Henning, Sam, and I (Frijole Ridge Traverse pt 1)

Message From the Host:

I think this is my favorite picture from the trip. At this point… we were wrecked. Physically drained. Mentally spent. Thorns in our legs… even pushing through our shoes into our feet. We were running on fumes… knowing we still had a 5-mile road walk to the empty ranger station. But we also knew… we still had each other. This is why we love the Guadalupe Mountains. And this is why there’s nothing like the bond you build with your hiking brothers. Sam, Henning, we’ve been through some things out there… long miles, bad decisions, a little suffering… and somehow even conversations about why are we doing this. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. Appreciate you both more than you know. Already looking forward to the next one.

Episode Description:

This one started like a lot of Guadalupe Mountains ideas do…

“Hey, there’s this ridge we haven’t done yet.”

Frijole Ridge, another 8,000-foot peak, and a line on the map that looked just sketchy enough to be worth it.

In Part 1, we sit down and rewind to the beginning, before the thorns, before the exhaustion, before things got real.

I’m joined by Sam and Henning, and we break down what actually led us to say yes to this hike in the first place. What pulled each of us into it, what we thought it would be, and how our past experiences in the Guads shaped those expectations.

We talk through the planning, how we landed on the route, what 10 miles and 3,700 feet of gain looked like on paper versus what it felt like in reality, and the role weather played in whether this hike was even a go.

There’s also a real look at the risks we discussed beforehand, the bailout plan we had in our back pocket, and who was the most confident heading into it (and why that matters more than you think).

We get into gear, what we brought specifically for a Guadalupe Mountains hike, what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons that were already starting to surface before the day even really began.

And then… we hit the ridge.

That moment when expectations start to shift. When you realize this might not be “just another hike.”

This is Part 1 of the Frijole Ridge Traverse, the setup, the mindset, and the decisions that shaped everything that came next.

👉 If you’ve ever looked at a line on a map and thought “that looks doable…” , this episode is for you.

Subscribe now so you don’t miss Part 2… where things really start to unravel. :)