Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Dec. 11, 2024

This is the place where the plants want to kill you. I was bleeding from so many cuts on my hands and one knee due to the yucca, agave, cacti and some nasty thorny shrub. I started at McKittrick Canyon for the nature loop. The west side of the loop is the best with so many rocks having fossilized tiny sea creatures. This area was a coastal reef during the Permian period. Frijole Ranch was my next stop to visit three springs including the loop trail up to Smith Springs. The tall grasses at Manzanita Spring were deceiving. I stepped on grass and sunk into deeper water getting both of my shoes, socks and feet wet for the rest of the hike.