Wednesday May 29 2024

Wednesday May 29

Today we woke up early as we wanted to do the Devil’s Hall hike in the Guadalupe Mountains. The hike follows a smooth path, then switches to a river wash, strewn with boulders and finishes off with the Devil’s Hall! The elevation change is about 600 feet over 4 km so the trail is not steep.

When we looked out the window at breakfast, the mist and clouds were really low and we couldn’t see more than 100 meters. We decided to wait for the clouds to burn off which ended taking most of the morning! It even rained for an hour, which was a nice change from all the heat we’d been experiencing.

Finally, around noon, the clouds broke up and we set off. The temperature was very comfortable in the low 20s. The hike was interesting, the boulder field was challenging and fun to scramble through. The final segment was a real visual treat; Devil’s Hall is a slot canyon that has been carved from the mountain. It twists and turns and was a dramatic finish to the hike. The return trip was warmer, the clouds were gone, and the afternoon heat set in, but there was some shade and we enjoyed the descent back to camp.

Back at camp we took refuge from the sun behind Free-da and enjoyed our shady spot with a view.

After dinner, we took a walk down past the visitor center on a small loop that passes an old stagecoach station where Butterfield Overland stagecoaches used to stop to deliver mail and passengers. It took 25 days to go from St. Louis to San Francisco on the stage and they ran non-stop! That would have been a grueling 25 days!

Devils Hall

Welcome to Hell

The Hall

Devil's Hall, Guadalupe Mtns TX