The Chivalry Chronicles
We discuss topics such as Brotherhood, Masculinity, and Fatherhood. A modern manly approach to chivalry.
Or better yet, Guys Stuff that Guys Do, Cuz We're Guys.
The Chivalry Chronicles
Episode 018 - Guadalupe Peak 2025 (Part 1)
Daniel Campos joins David, Dr. DLH, and Jaime for a trip to Guadalupe Peak.
Climb to the "Top of Texas" with a hike up Guadalupe Peak. Guadalupe Peak is a rewarding, although very strenuous, 8.4 mile round trip hike with a 3,000 foot elevation gain. It will take from six to eight hours to complete the hike.
- They record during the drive to the trail. Discuss the gear and snack they packed for the trip.
- They record their thoughts during the hike up the mountain. At a elevation of about 7,500, the guys check in on how everyone is doing.
- They recap the hike after a long grueling day. They guys discuss what they liked most about the trip, what they disliked the most, and whether they would do it again.
Issue a verdict and some tips for hiking Guadalupe Peak.
If by some chance, some stroke of luck, or some act of God, you have stumbled upon this broadcast, you are listening to The Chivalry Chronicles with your host, Dr. DLH.
SPEAKER_04:I'm a damn doctor!
SPEAKER_02:David.
SPEAKER_01:We're going to bring the tea. I refuse to not drink during the podcast.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And me, Jaime. They need to make podcast equipment a lot more expensive to get some of these clowns off the
SPEAKER_04:air.
SPEAKER_02:Gather around as we discuss a modern manly approach to chivalry. So I hope you're ready because I know we are. So let's get into it. Alright, this is just adding a little bit of context to the Guadalupe trip. I wanted to give you sort of what was going on. We did a couple of recordings. One, the morning of the trip or the hike itself. And then we did a recording. I think we were probably a third of the way up. Well, two thirds of the way up. Maybe three quarters of the way up. And then the third recording was is after the hiking um we were in the vehicle on the way back to to the airbnb so just to give you some context um this happened on january 25th um the actual hike we left san antonio on the 24th it was a friday about midday it took us maybe about seven hours to get over there now because we were um central time and Carlsbad is mountain time, I believe. So you lose an hour. But, you know, and that's part of why we got confused with the time is that Guadalupe is kind of right on the cusp of both. And so your watch kind of flips back and forth in time. That's a discrepancy with the time. But we left here Friday the 24th. And got there. Stayed at an Airbnb that night. I think we picked up burgers or somewhere. Sonic, I forgot where it was. And ate and basically tried to get sleep, right? Drink as much water as possible. And everybody just, you know, kind of called it a night pretty early. Most of us just went to sleep. I think David... Didn't sleep at all. He was feeling a little under the weather, and you'll hear it throughout the podcast. I will wake up in the morning. This is Saturday the 25th. I think DLH makes breakfast for everybody, eggs and sausage links. And everyone eats, you know, and anticipating the hiking. We pack all our gear, water. You'll hear a list of all the snacks we have. We did have a lot of food, but on the way over there, we thought, hey, why don't we get kind of the thoughts of going in? And so this first recording is basically just on the drive to the Guadalupe hike, Guadalupe Peak hike. We're in the car heading over there. And here you go. So we're here on our way to Guadalupe Peak. We have David.
SPEAKER_01:Howdy.
SPEAKER_02:DLH. What's up? And Daniel Campos. What's up? The board chairman for the Omega Delta Phi San Antonio Alumni Association. Yes, sir. So we're heading over there. How are you feeling? David? Uh... Pretty sick.
SPEAKER_03:As you can tell, I can't even talk today. You meant in like the good vernacular, like, this is sick, bro. This is sick. Okay, DLH. Well, anxious, I guess.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:It's all-encompassing. Never done it before, so... I climbed up there anywhere near this height, I think. Certainly not by foot. I have in a car, I think. What? What
SPEAKER_04:the
SPEAKER_03:hell? I climbed in a car.
SPEAKER_02:Daniel Campos?
SPEAKER_00:Feel good. A little anxious, yeah. But hopefully I can make it halfway up. And then halfway down. That's how that works, Dave. That's how it works.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Well, that's good because I'm freaking hyperventilating and shit, man. I just remember last year, it was, yeah, it was not something that I kind of anticipated. I thought it was going to be like a stroll, you know, like a short walk. But anyway, it's 844 in Carlsbad, New Mexico. We'll start our climb probably what at 10
SPEAKER_01:930 Now one of the things that I want to bring up That I may even be excited for but I know somebody else in the backseat is the most excited and that is the full buffet This is by far last year we started with six We have more food to feed more than six people, but there's only four of us. So, DLH, you mind? I dance
SPEAKER_03:hungry all
SPEAKER_01:the time. DLH, you mind telling us what's on the menu today?
SPEAKER_03:I actually don't know everything that's on the menu. I am only carrying a modest amount of protein bars. I don't know what everybody else is carrying, so maybe you should ask them what they got in their bag. I have some protein drink, some water, some protein bars, and that's it.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, my
SPEAKER_03:God. What you got, Dan?
SPEAKER_00:All right. I got two, what, eight ounces of pickle juice. Oh, that's right. I got pickle juice, too. I got two granola bars. I got two protein bars and eight ounces of mustard.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, you got mustard. Damn, I forgot about that. Somebody pecked the flag.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, you got the flag. Damn, so who's carrying all the food? Turns out it's not people
SPEAKER_01:in the backseat. It's the amount that y'all got. What are you carrying? I have some trail mix. And then within that same bag, I threw in some protein. I'm not going to say what they're called, but I'm just going to say they're rolled up protein. They're protein bars, man. They're like cookie dough. It's all rolled up. And it's got probiotics and it's gluten-free. They are protein balls.
SPEAKER_03:That is a product that they sell in the health
SPEAKER_02:and fitness industry. I know, but I didn't need all the commentary. Our listeners want to know, sir. They're entitled for honesty
SPEAKER_03:and
SPEAKER_01:accuracy. I think you guys made it quite clear. I think
SPEAKER_03:you
SPEAKER_01:should stop being infantile. Just call it what it is. You know what should be more concerning is how many of my balls did you take? So much for the concern.
SPEAKER_03:Not
SPEAKER_02:as many as
SPEAKER_03:Dan.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so is that it? Is that what you got? You got trail mix protein? Yeah, hey, when I went back, my sack was empty. What the hell? Damn.
SPEAKER_03:Damn.
SPEAKER_01:There
SPEAKER_03:was
SPEAKER_01:none
SPEAKER_03:left. Are you done now so we can get back?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we can get back to our regularly scheduled program. All right, so we're on our way up. We'll check in.
SPEAKER_00:Wait, you didn't say what you have in your bag.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, my bag has that, whatever that other bag of oats and shit, and then some protein bars. Trail mix, protein bars. No. Beef jerky. I have beef jerky. Beef jerky, the oats and shit, and then some protein bars. Because David had the trail mix, I didn't take the other bag.
SPEAKER_03:But yeah, I have beef jerky. So, as usual, it just sounds like Dave is being dramatic. Rather. Yeah. Rather dramatic.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, whatever. So, I guess whenever we go up, come back down, because we're not taking the mics up there, right?
SPEAKER_03:Well, we may have some phone recordings, so the audio can possibly change if we do that.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. True. And then, I guess tonight we can... Or you can try to scrounge together 30 minutes of material. I would assume everybody has a story to tell. So with that, we will... Yeah, assuming we make it back. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
SPEAKER_03:We may not come back.
SPEAKER_02:This next recording is on the actual hike. We're, like, I believe it says on the... It'll tell you we're three quarters of the way up. And as you can hear, I mean, most of us are we're still doing pretty well, but you can hear a little bit of the fatigue, maybe a little, you know, why are we doing this type of attitude? I know it was for me, but we recorded it on our phones. We use the one of the road apps. And I think DLH just asked everybody how they were doing. And so here you go.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, hold on. Almost 17. All right, recording now. Guadalupe Peak Mountain, still climbing upward. Where are we at right now?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, right now we are at about 1,700 feet elevation gained. But overall, we're sitting at 7,500 feet. So that essentially means we got 1,000 to go. 1,200. No, it's 87. 87? Oh, yeah. Yeah, so
SPEAKER_03:about 1,200. That's fine. That's good. And how's it going right now? How are you feeling?
SPEAKER_01:I'm feeling all right still. Of course, I don't know the weather. But I'm hanging in there. It looks like everybody else is.
SPEAKER_03:Not doing well. That's the rest of that statement. Not doing well. How are you doing, Jaime? Let me get that water. I just put one fucking spikes on. And, yeah, I'm cramping up. Because we hit icy. Now, the whole trail where we're at is pretty much icy, having to rely largely on the walking poles. And for those that have spikes for the rest of us, we're just risking our lives a little bit more the further we ascend.
SPEAKER_01:You may want to tell people that we got Jabba the Hutt watching us. Yeah. Ensuring our safety.
SPEAKER_03:But I'm only doing the audio right now, right? But yes, maybe our mom's playing tricks on us. But somewhere in the mountain across the way, there's a formation over there that looks like Jabba the Hutt. Maybe we could find a way to somehow post that picture on social media. Yeah. If we can... get that in there and maybe everybody will see what we're talking about dan
SPEAKER_00:yeah
SPEAKER_03:dan the man just caught up
SPEAKER_00:i'm in the rear with the gear
SPEAKER_03:in the rear with the gear how's it going dan
SPEAKER_00:good
SPEAKER_03:no big deal no just slow and steady slow and steady wins the race yeah all in all you know they like to be dramatic some some complaints and stuff but everybody seems to be doing well uh at least for the current moment it looks like uh it's not going to be that big a deal to make it the rest of the way to the top
SPEAKER_01:i don't know we're not even halfway there
SPEAKER_03:We'll see.
SPEAKER_01:We're more than halfway. I don't know. We'll find
SPEAKER_03:out. It's just 1,200 feet. It's just 1,200 feet elevation. It's a lot, considering the size of these damn stairs.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and then once we hit that 8,000 mark, that's whenever the headache and all that stuff starts kicking in.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Well, we'll just get up there real quick, have a toast, and then peace out. Yep. All right. We'll check back in.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, this last recording, we're basically done with the hike. We're in the car. We're going to go pick up some pizza, get something to eat before we go to bed and, you know, just kind of turn in before we leave the following day. But on the way back, it's just, you know, basically talking about the trip and how we felt about it, you know, and then I asked him a couple of questions, just, you know, kind of get their feelings on it and their thoughts. But it's basically right after the trip. Everybody's tired. It was a long, grueling hike. And So here goes. Okay, here we go. We just finished an eight-hour? Was that eight-hour? Okay, so let's just say eight or nine-hour hike. Roughly four hours up and four hours back. And DLH did rather well. He got up there first and got down first. And then I dragged ass. And then, of course, David was under the weather. And then Dan held his own. You know? It's always... Dan is steady. He's like Michael Myers. That motherfucker keeps coming, dog. You turn around, that motherfucker is right behind you. So, anyway. This was your first time, DLH? How do you feel?
SPEAKER_03:And last time. That's it? No. Well, it was a great experience, actually. Especially being at the top. Climbing up to the top was hard. Being at the top made it worth it. Then the descent sucked.
SPEAKER_02:I'll do
SPEAKER_03:it
SPEAKER_02:like we normally do with the kids. What was the best part for you?
SPEAKER_03:Being at the top. Okay. Being at the top. was the best. The views up there made it worth it. You know, I had a little whiskey up there at the top, too, to celebrate. That was cool.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, how much did you drink? It wasn't
SPEAKER_03:much. A
SPEAKER_02:sip
SPEAKER_03:or two? Yeah, I put like maybe an ounce.
SPEAKER_02:Ah, okay.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it was more celebratory, symbolic. And
SPEAKER_02:the worst part, you said it was the descent?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, man, coming back down was hard. I think... It was equally hard in the beginning. And then when we got like near the end, the last mile and a half or maybe two miles, it started feeling harder than ascending the ascent.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. I think, well, we'll recap last year because I thought last year was way worse. There was more snow. It was colder. We didn't have headlamps. We didn't have flashlights. You know, it's just a bunch of stuff that we kind of brought it upon ourselves. But anyway, back, David. So you just came down, you're under the weather, but how do you feel? What was the best part? What did you hate?
SPEAKER_01:I mean, it's hard doing it sick when you didn't sleep. It really took a toll on me this time. I mean, I wasn't in a happy place, let me put it that way. But that's it. My favorite part is still making it to the top. I'm disappointed I didn't, well, I still got to vet some things out, but I may or may, there's a more likelihood that I didn't beat my time from last year. So that was a bit disappointing. But yeah, it just seemed like it dragged on on the descent more than I remember it going last year. But I think the differentiator was being able to see lights in the parking lot. Because obviously the trail's the same trail. But yeah, I'm done
SPEAKER_02:talking. Sorry. Okay, yeah. Do you think that, you know how, so you and I were at the top, and then we see Pete rolling up last year, right? Do you think just the, kind of like the, I don't know, exhilaration of seeing Pete come out of nowhere like we thought PETA turned around seeing them finish I mean you think that gave us more energy to where we just kind of flew down I don't know it's just kind of I agree with you like this time it felt like the conditions were way better but it felt worse
SPEAKER_01:there's a good chance that we actually made it down quicker than we did last year and the reason we bring this up is because Guadalupe Mountain and that whole national park is stuck between central time zone and mountain time. So it bounces back and forth. So I have a picture where I took a timestamp that my watch said. And there's other variables, but same thing. It's very plausible that we got down there. in better time than we did last year. But I do think that last year, the unknown made it better, where the known this time is like, oh, we haven't made it to that point yet. And it gets in your head. It really plays some mind tricks on you.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I think last year, because we didn't really do all that much research, we didn't know what we didn't know. And coming in this year, I was like, yeah, this is going to be hard. This is no joke, you know. I think we looked at some statistics, and it's a top ten most dangerous hike.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. So that's nine.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, the ninth most dangerous hike in the U.S., I believe. Yeah. And there are people that have died on it. I mean, I kept sending the guys just article after article about people that got lost and all that. I was like, I just want you to be aware.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that wasn't appreciated at all.
SPEAKER_02:All right, Dan, how do you feel? This is your first time. Tell us about what you liked about it, what you hated, and I don't know, things you'd do differently.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it was my first time. I enjoyed the ascent. Like I stated earlier, I was just slow and steady going up. And then coming down, yeah, I thought I took a wrong turn because I was the last one off the mountain, it seemed like it. But it was good. My Shoulders are killing me. Everything else is sore, but it's my shoulders that are killing me right now.
SPEAKER_02:Are your knee
SPEAKER_00:okay? Yeah, so far, as long as I don't take the brace off. Right. But I don't know if I'd do anything different. I mean, it was my first time, probably my last time.
SPEAKER_01:Really? Yeah. Not my first or my last. Dude, I'm getting old, man.
SPEAKER_02:So that's what I was going to ask you. Would you do it again?
UNKNOWN:No.
SPEAKER_00:Maybe not next year, but the year after maybe. Okay. Maybe when I turn 50. That's not a no.
SPEAKER_02:When I turn 50. Okay, DLH, would you do
SPEAKER_03:it again? I think it's hard to assess. Yeah, I think right now because everything hurts, we're in that no. But I do think that once everything stops hurting, we're going to look on this experience, at least I will, more favorably overall. It was a really good overall experience. And now that I do know what to expect, I won't exactly say yes, but I would not just say no. So it's possible.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Okay. So as we were going up, I'm always interested or it's always interesting how people move, right? Like... Last year, when we went on the hike, MT went right to the front. And I went to the back. David was up towards the front. And so we said, well, MT wants to lead. No problem. He's the chairman. And sometimes people take leadership positions. But soon after that, he started slowing down. And then David started kind of leading the pack. And then there was Miguel. And then there was me. And then behind me was MT, Pete, and Sonny. Was that it, David? Yes. So, Pete, MT, and Sonny kind of stayed behind most of the way. And then David, Miguel, and I kind of went forward. This year, I thought it was cool that We kind of all stayed pretty much in the same vicinity. I think DLH, man, you were booking it most of the way, which I was pretty impressed because that shit is hard. I'm not going to lie. I work out every week. And even that, you know, of course,
SPEAKER_01:I don't... Fitness professional.
SPEAKER_02:I'm not a fitness professional, so maybe that has something to do with it. And I did add, you know, stair climbers this time around, so I felt better physically. But maybe mentally I felt worse? I don't know. It felt like the conditions were better this year, but it just... It felt like
SPEAKER_03:it dragged on. Yeah. Well, but you also were talking about psyching yourself out a little bit by reading up on it instead of coming back in blindly again, like you did last year.
SPEAKER_02:Right. Because, well, the reason was I thought it was just going to be a hike. I've been on hikes in Tucson, you know, like there's three different places that we've been to in Tucson mountains, but they've never, they weren't this hard. Right. And so I just wasn't aware, like, how hard it was. And so coming in not knowing anything about it and just kind of trusting David, you know, you're just kind of like, whatever. David's got it. And David was like, yeah, we'll get there. Yeah, we're going to make it. We're going to make it. It's just around here. Yeah, we got another mile. And after a while, that shit got old too. I was like, bro, this is taking forever. But, yeah, it's just one of those things, like, I don't know, like– I do like the experience, right? I love hanging out with brothers and doing stuff together is the best, right? Like when we did the Spartan races. So yeah, you're right. It's kind of hard to say you wouldn't do it. Like I was saying all the way down, like I'm done. I'm retiring from hiking because it's so hard, you know? But you're right. Maybe, you know, in a couple of weeks... maybe in a year
SPEAKER_01:the biggest thing that that comes into play with this particular hike is the fact that it's it's challenging so when when you go through it and you actually complete it it's it's very meaningful if it's of your interest or whatever i mean you're probably not going to go if you got zero interest but If you have interest and you accomplish something and you hurt a little bit, there's pain involved. You're going to appreciate it a lot more. I'm pretty sure most folks, I was the optimist last year. I did it mostly purposely because it was like, I'm the one that put these, I led the pack and the pack can't see me crack. So I did take that optimist role. And I am somebody that whenever I say I'm going to do something, like I really want to do it or I will do everything in my power to make it happen, right? Maybe late, maybe not the outcome comes to fruition. But last year it was like, okay, there's six of us here. We got to get everybody on the mountain. Not everybody put some training and effort into it. And I think they were probably the most disappointed. But even just making the attempt to do something like that and stepping outside of your comfort zone, you grow as a person. And I think that's why at the end of the day, as much as I don't want to do this ever again right now, I think I'll circle back, especially like if my son brings something up. Because you do, it does start resonating with you. That what you accomplished had meaning behind it. I love the brother part. I have very fond memories with Spartan. But I think this was more challenging and maybe that's why I appreciate it more. Or maybe it's just maybe deep down it just boils down to this is the alternative that I came up with. And we did it. So I'm appreciative that the guys continued to want to do this the second year. I'm totally game, not necessarily to do this climb again, but another trail or something that, or really, I guess the end game is find something that's a challenge that we do together, where we build some rapport, where we build our brotherhood and so forth. But, yeah, that's a long rant, and I'm surprised I didn't start dying here. Start coughing. Take over.
SPEAKER_03:He said something that I think is important to bring up. None of us were prepared for doing this. We were not in peak physical condition for this sort of event. I ran like a motherfucker
SPEAKER_02:this past week. Did you? Yes. I
SPEAKER_03:didn't
SPEAKER_02:do anything. I did stair climbers. I did running. I did all kinds of stuff. Now, physically, I felt better this time. But like I said, maybe it was the mental thing. Maybe it's just like it felt like it lasted longer than last time. I don't know. I mean, it's just it's really it's kind of weird. But let me read you this quote that I found. And it's very, you know, into what we're talking about. It says there is no more perfect metaphor for ascension than climbing a mountain. And I enjoy these type of things with the Brotherhood because you know the person next to you. You find out new things, right? You kind of go, okay, I can see this guy and he's struggling, but he is still doing it. Or I see this guy and he is kicking ass, and that's giving me a little bit more motivation than I had. Seeing someone excel like that, that... I was like, you know, I think I was talking about it at work this week, and they asked me, and I was like, well, who's going? I said, well, these are the three people that are going. And they asked me, and they said, what do you think? Are you all going to make it? I was like, with these four that are going to be, you know, as part of the pack? I said, yeah, I have no doubt we'll make it because we've done stuff like this before. You know, this is not the first time we've done something. We did, what, like two or three Spartan races? Yeah. so yeah i had no doubt that david even though he was under the weather was going to do it i mean dr dlh is a fitness professional what what else you know what else do you need and i know dan always brings it you know so i was going to ask you dan being the new chairman did you feel you needed to do this did you did you do this for yourself did you do this to like say hey i'm the chairman let me go show these these cats here you know how it's done like What do you think it says about you?
SPEAKER_00:I don't know. It was a part because I didn't come last year. So I felt I needed to come this year. And it just happened to be that it's my term of the chairman. And yeah, it's part of also just being able to do it. To come up here with everybody and complete it. And everybody's safe. Everybody made it up. Everybody made it down. So, you know, it's just... something that drives me to complete it. Like I said, I didn't train at all for this and I was struggling. There were a couple of times where I wanted to quit, but I was like, no, I'm not going to quit because these guys don't want me to quit. I'm not going to quit. And I made it up to the top and I was the last one off the mountain still. But it was a good time.
SPEAKER_01:So I have a question to kind of circle around to the group. And that is, If you did this by yourself, like if you went to date by yourself, would you have made it to the top or would you have quit somewhere along the way because there's nobody there to hold you accountable or that you feel obligated to help or whatever?
SPEAKER_00:Dan? I think I still would have made it to the top. Really?
UNKNOWN:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I wouldn't have quit. It would have maybe taken me a little bit longer and I'd get a little bit more scared coming down because of the time and when sunset is and stuff like that. But I think I would push myself to complete it and have that under my belt that that's something I accomplished.
SPEAKER_02:Dr. DLH?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think I would have made it to the top. I think, I don't know, even if things get hard, it's like when you... when you're up there, especially if you can gauge at all how far that finish line is. I don't know. It's a challenge you take on. Something that you want to persevere. That's why you're there. You know that there's a hardship involved. You just keep going. Okay, well then let me
SPEAKER_02:flip the question. Would you do it by yourself?
SPEAKER_03:I can't really see a circumstance in which I would because that's not that's not really something that I'm self-directed or self-motivated to do. My primary reason for being on this trip is to go and do something like this with my fraternity brothers. That's why I'm here. It just so happened to be that this is what was selected. On top of that, as you start getting older, I don't want my life to be memories of me working all the time. I want to do things, live. This is certainly one of those times when you're up at the very top and you get to see those views. That was amazing. That was awesome.
SPEAKER_02:I know I gave you a little bit of shit about it, but I love seeing that type of stuff with brothers when they accomplish something and they're hype about it. You know what I'm saying? Because last year when we did it, I did feel that. When I got up there, you're like, wow. Because I had never done anything like that, like that hard. So you do take something away. This time... You do feel good that you did it, but it was just kind of like a, all right, let's get back down type stuff. But to you, Dan, would you do it by yourself?
SPEAKER_00:By myself? Probably not. I don't think I would do something like that, but maybe with family. Right. Because I know my cousin was thinking about doing it in March, so I don't know if I'll do it then, but I'll tell him about it, what you got to take and prepare him for it.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:David?
SPEAKER_01:It would be something that I choose to do on a whim and I'd kind of like have something in my mind like, man, I need to do something big to kind of give me a boost. You know what I mean? There's certain things sometimes that I'll embark on and it's not anything that I even really share most of the time. It's just like, okay, I'm in a funk. How do I get out of that? How do I get out of that funk? And sometimes it's like doing something drastic. So I I could see myself doing it. Now with that said, there could easily be some doubts in my head. So like being sick today and not sleeping at all last night and all that other stuff, I probably would have freaking bailed and just been sitting at a hotel or whatever doing nothing. Because you start getting in your own head about anything negative. And we're most critical on ourselves, so... It would do that. And you, Haim?
SPEAKER_02:So, yeah, I mean, I think if I were to do it, I think I'm pretty confident in my abilities that I have done it twice, so I think I would do it. But I don't think I would do it by myself. You know, because the whole reason to do this is to do it with people that you enjoy being around, you know, that you respect. that you want to challenge. So I don't think I'd do it by myself. Like, man, that's crazy. And actually, to be honest, on the way down, I was sitting there thinking about it because, David, you had mentioned that maybe you wanted to get your son to come out and do it. I was thinking, you know, because my wife and kids, they'd be down. They're crazy, right? But I would be so, like... worried and like, you know, I wouldn't, you know what I'm saying? I mean, you do worry. Like I worried about you guys and stuff like that, but, but it's different when it's your family. And, and I don't think I would enjoy it. You know, you're always like looking around concerned, like, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And you, and you do have to wait. You can't, you can't give them, you can't give them the space. Like, uh, like today, like some of us needed space at times.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um, and that spacing didn't mean we quit or anything like that. It's just like, we're going at our pace. You can't do that to your kid, right? No. And you're not going to do that to your wife. That's going to be some big
SPEAKER_02:problem. Yeah, you wouldn't leave anyone. You wouldn't, yeah, you wouldn't take off and go further. It just, that just would not happen. I mean, we've hiked together, like I said, in Tucson several times. And it's just one of those things you just don't do. And plus, I worried so much when we were out there because you're always concerned about stuff. And you're like, get down from that rock, you know?
SPEAKER_01:It usually has to do, especially with the first time them doing that stuff because those worries kick in. Once you've already had the experience and seen it, like at Legacy Camping Trip, we let our kids venture. Now, they have gotten older, but they also know the camp. I mean, they know the campsite. They know where to go. They know what they're supposed to be staying away from. And then you just kind of give them the leeway.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. No, absolutely. Especially being on a lake, there's so many drownings. I tell my son and his friends, you're wearing a vest. I'm sorry. Like, I know it's not cool and all that. And yes, you can swim, but you're wearing it. There's too many, you know, accidents happening at lakes. So, you know, now that they're older, you kind of give them a little bit more leeway. But man, when he was eight and nine, you worry about every little thing. You know, come back closer. Stay where I can see you. You know, that type of stuff. So I was thinking about that on the way down. I was like, yeah, I don't think I would. I would worry so much more with them doing especially something like this that, man, I don't know. I don't know if I'd be cool. And the thing is, as they get older, you get older. So I don't even know if I want to be out there at 55 and 60, even though we saw plenty at 55. You get a discount. What we were telling one of the hikers, you know, when we got to the top, and I said... As we're coming up, we have older people passing us. We had younger people passing us. And then we're still getting to the top, and then they're coming back down. It's just like it's such a humbling experience to see a 60-year-old lady, a 65-year-old lady just rushing past you hiking. I'm always like, wow. I don't know if I'd be doing that at 65. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I don't know either. I mean, it's impressive, but I was just staying in my lane. She does that a lot. Good for her.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:But yeah, I mean, we don't do it all the time. So I was just focused on what we were doing.
SPEAKER_04:You
SPEAKER_03:know, and honestly, there were some times where I was like, come on, wrap this up so we can move along.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that was my thought when I walk up and I was like, hey, can we just, we don't want to keep you gone.
SPEAKER_01:You sure would have made the five hour mark. If we didn't have that conversation. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:But it was a good experience. Yeah, it was great. Anything else you want to add, Dr. DLH, as a fitness professional? Try it.
SPEAKER_03:Try it? Yeah, go try it. Because
SPEAKER_02:we need to come up with a board approved for this episode.
SPEAKER_03:Well, that's it. Try it. Board approved.
SPEAKER_02:Try it?
SPEAKER_03:You said absolutely try it.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, we can't just tell people to try it. I think we need to give them some tips on if you're going to do it, here's what you need to bring.
SPEAKER_03:Well, you need to bring a whole lot of... muscular and cardio endurance. Uh, I think we, we, we were overprepared some this time, but maybe not for last time. Like, cause you know, there were times where you needed some, some spikes and you got to have a lot of like water and I don't know, pickle juice and, uh, protein things. And so there's a lot of that stuff for you to figure out based on how you work. But, um, but either way, it's, it is physically challenging. And, um, But I think when you get to the top, look, totally worth it. Yeah. If you haven't been. Yeah, that would be my take. Go try it.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Dan, as the chairman of the Alumni Association, what would be, you know, I guess we do a board approved, right? Mm-hmm. So DLH suggested that try it, but I think we should give them tips. Is there any tips that you would give our listeners about going to Guadalupe Peak and getting up there to 8,753 feet up in the air? What would be some of your tips
SPEAKER_00:for them? Do a little bit of training beforehand. I know in San Antonio there's Eisenhower Park. It's not going to be at the elevation, but you can get your legs ready for stepping up. And then bring water, bring protein bars, clothing, you know, layers. But don't over layer yourself because then you overheat. And I think I'd overheat it a little bit. And just mentally be prepared for a struggle. because it is going to be a struggle there's going to be times where you can like i'm going to quit um or you might just look over a cliff and see something like whoa that's pretty high yeah yeah so there you know that's that there too but
SPEAKER_03:still amazing though
SPEAKER_00:yeah amazing and everybody there is is friendly so you know they're always encouraging be safe you know and and so I didn't have any bad experience going up or coming down.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:David,
SPEAKER_02:any tips for our listeners going to Guadalupe Peak?
SPEAKER_01:Aside from what's been shared thus far, I think the biggest thing to bring is just your mental game. That's the biggest hurdle. Some of the tools and so forth, like your trekking poles are very helpful, wool socks, that type of thing. Chapstick. Very helpful. Chapstick. Chapstick. Your own chapstick, by the way. And a
SPEAKER_03:headlamp in case you
SPEAKER_01:come down at night. Yes. Depending on your start time. But yeah, I think the biggest thing to do is bring a buddy and Get yourself mentally prepared to persevere. That's really what it boils down to. Everything else is your preference. So, yeah, there's some what everybody would deem essentials, and you can find that on the website. But aside from that, that's really what it is.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, okay. So I think those are all great tips. Sunscreen, I guess. You would need that. Sunglasses, that type of stuff. But yeah, I think that would be a good board approved tips if you wanted to go out to maybe just hike. And if you wanted to do Guadalupe Peak, we'll probably discuss it a little bit more. I really would love to do a part two of this and actually get into everyone and what they thought as they're going up that mountain. What was your driving force? I think that's something. The problem that I have is that if you leave me to my own devices, I start thinking about all the stuff that can go wrong. And there's nothing that I'm grasping like, oh, I need to do this. There's no Rocky song playing in my head. It's just like... you kind of get lost in your thoughts. And I started thinking about work and the stuff I needed to get done. And you know what I'm saying? I was like, that's, I didn't have something this time that said, get it done. You know, let's go. It's sometimes you have it. And this, for some reason, this time I didn't have that, that voice in my head of, uh, you know, let, let's get it done. Um, even though, you know, um, With hiking, it's so weird. If you just focus on your next step, I mean, that's all you really need to do. But are y'all down to do a part two or do y'all want to do it now?
SPEAKER_01:No, we got to eat. Yeah. At some point.
SPEAKER_02:No, we don't need to eat.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:So we'll come back with a part two and kind of get into... as we're going up, what everybody was thinking. So be on the lookout for that. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others. Post about it on your social media and or leave a rating and review. To catch all the latest from us, you can follow us on Instagram and X. So thanks again, and we'll see you next time.
