Nine-Thousand Feet and Counting . . . . . . . By Isaac Vaisberg

Starting at six thousand feet in elevation, SOAR’s South-West group began to climb. Six thousand five hundred feet, the arid desert of Texas’s Guadalupe National Park begins to show its vast and beautiful landscape. Cacti by the hundreds and vast plains of barren land lie in the horizon. The bottom part of a large rock formation, El Capitan, is barely visible through the trees. Seven thousand feet, the barren desert turns into a rocky plain. The sand and arid land begins to turn into rocky surfaces. El Capitan begins top show his true colors as its face starts to show more clearly in the horizon. On this particularly clear day you could see fifty miles away at this point. Seven thousand five hundred feet, the rocky surfaces turn into snowy trails. What was once and barren desert is now a winter wonderland. All the trees seem to be dancing to the beat of the cool breeze that sweeps the giant mountain. They carry a load of fresh white snow that reflects the suns rays back into the sky, making it even more beautiful. Eight thousand feet, deer begin to show their faces on an opposite peak. They carelessly roam the mountain, playing and feeding as the snow falls on top of them. Our presence matters not to them for they are in their own little world, joyful and free. The flash of our cameras doesn’t scare them away; in fact, it draws them ever closer to us, curious creatures. The once barren mountains are now completely doused in white, powdery snow. El Capitan is almost completely exposed, showing its monstrous yet delicate face. The clear blue skies allow us to see around seventy-five miles in the distance, the gorgeous Texas planes starring back at us. Eight thousand five hundred feet, our feet and legs begin to feel the strain of the hike. Our faces shiver at the touch of the cool breeze that sweeps across the mountaintop. We are almost there. Just a few more steps and we will be at the summit. Nine thousand feet, we made it. We are on top of the highest point in Texas, Guadalupe peak. From here our tiny campsite is just barely visible three thousand feet below, but our pride shows. El Capitan is completely visible now and his humongous face is standing proud just a few hundred feet away from us. Although not by much, we are above El Capitan and that fills us with a sence of pride and accomplishment. We can see one hundred miles into the horizon at the distant mountain ranges. They seem to be smiling at us, cheering at us, aware of our success. As we line up for a group picture we are all filled with the same feeling: we are on top of the world.