CARLSBAD
A
recent work assignment in San Antonio gave me the opportunity to explore some
new territory in western Texas and New Mexico.
My job was only 3 days, starting on a Tuesday, and I had the prior week
free. After clearing it with my boss, I decided
to fly out a few days early. That would
give me five full days to play before I had to start my assignment.
My
top priority was a return to Big Bend National Park. I had visited the park under similar
circumstances the previous spring, but that had been over a weekend. Big Bend is huge, and I was only able to hit
a few highlights. I wanted to return to
see some of the places I’d missed on that first trip. My first visit had included a dayhike on the
South Rim Trail in the Chisos Mountains. That hike had been dramatic, but part of the
loop was closed at the time due to Peregrine Falcon nesting season. My second visit would include that stretch of
trail. Also, for this trip I would
backpack the full loop. I was looking
forward to spending more time on the rim, and hopefully catching sunset and
sunrise.
I
easily could’ve spent all 5 days in Big Bend, but I’d never been to Guadalupe
Mountains National Park or Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Those parks are a
couple hundred miles from Big Bend, so combining all of them into a single trip
seemed reasonable. There would be a lot
of driving, but that was unavoidable anyway.
From San Antonio it takes 6-7 hours to get to each of those parks.
I
flew into San Antonio on Wednesday morning, picked up the rental (which turned
out to be a mini-van, even though I’d reserved a compact) and picked up lunch,
stove fuel, and groceries. While I was
at REI I realized that I’d forgotten my Yaktrax. I called Guadalupe Mountains National Park to
check on trail conditions. It was January, and the higher peaks are over
8,000’, so there could be some ice. The
ranger told me that some of the high elevation trails had snow drifts of 2-3 feet! I picked up another pair of Yaktrax, knowing
that I could return them to REI later if I didn’t need them.
The
drive was long but smooth as far as Fort Stockton. From there I headed northwest on highway 285. This was a mistake. This rough, 2-lane road passes through West
Texas oil country. Truck traffic was
heavy, and with a 75MPH speed limit, the drive was scary. The open flames of the oil fields set quite a
mood as I sped through the dark desert landscape.
I
reached the Pine Springs Campground in Guadalupe National Park around 8pm
Mountain Time. The campground is fairly
small, and there were only a few spots available. The wind was howling, and that was expected
to continue for the next couple of days.
I picked site 16 because it was somewhat sheltered from the wind. I set up camp, made jambalaya for dinner, and
headed to bed. With temperatures already
in the 30’s and campfires prohibited, there was no reason to stay up late.
My
original plan had been to hike up Guadalupe Peak (8,750’) on Thursday. The hike to the highest point in Texas gains
about 3,000’ over 4 ½ miles. However,
winds of 25-35mph, with gusts of 70mph, were in the forecast. That didn’t sound like fun, and the park
specifically discourages hiking to the summit on windy days. I decided to push that hike back to
Saturday. Instead, I’d visit Carlsbad
Caverns National Park on my first day in the area.
I
got up at sunrise on Thursday. It was
below freezing and I had some time constraints, so breakfast was limited to a
bagel with cream cheese and coffee. I
made the 45 minute drive to the park, arriving around 8:15. The wind was howling, and the short walk
across the parking lot to the visitor’s center was brutal. I was really glad I wasn’t on my way up
Guadalupe Peak!
I
had originally reserved the $8 ranger-led tour of the Kings Palace on Saturday. I had picked that tour because it was the
only one currently offered. There are
several other ranger-led tours, but some of them are offered only seasonally,
or on certain days of the week. I would
like to return to Carlsbad Caverns when the Lower Cave tour is being
offered. That tour is more adventurous
than the Kings Palace or the areas that are open to unguided exploration.
There
was plenty of space available on the Kings Palace tour that day, and they were
able to switch my reservation at no additional charge. The tour was scheduled to start at 10am, and
the ranger warned me that it would take an hour to hike there via the natural
entrance. That was the only option, as
the elevator to the main part of the cave was being repaired. I was fine with that. In fact, my preference was to hike there
anyway.
I
eventually found my way to the entrance and followed the paved path down a long
series of winding switchbacks. The
initial descent is 700’ in less than a mile.
I took my time along the way so that I could appreciate the various
stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and other features. My favorite part along the initial descent
was Devil’s Spring.
It features an impressive column in a pool of water that isn’t an actual
spring.
It
took me only 40 minutes to reach the meeting place, and that was at a leisurely
pace with lots of photography. There
were a few others already there. A
couple of minutes later a younger guy came running up. The rangers had tried to prevent him from
joining the tour, telling him that he’d never make it in time. He jogged it in 20 minutes and arrived 15
minutes early.
At
9:55 a ranger stopped by and asked how we were doing. He then left without saying anything. We all assumed that he would be leading our
tour, and that he would return at 10.
However, 10am came and went without any sign of him. Time passed, and by 10:20 we were all getting
restless. Numerous tourists passed by,
but no rangers. Although the temperature
in the cave is a pleasant 55 degrees, I was starting to get a bit chilled just
sitting there. By 10:30 we were
discussing our options among ourselves.
Unfortunately, our options seemed to be limited to waiting longer, or
giving up. Then a
maintenance worker passed by.
Somebody explained the situation, and he picked up an “emergency” phone
and called the visitor’s center.
Apparently the ranger that was supposed to give the tour had called in sick,
but someone had dropped the ball and failed to notify the replacement ranger
that he needed to give the tour.
The
replacement ranger showed up at 11:20.
He led us to a locked gate, which he opened. He then took us through the King’s Palace at
a faster-than-normal pace. It was a bit
rushed, but at least I was able to see that part of the caverns. It features two highly decorated rooms, the
Kings Palace and the Queens Palace, as we as the Green Lake Room. It was definitely worth doing, even with the
extra 80 minute wait!
The
tour normally takes 90 minutes, but we finished in an hour. That left enough time for a quick lunch and
the walk through the Big Room. For lunch
I headed over to the underground cafeteria, which features a snack bar, a souvenir
stand, bathrooms, and the previously mentioned elevator. It’s funny to think that all of those things
are 700’ underground!
Afterwards
I did the Big Room tour on my own. A
paved path makes a 1.5 mile loop around the chamber, which is as large as 14
football fields. It features a lot of
decoration and a number of intriguing spots.
Some of the memorable ones were the Hall of Giants, the totem pole (a
large column), the Rock of Ages, the Bottomless Pit, and the Painted
Grotto. Also of interest was a 90
year-old ladder descending into darkness.
The ladder was the original explorer’s route into the Lower Cave. The ladder is in poor condition now, and a
different approach to the Lower Cave is being used.
There
are over 31 miles of mapped passageways in Carlsbad Caverns, but new passages
are still being discovered. Carlsbad
Caverns itself is only one of 120 different cave systems contained within the park. Lechuguilla Cave,
which was discovered in the ‘80’s, is particularly beautiful, but it is not
open to the public. The cave has over
136 miles of passage, with more still being discovered. It is currently the 5th longest
cave system in the world. http://www.nps.gov/cave/learn/nature/lechuguilla_cave.htm
I
was impressed with the artificial lighting in Carlsbad Caverns. Obviously some lighting is necessary, but it
wasn’t overwhelming. Lights are
strategically placed to showcase notable features, but I never lost the
perspective of being far beneath the surface of the Earth. On the other hand, the artificial lights wrecked havoc on my attempts at photography. For most of my photos I used an extremely
high ISO to maximize my shutter speed.
The high ISO really seemed to emphasize the contrast between the lighted
areas and the surrounding shadows. Most
of those photos were garbage. I had
better luck with the photos where I used my flash, though most of those pictures
were still only marginal.
I
started back out around 2:30. The
rangers start to close the cave around this time, to prevent anyone from being
left behind after hours. I actually
caught up with the sweep ranger on the way back up to the natural entrance, so
I guess I was nearly left behind myself.
A lot of the tourists were moving very slowly on their way out, so I was
able to take my time on the return. For
a Thursday in January, I was surprised at how many people were visiting the
caverns. I can’t imagine what it is like
during prime tourist season.
My
visit to Carlsbad Caverns was enjoyable, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to
experience one of the world’s most famous caves. Although there are quite a few concessions
made to tourism (elevators, underground cafeterias, paved walkways, artificial
lights, etc.), they aren’t overwhelming.
However, I still have a strong preference for exploring wild caves.
I
spent a bit of time in the visitor’s center before driving back. I made a brief stop in White’s City, New
Mexico, which features a motel, a restaurant, a gas station, a post office, and
a gift shop. On the drive back to the
campground I pulled off to take in a breathtaking sunset over the Guadalupe
Mountains. Although high winds were
expected again on Friday, I was still hopeful that I’d be able to do the hike
up Mount Hunter that I’d planned.
That
evening, while getting dinner together, I noticed a suspicious hole in a single
packet of oatmeal. There was also a hole
in the bottom of my bag of tortilla chips, and I kept finding random almonds
stashed in odd places throughout the minivan.
I’d seen lots of mice around the campsite, and I was beginning to
suspect that one of them had snuck into the minivan.
I
didn’t sleep well that night, mostly due to the wind. It was like trying to sleep between two train
tracks. There were brief periods of calm
that were frequently interrupted by the howling wind ripping at my tent. I also woke once to the sound of footsteps
outside my tent. The park has both bears
and mountain lions, but I have no idea what this critter was. I suspect it may have been Javelina. I had
actually seen two of them on the drive in the previous evening.
Back to New Mexico
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