Sarah and I officially started dating on November 2nd, 2011 and to celebrate our first year together we decided to return to the site of one of our favorite adventures. The plan was to drive up to Carlsbad, NM on Friday the 2nd and then get up early to climb Guadalupe Peak on Saturday the 3rd. Unbeknownst to Sarah, I had also made a few other plans for the trip as well.

When we originally climbed Guadalupe Peak last winter we had no idea what to expect or how difficult the endeavor actually was, still through snow and fog we fought our way to the top of the mountain and for a moment we stood higher than anyone else in the great state of Texas. This time around we were determined to be more prepared and we decided that completing the entire adventure in a single day was definitely not going to be a priority.

We departed San Antonio around noon on Friday after Sarah got home from school and headed west. Thanks to the 80MPH speed limits on I-10, we were making great time and after six hours of driving we rolled into the big city of Carlsbad, NM. Originally we planned on having a fancy dinner at a local restaurant known as “The Stock Exchange” but after unsuccessfully trying to locate it we headed to our hotel in White City, NM just outside the entrance of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We stayed at the Rodeway Inn which was the only hotel in White City and after checking in we made our way to JJ’s Steakhouse which coincidentally was the only restaurant in White City. Though slightly less romantic, we had a wonderful meal and returned to our room shortly thereafter to get a good nights sleep so that we would be well rested for the climb the next day. We laid out all our gear and set our alarms for 4:30AM. Just before bed I checked the weather as I had every day of the week prior and the forecast of rain and clouds continued to loom over my hope for a perfect day.

When we woke up, we quickly got dressed and prepared a makeshift breakfast with our leftovers from the previous nights dinner. We checked out shortly thereafter and soon enough we were on our way to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. After a brief drive we arrived at the trailhead and began outfitting ourselves for the hike that lay ahead of us. It had rained a little on the way over but luckily it was only misting on us once we were actually in the park. We paid our dues, locked up the car, and set out for the top of Texas once again. Having done this hike before we were much more prepared mentally as we already knew of the challenges that awaited us. The first portion of the hike is the most strenuous in my opinion as you find yourself ascending switchback after switchback up the side of a mountain overlooking the valley in which the visitor center and trailhead lay. We only stopped once or twice compared to the dozen or so times on our last attempt and made much better time on this go around. Once you’ve reached the high-point of the first mountain you soon find yourself winding through the tops of a series of neighboring peaks as you make your way towards Guadalupe. We continued to make good ground as we moved along this portion of the trail and as our fate would have it the cloud cover above us began to give way to clear blue skies! We soon crossed the famous wooden bridge and began the final set of switchbacks that lead to the summit of Texas. There are significantly fewer of these than there are in the first part of the trail however the view of the ground thousands of feet below you and the uneven terrain beckons you to slow your pace a bit. We could see the gleaming monument that stood a few hundred feet above us and we forced ourselves to overcome these obstacles as we pressed on. We moved slow and steady until finally we ran out of elevation to gain and found ourselves on top of Texas once more!

The hike did ultimately take us about three and a half hours but we weren’t trying to set any records. Once on the summit we realized that the ideal weather of early November meant we would have to share the summit this time with about twenty other people who had made the trip for their own personal reasons and in their own groups. As soon as we found a little area to ourselves, we settled down and prepared our lunch. Sarah laid down for a nap and I made my way around the summit taking pictures and soaking in the surrounding landscape.

Finally I decided that now was the time and I dug through my hiking pack until I found the little box that I had wrapped in a sweater and hid in the bottom. Inside it contained the engagement ring I had selected a few months prior in anticipation of this very moment. I began to grow a bit restless though as the crowded mountain top was beginning to have the potential of ruining my surprise. Fortunately a few minutes later the largest group began to make their way down the mountain as Sarah was off hunting for a nice, secluded area to go to the bathroom. I knew that this was my shot so I ran around showing everyone the ring and asking them to all move to one side. I quickly set up my GoPro Camera and hoped that by some miracle it was level and lined up correctly as Sarah returned from her brief excursion. I called out to her and told her that it was our turn to take a picture on the summit and asked her to stand next to the monument while I set the camera. She obliged and once she was into position I pressed record and made my way over to her. In the excitement of everything I hesitated for a moment as I fought with myself over which knee was supposed to go down before finally deciding it was the right one. Originally I planned to talk about the best year of my life and go on about how perfect she was but I realized I didn’t need to say it anymore, it was written all over my face.

I stared into her eyes and said the only thing that needed to be spoken, “Will you marry me?.” She began to smile and cry as she nodded her head and she finally found the strength to muster a “yes” between her tears. We then kissed and embraced one another to a round of applause from our impromptu audience of fellow outdoorsmen. Being the amateur photographer that I am, I busted out the T2i and we took a few “engagement” pictures of ourselves on top of the mountain afterwards. Everyone was very congratulatory and seemed to enjoy the whole thing. Many even took pictures of their own to show to their friends what they got to be apart of. It was perfect in every way and somehow everything just seemed to fall into place.

After almost two hours on the summit we began to make our way back down the mountain. The descent is always significantly faster as well as significantly easier than the ascent and around an hour and a half later we were packing up and heading home. Though we wouldn’t arrive at our apartment until some eight hours later, the drive was quite pleasant as we began to plan our wedding and soaked in the excitement of the days events!