Palo Duro Canyon – Part 4

We finally made it to the Lighthouse! Other than the prickly pear incident (see part 3) we were in rather good shape. We still had plenty of water left for the hike back, and still had energy enough to explore around the Lighthouse itself.

Once the young girls finished their photo shoot up on the rock, we approached the formation. You can see in the photo below that there is a bit of a climb to get up to it, and then about a three foot “step” that we had to climb up to get onto the formation. We contemplated for about 30 seconds whether it was worth it before deciding that we had hiked nearly 3 miles to get here, we’re doing this! And with that, the Lighthouse was mounted!

Lighthouse within reach

Once on the formation, we found a shady area where we could set down our backpacks and look around. While there were still no clouds in the sky, the scenery in all directions was outstanding! And the size of the hoodoos was massive. It is one thing to see them from a distance and yet an entirely different context to see them up close and personal.

On the formation

A couple of young men were there at the same time and said there was a way to climb all the way to the top of one of them. We passed on that adventure but wished them well. When they came back, with one of them claiming to have made it at least part way up, they told us of a formation around the back side that looked like a pulpit. We made our way around and sure enough, it looked like it could pass for a pulpit with room for a congregation.

A lectern?

And even in the most rocky and apparent dead environments, Karen will still find a flower, or at least a colorful weed to shoot. And as you can tell from the shadow, the sun was approaching straight up in the sky at this point.

Karen eyes color

Standing on the Lighthouse, we had an unrestricted view of a good portion of the canyon. We could see for miles. In the photo below you can see just how unusually green the floor of the canyon was during our visit. This was certainly something we had not expected, thinking of this area as being more of an arid or desert area. Maybe we’ll have to come here again someday to see what this place looks like in a normal year. (Or I guess I could just google it. There are way too many other places we want to see first.)

View from the top

After spending some time on the Lighthouse and taking in the scenery, as well as making several photographs, we climbed down. Near the base we found this rock formation and we were left to wonder how many millions of years it might have taken for the rocks to arrange themselves in this manner, and just how lucky we were to be here at that moment in time to witness the event! (sarcasm and humor intended)

Millions of years in the making???

As we began our hike back to the trailhead, as you can notice from the above photos, there was still not a cloud in the sky. The sun was high and the UV rays were brutal. But we had plenty of water, clothing, Michael’s ten-gallon hat, and sunscreen to protect us. And we were not too proud to stop to rest and enjoy the flowers along the way. Speaking of which…

More color

Along the trail, there is a sign telling you to “arrive alive”. This is at a point right before the trail starts getting rough going toward the monument, about three-quarters of the way from the trailhead. It is a “this is your last chance to turn back or die” sign. Several people every year must be rescued on this trail because they were not properly prepared. We were determined to not be part of that statistic. But as the day wore on, to be honest, the heat and sun did begin to wear on us. One of us (I won’t mention who) started getting snippy, but I figured once we were done with the hike and ate something, the “hangryness” would dissipate and all would be right with the world again.

“Arrive Alive”… and we did

While on our way back we were on the lookout for critters. Remember the ranger yesterday told us to look for the Texas Horned Lizard, matting tarantulas, and even rattlesnakes? Well, we saw none of those. We did see a few regular lizards, and they usually scampered off the trail quickly as we were approaching. It seemed that none of the critters were interested in being baked by the sun any more than we were.

Beautiful colors in their own right

As we got closer and closer to the end of our hike, we noticed several people, even a couple with a baby in a stroller, just starting the hike. Now, I don’t know if they were planning to go all the way to the Lighthouse or not, but this was about 2pm with the sun, unfiltered, and high in the sky. We asked each of them if they had plenty of water and they assured us they did. One young guy was even running! Our thoughts were many, but at least one of them was “Oh, to be young again!”

We finished the hike, had lunch, and headed back to the hotel, where we showered, cooled off, ordered pizza, and reviewed the day’s photos. According to my smart watch, the total time on the hike was a little over six hours. Not too bad considering everything. Overall, it was a wonderful day and one we were proud of. We accomplished something we were not entirely sure we could and lived to tell the tale. And this isn’t the last day. We have an extra special day planned tomorrow, but that will have to wait for part 5.

See you then,

Michael & Karen

All words and photos copyright 2023 M Hampton Photography

Palo Duro Canyon – Part 3

Hello and welcome to part three, or day 2 of our Palo Duro adventure!

This was to be a big day for our adventure as our plan was to do the Lighthouse trail hike. This trail is roughly 6 miles round trip, and in all honesty, both of us work desk jobs and are in our sixth decade of life. Six miles hikes are not something we do on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly basis. But we were determined, and hopefully prepared, and set out to do this.

We left the hotel before sunrise and entered the park even before there were rangers at the front gate. We made it to the trailhead shortly before sunrise and were greeted with a nice cool breeze. We loaded up our backpacks with water bottles and a minimum of camera lenses, in order to lower our physical requirements, and headed down the trail.

At the trailhead, we met this chipper little guy reminding us not to die. “Thanks buddy.” Might as well have posted, “Death awaits all who enter here unprepared!”

Friendly reminder to not die

Determined that we would not need to be rescued, we started the hike while the sun was still just below the horizon. It made for some nice color in the sky, but as you can see from the photo below, there was not a cloud to be seen. That could spell disaster for us later in the day if we are unable to find shade. The mesquite “trees” (bushes really) don’t offer much in the way of shade when you are over-heating.

Sun beginning to light the sky

Not too far into the hike we came to Capitol Peak and as we began to make our way around it, our old friend Mr. Sun began to peek down at us from behind the crest! Still though, at this time of morning, the temperatures are still reasonable in the low 70s so we should have plenty of time to complete this trek before dying.

Mr. Sun says good morning

As we approached Capitol Peak, we noticed a hoodoo to the left, which we assumed was the Lighthouse off in the distance. We figured the trail would circle around the peak and we would be there. Wrong! While there are places on the trail where you can see the Lighthouse, this isn’t one of them. In our defense, it does kind of look like the Lighthouse from a distance.

Capitol Peak and not the Lighthouse

As Karen tends to do, her eyes spot the beauty of the area in the intricate details which Michael many times overlooks as he is scoping out the big picture.

Beauty in unexpected places

As the sun began creeping up in the sky the light began to dance across the landscape creating beautiful contrast between the highlights and the shadows. This intensified the red color of the rocks and created an atmosphere of ruggedness that could remind one of an old John Ford western.

Light and shadows

Once we made our way around the first obstacle, Capital Peak, we were treated to more of a light show as the rising sun began hitting just the top of the surrounding peaks, leaving the bottoms in shadow.

The peak in half light

Once more, Karen’s eyes went to the delicate beauty of a backlit grass along the trail.

Backlit flora
Karen shooting grass

Meanwhile, Michael was playing with self-portraiture through shadows.

The rising sun casting very long shadows

While we were trying to make the most of our time photographically, we were also very aware that our old friend Mr. Sun was slowly climbing higher and higher into the sky. We were drinking our water and being careful not to overexert our bodies, while also reminding ourselves that this was still the easy part of the trail. The last quarter of the path to Lighthouse is where the trail difficulty really ramps up.

Rock formations (hoodoos) spotlighted by the sun

At this point we are still in the shade of Capital Peak. We know however that this will not last much longer. Not only is the sun getting higher in the sky, but the trail is also about to take us beyond the shade of the peak and head out into the open and toward the Lighthouse.

Prepared for the coming sun

The entire time we were there, we never tired of seeing the layered formations caused by thousands of years of wind and rain, and how the light would bring out their colors and textures.

Light, color, and texture

An interesting point is that much of the rim of the canyon, and indeed most of the canyon itself, is private land. In this photo you can see numerous houses lining the rim of the canyon. I can only imagine the views that these people wake up to each morning. I’m also sure that many of these houses are likely available for rent on some of the rent-by-owner type sites.

Houses along the canyon rim

Finally, after a couple of hours, the Lighthouse comes into view. It is still a good distance away, but at least we can see the destination. I don’t know about you, but when I’m hiking, being able to see where I am headed makes the going just a bit easier. The downside is, as you can see, there is not much shade between where we are and where we are going. Also notice that still, there was not a cloud in the sky. Should we sprint for it? Nah! We drink more water and continue our steady pace.

Lighthouse in the distance

We carry on. We got to the point of the trail where it began to ascend, and the climbing did get a bit sketchy here and there. We were both wearing boots with pretty good grip and protection, but one of us made a simple but painful mistake. While looking through the viewfinder of the camera, a misstep took place, a fall happened, and a leg landed on a prickly pear. A quick check was made to make sure that nothing was broken and there were no major injuries. We then began pulling the long thorns out of the leg, from the ankle up to the bottom. We ended up stopping several more times throughout the day as more of those spikes announced themselves as we moved. And it wasn’t just the big thorns that are easy to see, there were also tiny ones that were only felt as the clothing brushed against the skin. Yes, that’s going to leave a mark.

Prickly pear = pain

Just so you are aware, dear hiker. Those long spikes are very strong. They punctured through denim like nothing and even a few punctured the boot that was being worn! Those suckers are stiff. And somewhat like a porcupine quill, they grab on and do not just slide out when you pull them. I’ll just say that one of us was feeling this for a few weeks to come.

Finally, we reached the Lighthouse. By this time there are already some people here. A few people had passed us on the trail while we were stopping to rest and make photos. Others must have started out even before us this morning. We discussed that would be one good reason to stay inside the park rather than a hotel outside; earlier starts. At least there is some shade here.

Lighthouse

We decided to rest a bit before making the final ascent up to the actual monument. There were a couple of young girls who appeared to be doing some sort of photo shoot and didn’t want to get in their way. The monument wasn’t going anywhere.

Next stop, the top! Well, not actually the top, but up on the monument.

Until next time,

Michael & Karen

All words and photographs copyright 2023 M Hampton Photography

Palo Duro Canyon – Part 2

Welcome back! Let us continue day one of our Palo Duro adventure where we left off!

After taking some time to cool down and recover from that “easy” hike with the ranger, we spent a little time around the Mack Dick pavilion area at the base of the canyon. Unlike the Grand Canyon, at Palo Duro, you can drive down into the canyon and explore from there.

As the day began to turn to early evening, clouds began forming once again, making the temperatures not as high, and providing some much-needed shade. I really wish they had been around earlier.

Panorama from the canyon floor

As we ventured out to see a little more of what the canyon had to offer, we began to make plans for the next few days. We made our way around the area of the pavilion on foot taking several photographs, and once that was well scouted, we drove the park road that makes its way through the base of the canyon. It should be noted however, that the state park only covers a small portion of the actual canyon and stretches about 120 miles long and 20 miles wide. Palo Duro canyon is 2nd only to the Grand Canyon in size in the US.

Photographer #1 (the pretty one)
Photographer #2 (the less pretty one)

Checking out the park it became clear why this is considered one of Texas’ hidden gems. The colors are amazing, especially the red rocks contrasted with the blue sky. Add the fact that this year has seen higher than average rainfall, there is also much more green than usual, making for an even larger gamut of colors to behold.

The canyon, greener than usual

The views, just about anywhere in the canyon, are something to behold. Whether you find yourself on the high ground looking down into the canyon, or on the floor looking up out of the canyon, the vistas are beautiful.

Amazing vistas no matter where you stand

History of the canyon according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website:

People have inhabited Palo Duro Canyon for [several thousand] years. The Clovis and Folsom peoples first lived in the canyon and hunted large herds of mammoth and giant bison.

Other cultures, such as the Apache, Comanche, and Kiowa, used the canyon’s plentiful resources more recently.

These early cultures left behind rock art and bedrock mortars, where they ground mesquite beans and roots for food.

Early Spanish explorers probably discovered the canyon, naming it Palo Duro, Spanish for hard wood.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/palo-duro-canyon/park_history
Clouds providing shade over the canyon as evening approaches

As mentioned before, the CCC played a large part in the creation of this park. Also from the TPWD’s web site:

President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. The CCC provided jobs and job skills by hiring young men to work on conservation projects. The program enrolled men between the ages of 17 and 25 who qualified for public assistance. They earned clothing, food, medical care and $30 a month; they sent most of that home to their families.

ibid.
The exposed walls show many layers resulting from several geologic events in history

The park opened to the public in 1938 and is currently the second largest state park in Texas, covering about 28,000 acres. Of course, the biggest is Big Bend Ranch state park, which covers a whopping 300,000 acres, over ten times the size here. That one is still on our list and we’ll make it there someday, Lord willing.

The dreaded prickly-pear plant (more on this later)

As the sun began to drop in the sky, we decided it was time to head back and nourish ourselves. It was quite the first day filled with wonder, and a couple of mistakes, and we wanted to be prepared for tomorrow. We planned a hike to the Lighthouse monument, which is about a 6-mile round trip. Striving to not recreate today’s mistakes, we will be starting as near to sunrise as we can as well as carrying plenty of water. We will also be preparing for the brutal UV rays of the sun.

Shadows elongate as the sun begins its descent

Tomorrow will be an early one for sure, so off to dinner and bed to prepare. Have to make sure the camera batteries are charged and ready to go. Be sure to check back for part 3 to see if we survived.

Michael & Karen

All word and images copyright 2003, MHampton Photography