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  • Friday, March 16, 2012

    Route 66 Day Six: Palo Duro Canyon

    First, it's starting to seem strange using the name Thumper, now that we're not using trail names on the Appalachian Trail. So from now on, you'll hear me calling Thumper by her real name, Liv (short for Olivia). Besides, I can't think of a more perfect name for someone so determined to live an adventurous life.

    Liv climbing to the top of Coppertone
    Anyway, on day six, after nearly going off road, Liv and I drove south of Amarillo, Texas to Palo Duro Canyon. We didn't know anything about the place, but we saw it on our atlas and decided to check it out. Turns out, it is the second largest canyon in the United States and is often referred to as The Grand Canyon of Texas. The highlight of the park seemed to be a hoodoo called Lighthouse Peak, so we parked at a trailhead for a six mile hike that would lead us to it.

    It was an beautiful hike and the weather was perfect. We climbed from the canyon floor to the base of Lighthouse Peak, and then to the top of Coppertone. This is what we were waiting for, getting west and out of the car to hike in some amazing places.

    Click on the photos below to enlarge them.

    03-09-12: Me on Coppertone Peak03-09-12: Our Home Last Night, Rest Stop Outside Amarillo, TX03-09-12: Last Moments Before Heading Out03-09-12: Made it to Texas on Route 6603-09-12: Britten USA Leaning Water Tower03-09-12: Old Tower Garage Sign and Road Signs
    03-09-12: Leaning Water Tower Near Groom, TX03-09-12: The End of the Road03-09-12: Pavement Ends Without Warning03-09-12: Pavement Ends Without Warning03-09-12: Palo Duro Canyon03-09-12: Liv at Palo Duro Canyon
    03-09-12: Liv at Palo Duro Canyon03-09-12: Liv at Palo Duro Canyon03-09-12: Palo Duro Canyon03-09-12: Liv at Palo Duro Canyon03-09-12: Me at Palo Duro Canyon03-09-12: Palo Duro Canyon
    03-09-12: Liv Hiking Palo Duro Canyon03-09-12: Lighthouse Peak03-09-12: Liv at the Base of Lighthouse Peak03-09-12: Liv Between Lighthouse and Coppertone Peaks03-09-12: Liv Climbing Coppertone Peak03-09-12: Liv By Coppertone Peak
      
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    A Backpacker's Life List by Ryan Grayson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.