Ten Class of '70 Ags are planning to hike Guadalupe in October. All are in good physical shape age considered.
Any suggestions as far as preparation, where to stay, mistakes made, etc would be appreciated.

It's amazing. Did it last November. Weather was awesome. Close to freezing at night but in the 50's during the day. Camped at Pine Springs. Was a short walk from there to the Pine Springs trailhead.

I was the youngest guy of the 12 in our party at 42. There were some in their 60's. Everyone did fine. I would definitely train for it unless you are in exceptional shape. Train going up and down some elevation if possible. Nearing the base on the way back down gets kind of grueling. Just tons of "stairs" near bottom, at least on Pine Springs. I'm in pretty great shape but I was hiring the next day. Getting out of the truck for pit stops every few hours on the way home my legs would remind me what we did every time.

Take the time to hike McKittrick Canyon!

Thanks appreciate the feedback.

Start hydrating at least 72 hours prior to trip. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.

Change socks and wear stable shoes/boots that are not brand new.

Consider leaving around two in the morning that way you see the sunrise and are off the mountain before any afternoon storms can roll in.

Bring a pen to sign the book.

I did it chubby with a an arthritic right knee and a recently healed right knee injury at 50 years old.

Trim your toe nails so they don't beat themselves on your shoes on the way down.

Trekking poles are your friends especially on the way down

The switchbacks on the first ~mile up are brutal. It gets better after that

Hydrate the day/night before

Carry plenty of water and snacks

If you don't want to tent camp at like springs, stay in a hotel in Carlsbad / White City or in Van Horn

Be prepared for different types of weather. When I went up the weather was beautiful at the trail head but 2/3 way up it was socked in with about 20' visibility and rain. Views from the top were horrible, just clouds. Weather back at bottom when I got down was perfect

Stringfellow Hawke said:

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Start hydrating at least 72 hours prior to trip. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.

Change socks and wear stable shoes/boots that are not brand new.

Consider leaving around two in the morning that way you see the sunrise and are off the mountain before any afternoon storms can roll in.

Bring a pen to sign the book.

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Unless they put it back, there is no book now. They took the ammo can & book away because people kept leaving trash in it.

Yeah there wasn't a book last November.

Take the time to hike McKittrick Canyon!

FSGuide said:

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Trim your toe nails so they don't beat themselves on your shoes on the way down.

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I can vouch. I lost a toenail due to GP a few years ago

We took a bunch of sixth graders 4-5 years ago, which would have put me at around 50. Mid or late June.

I took my Crocs in my backpack and once at the top, put them on and wore them for the descent. Glad I did, much lighter and comfortable than the "hiking" boots I was wearing.

Not sure how your October dates might coincide with optimum fall leaves in McKittrick Canyon, but the park gets very crowded with leaf viewers. And at a certain point, the park restricts admission due to large crowds. Just keep tabs on that.

If you can, camp in the park the night before to give yourself at least one evening to acclimate to the 5700-foot altitude. My last time, I spent the night in Van Horn, got up early, got to the park and hit the trail. The altitude affected me and it took a trailside nap to get me good again. Point: don't overlook or underestimate the altitude.

If you go a day or so early, Devil's Hall is a nice warm-up hike. And well worth seeing.

Take plenty of water/hydration. No sources on the trail itself.

Plus 1 for trekking poles. Your knees will thank you.

Once past the switchbacks, it is a pretty fun trail that cuts through a lot of nice forest. Being at the top of Texas is every bit worth the effort.

college of AG said:

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FSGuide said:

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Trim your toe nails so they don't beat themselves on your shoes on the way down.

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I can vouch. I lost a toenail due to GP a few years ago

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Same thing happened to me 30 years ago.

That sucks. Some people suck.

Yeah they do. That's surprising, though. You'd think the effort required to get to GMNP and then hike to the top would naturally filter out that level of idiot.

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I took my Crocs in my backpack and once at the top, put them on and wore them for the descent.

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I hope you at least had the sense to put them in sport mode!!

There are a few "false summits" on the way up, where you think you're almost there, and you aren't. It's a pretty easy day hike. People apparently like to watch sunrise or sunset up there because every time I have gone, you see people with headlamps headed up in the early morning dark or coming down in the dark of night. It can be quite windy at the top.

It's a simple hike but deceptively long. Make sure you have water left for the hike back.

bobeag ... did this in January of 23. Three most important points I'd say are watch the weather, take your time and start early. Anyone that says it's an easy day hike (MouthBQ) must have some Tenzing Nepalese ancestry or the BMI of a 19 year old. The hike is noted as strenuous by most all official accounts and that's for reals. You start at 5,900 ft and summit at 8,753 ~ 4 miles later. Put the treadmill on 10% incline and go 4 miles... now, put on negative 10% and go 4 miles back down. Oh, adjust that work load for starting at altitude... that's what you are looking at. Unless you are really good shape the legs are gonna be quite stiff the next day.

Watch the weather for wind and potential thunder storms. Went up on a relatively mild wind day and there was a time when the hat had to come off and felt like I needed to be in all wheel drive mode to stay on the mountain. Fortunately this was just a windy valley and we did not experience that on the exposed side. There are some exposed parts of the trail that made me pucker a bit without much wind. Carlsbad, Salt Flat and the Park itself were weather locations I tracked.

Start early to avoid afternoon thunderstorms and heat. A hiker died in early January and I see someone died in May. I was extra cautious about the wind situation and was prepared to bail if the wind forecast was bad.

Not taking enough water I understand can be a problem in hot weather so watch that. I took a 3 liter camel back and only used about half of it. Had a small gatorade at the summit. Took some gummy bear like snacks for refueling along the way and few other things.

As mentioned, trekking poles are highly recommended. Layer up and be prepared for different weather. Cold when we started. Heated up quickly as we started (first 1,000 feet is pretty steep). Took layers off and put them back on as we got higher.

Take a map or a print out of the trail. It's well marked but there are a few places where you could get confused.

We drove out overnighted in Carlsbad and drove to the park that next morning. Can't recall the name but it was a new Hyatt or Marriot property as I recall.

A park pass is required. You can buy online and put in your car.

Pretty awesome views and something you will look back on fondly!

Bobeag: Class of '70 here wishing you all the best, I WILL NOT be hiking Guadalupe in October, or any other month for that matter. BEST of LUCK and stay safe, WE ARE OLD!

One of the guys in our group was a SEAL and now is a fed in El Paso so he knew mountain really well and also just knew a lot of relevant info. He gave us all good advice to "start out cold". In other words be underdressed as you started out and then layer up if needed. I think that would be good advice if you start out on an early October morning.

Thanks everyone for your advice, suggestions,etc!! I'll return the favor and let you know how it went. Gig'em!!

https://texashighways.com/culture/history/how-three-men-in-wheelchairs-summited-guadalupe-peak-in-the-early-1980s/

Stumbled upon this … pretty good and humbling story.

Some awesome pics too.

This seems like a Matthew McConnehey (can't spell) movie waiting to be made.

When you say start early what time did you start? Besides early hydration how much water should I take I am a average size person? Thanks.

We probably hit the trail at 7:00am

We started shortly after sunrise. Left Carlsbad in the dark. There is a time change zone along the state line I think that's kinda funky so be aware with planning. I think 2 liters of water would fine… one up one down.