It was finally time to fulfil our Guadalupe cravings; we got lucky on our second attempt and managed to nab a campsite, early enough to fit in a hike before settling down for the night.

We clambered down the Devil’s Hall trail, having to scramble over rocks hewn by a long gone river.

We were rewarded for our efforts by an Indiana Jones-esque sight at the end: the Devil’s Hall itself.

The Devil’s Hall

On the hike

The “Hikers’ Staircase”

Our longest hike yet was the next day, to the “top of Texas”, Guadalupe Peak (the highest mountain in Texas at 8,751 feet). High winds warnings weren’t enough to deter us – we ventured on, although there were a few hairy moments when we had to cling on to rocks next to the path so we didn’t get blown over! I’ve definitely gone on windier walks in Cornwall, in any case… we persevered and were met with stunning views from the peak.

A vista from the top

We did it!

Back down at the campsite, we settled in for the evening in the company of Charles, a native Texan, and Becky and Tom, a couple from Salt Lake City, who whipped up their signature cocktail for us, the “Flat Ditch”, which came to be known as the “Flat Bitch” as the evening went on.

Night fell, and Aleks stood out in the darkness with Tom and Charles getting an astronomy lesson. After harassing one of our neighbours to turn out their lights a tapestry of stars were visible to the naked eye. Arcturus, Betelgeuse, as well as Pleiades were duly pointed out with the aid of Charles’s binoculars. It was a awe-inspiring ending to a brilliant day and vindication of our decision to take this trip – hiking all day; meeting good, genuine people; and sharing stories; we’d never have gotten to experience this without taking this journey.