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| Hiking | 16.40 Miles |
4,200 AEG |
| | Hiking | 16.40 Miles | 7 Hrs 3 Mns | | 2.92 mph |
| 4,200 ft AEG | 1 Hour 26 Mns Break | 18 LBS Pack | | |
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none
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| no partners | | GPS track threw me off the rim a couple times. I'll go with 4200 AEG to make myself feel good.
Slept late and hit the visitor center to pay my entrance fee since everything was already closed the night before. Slapped it on the windshield, got my pack ready, and set out for the day. It was after 10am and I was expecting to be out for about 7 hours at 14.5 miles. It was a bit slippery from the rains the day before, but I made good time going up Pinnacles Trail. The trail to Emory Peak went very smoothly as well. My pace slowed as it got steeper and rockier near the peak. I came to the scramble and headed up after eying it for a few seconds. It was easy enough, with plenty of holds. After the initial 20ft or so, the grade eased and turned to boulders.
Views from the peak were nice, with lots of clouds covering the ESE canyons, and more gently flowing in from the west. Moved around the antenna arrays to find a reference mark and admired the drop before ungracefully heading back down. From there I payed a visit to Emory's other peak to the south. Both are separated by a nice chasm. Got some shots of Emory and met back up with a group of 4 just below the scramble. We chatted for a minute while one of them tried and gave up on the climb. None of the others wanted to try it, one of which said she was now a grandma and didn't want to break her hip. Fair enough!
Back on Pinnacles, I rolled into Boot Canyon which was beautiful. Lots of trees, flowers, stone retaining walls and trail cut right into the bare rock, a couple cabins, and even some flowing water. Tony the Tiger would be speechless. Some parts were also overgrown, which seemed to be a good thing in this setting. Paradise was followed by a solid climb up East Rim Trail. The low clouds had cleared and the views on the rim were tremendous. There are plenty of vantage points along this stretch, along with campsites. There's a spur trail near Laguna Meadow Trail that heads to another part of the rim which is good for photo ops.
At 10.6 miles, I emptied my Camelbak. Luckily after the spur trail, it was generally downhill so my extra liter would do the trick. Laguna Meadow Trail has great views of Emory Peak's cliffs as well views into and around Chisos Basin. There seems to be less tree cover here versus Pinnacles. Upon writing this, it seems I missed the trail's namesake entirely. I don't recall any signage, so keep an eye out.
Too long; didn't read: This is a great tour of the Chisos Mountains. Do it. |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
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Route Editor
Route Scout
