My Solo Hike to Devil’s Hall
I couldn’t blame Katie for wanting to relax for the rest of the day after reaching Texas’s highest elevation at 8,751 feet—we had been up since 4 am, hiked the highest we’d ever hiked, and couldn’t eat enough to stay full. It was only 2 pm and I didn’t want to miss out on the trailhead that led to Devil’s Hall. I heard such great things about the view and how easy the hike was. I was sure it would be an easy hike, but after that morning’s trip up Guadalupe Peak, I had to take my time and a few breaks on the 4.2 mile out-and-back trail. As Katie put it, she wasn’t a “complete psychopath” like me and agreed to call for the park rangers if I didn’t make it back to camp by nightfall. Even if I had a slight chance at getting cell service, it wouldn’t matter; my phone was completely dead.
This was the only time I’d be hiking alone on this trip and it was worth it. For a great distance, I was the only hiker on the trail toward Devil’s Hall, making for a very quiet adventure. The strong winds provided relief from the sun as the clouds strolled above me and brought down a breeze that dried the sweat dripping down my entire body. It was a relief to see so many clouds for there were only about two spotted during our trip at Big Bend National Park. This surprise allowed me to play with shadows as I took some photographs of the desert botanicals and landscapes of the Guadalupe Mountains. It’s incredible looking back at the images and reminiscing on how magical it felt to walk between these ridges. I was thankful to have mounted my Canon ultra-wide 10-22mm lens to my Canon 90D; my perspective with this focal length was perfect for capturing Texas wildflowers with grandeur landscapes as the backdrop.
Just before reaching my destination, I was presented with an unexpected obstacle. My path became more narrow as walls made of limestone formed around me, and a rather large pool of water covered with flies and mosquitos forced me to scale the thin strata along the canyon. I’m not sure how long the stagnant pool was present, but I was left either walking alongside the mosquito-infested water or becoming a rock climber for about five minutes to go up and around the pool. Thankfully, I was able to complete my mission without a single bite. It didn’t dawn on me until after my mini-adventure within my grand adventure that this passage is known as Hiker’s Staircase—makes sense.
As contemplated what to do next, I had hoped this image wouldn’t be the last of my trip. There are three layers to this image: between the first and second is where the pool of mosquitos resides. I scaled the wall behind the first layer, which looked much like the wall to the right of the image… in my duct-taped Columbia boots. I live to tell the story!
Arriving at Devil’s Hall allowed me to soak in the hype; it’s even better than all the images I found on Pinterest! I came across a pair of sisters taking a break of their own and ended up capturing them at the end of the hall. As much as I love these images, they still can’t do the justice Devil’s Hall deserves.
Below are some photos of me for a different perspective. Check out that sweat!
My fellow explorers were kind enough to let me join them on their hike back to basecamp where I learned that it was not bears or wildcats we’d need to be leery of, but the skunks that can use their tiny fingers to open your tent for some midnight snacks. Returning to camp, with huge blisters on both feet, I informed Katie we’d need to pack up all the food in the car… not realizing I had forgotten about my sunflower seeds.
TWICE in the night, a skunk committed the B&E that got him/ her exactly what they were looking for! After the first time, we made certain all food and water were removed and we barricaded ourselves in with every bag we brought, but naturally, the skunk had to make sure nothing was left behind. Never in my life have I awakened with such fear and laughter at the same time. We were terrified we’d scare the poor critter and encourage it to spray us inside our tent. I definitely would have screamed, alarming the entire base camp. Thankfully, we managed to remove it from our tent both times and ended the fiasco by clamping the zippers together with zip ties. There was no way I was thinking where’s my camera? but it does make for a hilarious ending to our adventure at Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
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