mt. Pratt!
I had to roam around the plateau for awhile to find both the cairn and the
actual summit. The numerous charred logs pointed to a fire having taken place within the
previous few years, but while I was there, there was nothing to worry about. I dropped my
pack by the cairn for the normal summit photos, but more importantly to have some lunch and
water; in my haste to make the summit, I hadn't stopped to rest or refuel.
Cheeze-Its and Gatorade never tasted so good!
I hung out on the summit for about 30 minutes, until the blustery wind had
sand-blasted my facial features down to nothing. Deciding that it was time to get back to my
car, I started my descent in the hot and (thankfully) windy West Texas weather.
Rather than following my route variation from before, I elected to take
the ridge proper on my way back down. The going was much faster! I made rapid progress back
to Pratt Ridge for a nice view of both Bush Mountain and Lost Peak, and was obliged to stop
and snap a few shots. The bag of Cheeze-Its was now in my pocket, so I could pause every few
minutes for a handful of energy.
There isn't much to report on the descent back into The Bowl, however,
once I reached this waypoint, the wind that served as my companion along the ridgeline could
scarcely utter the slightest breeze. The Sun was now beating down upon my brow with its
full force. Finding the old and decrepit fire cabin, I slumped down against a tree in this
shady area for a rest.
Just then something odd happened... I fell asleep! Apparently, the
previous night's rest was nowhere near enough, and my body decided that this shady spot of
repose was a good place to try and catch up. For about 45 minutes I sawed the proverbial
logs before awaking with a very dry mouth. In a daze from my nap, I fumbled around my
pillow, er, pack for a bottle of water, which I promptly devoured. Did I ever mention that
it's really dry in West Texas>
The remainder of the hike back up to and then down the Bear Canyon Trail
was just like you would expect: sunny & hot... and hot. I made the conscious effort to keep
hydrated and finished my next to last water bottle just before arriving back at the
black-top at Pine Springs.
For the day-and-a-half of hiking, I had carried 2.5 gl of fluids. Even
though I exceeded the recommended amount of 1 gallon per person per day, it had barely
been enough. This enjoyable and successful climb of one of the more remote peaks in
Guadalupe Mountains National Park served as a reminder... Always bring more water than you
think that you'll need; the dry West Texas air will sap as much moisture out of you as it
can!
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)