Welcome back. The main attraction of Caprock Canyon is the canyon itself. It is very picturesque, but once again we were plagued with dull, empty skies. No clouds to be found today. At least we weren’t doing any long hikes this time!
The rugged landscape makes one think of the stories we used to read in history books in school, about the explorers that were first scoping out this land from Europe. What must it have been like seeing all of this!
Beautiful scenery, but blank skies
The park is the third largest state park in Texas covering a little over 15,000 acres. The geology of the area is very unique. “The park sits along the Caprock Escarpment, a long, narrow rocky formation as high as 1,000 feet. The escarpment is a natural transition between the flat, high plains of the Llano Estacado to the west and the lower Rolling Plains to the east.”(TDPW Website)
We drove around the park a bit, checking out several overlooks and were able to see the canyon from several different locations. Each stop provided a slightly different sight of what the canyon offers.
Caprock was very green this visit as well
At one overlook I was able to take a nice panorama that covered about 180 degrees. This landscape really takes you in.
Caprock panorama
A friend who grew up in the area commented that it is very rare to see this much green in the canyons. Makes us wonder what this landscape would look like in a “normal” year. This normally arid landscape has had a record amount of rainfall this year.
More green than usual
Spanish explorers began going through this area in the 16th century. Imagine if you will, traveling with a large contingent of men across the plains when suddenly you come up to a very large ditch which you have to figure out how to cross with all your equipment, men, and animals. This would have been the situation with the exploders as they approached this area. According to the TDPW website:
Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado crossed these plains in 1541. Spanish colonies in New Mexico appeared around 1600. Trade between Plains Indians and New Mexicans gradually grew.
If ever you are in the area, the vistas are worth the effort to stop and check out. This park really deserves more time than we had to offer this trip, so if you go, plan at least a couple of days here.
Next time, we’ll share the cutest members of this park, the prairie dogs.
Until then,
Michael & Karen
All words and photos copyright 2023 M Hampton Photography
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
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
