theopencompassco-kctbl

During a spontaneous adventure through Texas, we decided to pull off for a ‘quick hike’ that turned out to be anything but quick. Upon entering the national park, the atmosphere of the canyon was exhilarating, inviting us in. The gift shop at the top was brimming with history, setting the perfect backdrop for our journey. The Canyon overlook took our breath away, and my wife Sky and I were prepared to conquer this side quest. We chose the Lighthouse Trail, which extended over a mile, but we were ready to tackle the terrain. The hike began easily—just as expected. As always, we were goofing off and making light of a situation I hadn’t fully prepared for, as we pushed through the cacti, clay, and dirt. Somewhere along the way, the trail started to incline steeply, and it felt less like a hike without our climbing gear. Yet, we pressed on because we ‘don’t quit,’ reminding ourselves of that mantra while out of breath on this cliff. When we finally reached what we thought was the top, we took a well-deserved break, snacking on protein bars and marveling at the stunning canyon view. Turning around, we glimpsed the ‘lighthouse’ portion of the trail—a majestic natural monument lighting our path toward the adventure’s end. As we ascended the final stretch, the wind whipped around us, but we couldn’t resist capturing the breathtaking scenery. Ultimately, the hike and the climb were absolutely worth it, but our journey was far from over; we still had to navigate back to the beginning of the trail. As we started our descent, it became noticeably darker, despite it only being 4 PM—neither of us had checked the weather that morning, and we faced the consequences. Rain began to pour, accompanied by lightning and thunder, with a mile of dirt and zero coverage between us and our vehicle, igniting our race against the elements! My wife sped through the terrain like a soldier on a battlefield, remarkable in her agility. I had never seen anyone dodge raindrops like she did, navigating from canyon point A to point B as if she had done it countless times before. After an action-packed day, we set off to Amarillo, Texas, to grab some pizza and catch some well-deserved sleep before our next departure!