good fortune on guadalupe peak
the morning had been hot and utterly clear, but now it was anything but. as i hiked up towards guadalupe peak, i became shrouded in clouds and freezing gusts of wind. perhaps a mile from the summit, i passed some incredibly miserable-looking people coming back down, and they told me that they couldn't see jack shit. no surprise there. there was another person sitting there, in shorts, looking rather sad and wondering if he should bother continuing on. i considered for a moment whether or not i should bother continuing on, and decided of course, why the hell not? i didn't have anything else planned for today, and i might as well climb the mountain that i intended to.
well, i made it to the top, and couldn't see jack shit. no surprise there. it was super cold and windy and i was the only person there. i signed the summit log and sat down to eat some cuties and beef jerky.
just as it got too cold for me and i decided to start heading back down, a miracle occurred. in about one minute, all of the clouds cleared up, revealing a magnificent panoramic view. wow, how beautiful it was! i whooped with joy. in one direction, the desert stretched as far as the eye could see; in the other, the guadalupe mountains dotted the horizon into the distance. i couldn't believe my luck.
the guy in shorts i had previously passed made it up and we chatted about our good fortune. i took some photos of him, and vice versa, and then he quickly turned around and went back down because, well, it was still really fucking cold and windy.
i hung around for a bit more, soaking it all in, and then went back down. i ended up doing the entire hike in less than four hours, when the estimated time was six to eight, and i'd spent around half an hour up on top too, so i set out on another hike.