I'm writing this blog from memory on October 25th, 2020. After hiking Guadalupe Peak I departed from the national park and made my way to the Davis Mountains. My plan was to camp at the Davis Mountains State Park and then wake up early in the morning, head over to the Nature Conservancy's Davis Mountains Preserve for their open weekend and hike up Mount Livermore for the first time.
I had never driven south out of Van Horn towards Marfa and I was treated to the infamous Prada Marfa installation that I've seen over and over again on social media. When I stopped there I took some photos from across the street and watched a train approach. I was feeling playful and gave the train conductor the universal toot toot sign with my right arm and he obliged me with the train whistle out in the middle of the desert. I was also intrigued by a large blimp which turned out to be a Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), a border patrol surveillance system. This was also my first time to really admire the Marfa Grasslands that I've always heard about. Beautiful and vast desert grasslands.
I made it to the Davis Mountains State Park in time to check out the bird blind (I didn't see any Montezuma Quail) and still had time for a sunset on Skyline Drive which is always a treat. While I sat up there I watched an army of ants devour an M&M and then proceed to carry the remains towards their nest (macro video posted at the bottom of the page).
Before heading into the preserve the next morning I stopped by the Madera Canyon rest area right next to the preserve where my good friend Romey was camped out. It was his birthday (his tradition is to spend it here at the preserve) and I had picked up a book (In the Shadow of the Chinatis) as a gift while I was in Marfa.
I checked in to the preserve and said farewell to my friends so I could begin my quest to climb Mount Livermore, aka Baldy Peak. I had never been that far back in the preserve because usually limited by my vehicle but the truck I rented was perfect for the task. I used my mountain bike to tackle the jeep road past the closed gate and was hoping the strenuous pedaling up hill would pay off on the descent. A nice treat was the Greater short-horned lizard who was super cooperative for a photoshoot.
I checked in to the preserve and said farewell to my friends so I could begin my quest to climb Mount Livermore, aka Baldy Peak. I had never been that far back in the preserve because usually limited by my vehicle but the truck I rented was perfect for the task. I used my mountain bike to tackle the jeep road past the closed gate and was hoping the strenuous pedaling up hill would pay off on the descent. A nice treat was the Greater short-horned lizard who was super cooperative for a photoshoot.
I left my bike just below the steep climb at Bridge Gap and then took a nice rest and snack break at the shelter there. After Bridge Gap I made some friends, Robert, Bruce, and Cliff who were making their way towards the top. Robert is from Fredericksburg and with the Friends of Enchanted Rock group and Bruce is an old retired pastor, impressively limber for his age. I enjoyed some conversations and then decided to pick up my pace while they continued at theirs.
I approached the base of the peak and found the sign for "Baldy Peak". I think I knew there was going to be a scramble but didn't quite know what to expect. It was fairly technical as far as hiking goes and I wasn't super comfortable doing it but I sure wasn't going to make it this far just to give up. I made it up the scramble and enjoyed the panoramic views but didn't stay too long - I'm always anxious with a down-climb looming.
I approached the base of the peak and found the sign for "Baldy Peak". I think I knew there was going to be a scramble but didn't quite know what to expect. It was fairly technical as far as hiking goes and I wasn't super comfortable doing it but I sure wasn't going to make it this far just to give up. I made it up the scramble and enjoyed the panoramic views but didn't stay too long - I'm always anxious with a down-climb looming.
This first image is what the scramble looked like. Maybe a 5.6 on the yosemite scale. I wasn't sure Bruce was going to be able to do it but I was happy to find out later that they all did, and I'm still impressed. I didn't waste any time booking it down the mountain and I met one more person, Ron, who was a "high pointer" from Chicago. I made it and back to my mountain bike and held on for the thrilling descent.
The hike was 6.3 Miles round trip, 2000 ft of elevation gain and thanks to bombing down hill on my bike I completed the hike in 3.5 hours.
Flora and Fauna!
That's the end of this 2019 summer trip to West Texas! I enjoy revisiting beautiful places and likewise enjoy being able to discover new things in the places you've been countless times. Cheers.