A Couple of Desert Hikes

I am posting two journal entries today because I was unable to get an internet connection yesterday.

Yesterday, we went for a hike recommended by the park ranger for the petroglyphs found on the geologic formation they call the “Chimneys”.  The hike was through the desert 3 miles to these huge rock formations.  We went in the morning to try to avoid the heat of the afternoon.  Although we were back at the truck shortly after noon, the sun was already pretty brutal.   When the rangers say “get an early start” I think they really mean before daylight.  We survived, however, and it was a very interesting hike.

This morning, we met a ranger for a hike out to another archeological site.  It was also a desert hike, but only a mile one way instead of three.  We always like the ranger-led hikes and there was a fairly large group who went along with us.  The petroglyphs were not nearly as good nor as extensive as the ones we had seen yesterday.  That was disappointing.  We saw more mortal holes and some rocks arranged in a circle the ranger said were remnants of fire pits.

Today’s hike was not as rewarding as yesterday’s.  Perhaps it was because it was too much of the same thing two days in a row.  Maybe it’s just because we aren’t all that excited about desert hiking.

I am making this short in an attempt to post earlier.  I seem to be able to get a better internet connection earlier in the day.

Big Bend National Park--The Desert

Big Bend National Park is the largest expanse of Chihuahuan Desert in the United States characterized by gravelly soil and less than 10 inches of rain a year.  Like you would expect, it is a dry, arid region where life exists in spite of the climate.  Wildlife consists of packrats, jack rabbits, snakes and lizards, coyotes, and deer.  We’ve seen it all except the packrat and the snake was dead so he may not count.  The plants are low scrub, mesquite trees and many, many types of cactus.

It seems a very harsh environment and one that I don’t particularly enjoy.  However, this is the peak cactus flowering season and to my amazement they are quite beautiful.  You just can’t get too close.

The photos don’t do the desert justice.  It is one of those things where you have to be there to experience the glare of the sun in you eyes, feel the breath of hot air as it moves against you skin, and endure the heat.  But perhaps you can experience the beauty of the blooming cactus.

Enjoy.

The Window Trail

After a good nights sleep, we jumped out of bed raring to go this morning.  We managed to sip coffee later than we intended to, but still got a pretty early start.  By the time we drove the 25 miles to the trailhead, we were wishing we had left earlier.

Our destination is the "V" in the center.

The “window”, the destination of this hike, is an opening carved out of the rock by Oak Creek.  The hike was definitely worth the view.

The trail winds on a steady downhill grade from the Chisos Basin Campground for 2.2 miles to the opening at the window.  The trail was in very good condition and a very pleasant walk.  Even the uphill trek back to the campground was not bad because it was such a gradual climb. We had been advised to do this hike in the morning as there is no shade.  From that statement I had it in my mind that there would be no trees.  There were plenty of trees interspersed with cactus for almost the entire distance.  The trail was wide and the trees were short so they really did offer very little shade.  

We intersected Oak Creek approximately a half mile from the window and followed it down to where it fell through the opening and off the mountain.  It was a little too scary for me to get too close to the edge, but the view was awesome nevertheless.

Very little water in Oak Creek

I made a few pictures and we had a snack on the cool rock before starting the return trip.  While we sat there, the skies became a little overcast.  It was the perfect thing to have happened.  The clouds blocked the worst of the sun for our return trip.

Looking out the "window"

The Chisos Basin Campground caused a bit of nostalgic longing that tugged at our emotions briefly.  It was a pretty large campground with perhaps 50-60 sites tucked away in mountains at 5400 feet.  There were a few small RVs, but mostly tents or pop-up campers.  The road up here is paved, but relatively narrow with sharp curves and steep grades not suitable for large rigs.  Each campsite had a picnic table, some were even covered.  They also had bear proof food storage boxes.  This park has a few bears and apparently a few mountain lions.  Some of the tent sites were tucked away in the trees so well you almost couldn’t see them.   Ahh, those were the days.

It has become imperative that I do a little laundry, run the vacuum, and swish some cleaner around in the sinks.  That will be good for tomorrow along with exploring the ghost town of Terlingua.

Big Bend National Park--The River

Big Bend gets it name for the “big bend” of the Rio Grande River, the southern boundary of the park, which changes from a southeasterly to northeasterly flow.  The landscape is diverse with desert, mountains and canyons each with their own individual plant and animal habitats.

Along the park road

Of course, there are many ways to see Big Bend.  Probably most visitors stay in their cars and drive the paved roads, all of which lead to the River.  Others like the adventure of paddling the Rio Grande.  This is a great place for a rugged 4-wheel drive along the many miles of unimproved roads.  For us, though, we want to get out and walk on the land.

After our initial drive to the Visitor Center yesterday, we studied the brochures and information we got from the Ranger.  We had originally planned to do a 4.5 mile hike this morning, having been strongly encouraged to get out early before it got hot.  However, I slept poorly last night and having gotten little sleep the night before, I was in no shape nor mood to rush out at the crack of dawn today.  But we are flexible so it was easy to change to something less strenuous which did not require an early start.  Instead of the hike, we drove the 50 miles to the east side of the park at the Rio Grande Village area.

A Group of 5 mortar holes

This park is described in three parts—the mountains, the desert, and the river.  We went to the river today.  I packed a lunch and we drove on the main east/west park road past park headquarters at Panther Junction and the Visitor Center we visited yesterday to Rio Grande Village.  Village may be an optimistic word to describe this area which consists of another smaller Visitor Center, a small store, a gas station, and a campground.  We had our lunch in the picnic area which was really at the end of the tent camping area.  This area was just a hundred yards or so from the river and through irrigation it is kept green and even has trees.  It was pretty nice actually.  The campground was typical of National Parks with no hook-ups.  There was a dump station, for you convenience.  The parking pads were large enough for big rigs and the sites were large and grassy.  There were some trees, not a lot, but enough to provide a little shade.

Boquillas Canyon was a few more miles east of Rio Grande Village.  This was one of the areas recommended by the ranger for a short hike with interesting features.  Of course, the main feature was the Rio Grande River.  There was a pull-off on the road and a couple vantage points along the hike that offered great views of the river.  The first part of the hike took us past an area of perhaps 15 mortar holes.  These holes had been created hundreds of years ago by natives grinding seeds.  We were surprised at the depth of some of the holes.

At Boquillas Canyon the River is relatively narrow.  We walked along the rocky river bank with the canyon walls rising over a thousand feet above our heads.

Tomorrow, if I am able to sleep well tonight, we’ll go for our hike in the mountains.

By the way, yesterday evening I had a very difficult time getting my story posted and photos uploaded.  The WiFi the campground advertized is almost nonexistent, plus you have to go down to the restaurant to get it.  We have an air card, but cell service is not all that great here, either.  I’ll do the best I can.

A Last Look at Big Bend

This is our last day at Big Bend.  It is unlike any other place we have ever been.

I cannot leave without giving equal time to the mountain section of the park.  The Chisos Mountains are located roughly in the middle of the park and rise to a height of over 7800 feet.  The highest concentration of foot trails are in the mountains rather than the desert.  Our hike to the window was from the Chisos Basin, a “bowl” in the middle of the mountains.  There is only one 6-mile road that goes into this mountain area.  Most of these photos were taken from that road.  The others were made from the main road through the park or from the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.

The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive ends at the Santa Elena Canyon.  From here, canoeists and rafters put in for a float down the Rio Grande River to Rio Grande Village on the eastern side of the park.  There are camps along this nearly 100 mile stretch.  You could actually take out at almost any of the camps since they can be reached by 4-wheel drive vehicles. In Terlinqua and Study Butte there are several river outfitters who are happy to rent canoes, rafts, guides, supplies, and transportation services.

We have really enjoyed our visit to Big Bend.  However, it is time to leave now.  We are anxious to get out of the heat and wind of south Texas.  Today, we have spent preparing to move tomorrow and resting a bit.  We have been on the go since we got here.

Tomorrow, we start our run for New Mexico and Carlsbad Caverns.  We will stop for the night tomorrow at the small town of Alpine so that we can visit Fort Davis National Historic Site.  Hopefully, internet access will be better there.