Last week a local newscast aired an interview on location they did with M in Devil's Hall and since then the place has had more El Pasoan foot traffic than ever before! So I guess mass media really does still work.
I have done this hike many years ago but I barely remember it and half of hiking is the company you keep, so this trip would be fun.
The forecast was a bit dismal for my south Texan bones... windy (50mph) and cold (high of 50). I dressed as warmly as I could, brought extra stuff for the kids in case they're as wimpy as I am, and still froze my ass off. Even with the hiking, I was cold. (blood flows to muscle, leaving fatty tissue to stay cold.... read: my ass, my thighs)
We started hiking after lunch so that the weather was a bit warmer. However, we were hiking in a canyon so we also had no sun.... brrrr! Thank you weather gods for the absence of wind. The Guads are known for their incredible wind storms.
The hike started off sunny... |
However, we were headed into a canyon and would soon lose our light and solar-warmth |
We did see lots of great fall color. This isn't New England fall color but when one or two trees are brilliant red and surrounded by white rock, it really stands out. Most of the time I couldn't photograph the color due to the shadowy canyon light.
Bright red big-toothed maples were everywhere |
Texas Madrone berries added great color, but taste awful! |
White is a color.... There were several yuccas blooming along the trail. They bring in the bats and moths. Yay! |
There were other kinds of color too - brilliant purple colored all the rocks from Ringtail urine - probably purple from eating berries |
After a bit of trail hiking, in which the boys took turns looking for cougars with binoculars and spilling water on their shirts, we headed into a rocky wash to hike for a mile to Devil's Hall. This is what we like to call "kid nirvana"....
Jumbly awesome rocks to climb on! |
And climb them, they did! |
At one point, in the narrow rock-strewn canyon, I heard rustling in the bushes high overhead. I shushed the boys (have you ever tried to shush 10 year olds? its not an easy task) so we wouldn't scare off whatever animal was up there. Turned out to be a deer family of 4 eating an afternoon meal. They stared at us; we stared at them. Once the boys had a good look at the deer in their natural habitat, we were off for more rock climbing.
Towards the end of the hike, the trail goes up what's known as Devil's Stairs. These are fun but the odd way they tilt create a dizzying optical illusion.
One runs to the Devil's Stairs while the other surveys the path |
Posing for photos for dad |
Also gave us time to pose for our own pictures |
M enjoying geology and fall colors at the mouth of Devil's Hall |
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