High Times at Big Bend (Big Bend NP)

Monday, 31 October 2022, Study Butte TX

NOTE: One reader commented on my last blog, "That whole adventure was much less than overwhelming to me." I take that as a compliment, as it shows that I accurately conveyed the nature of the day. Not every day on the road is a great day, but I try to press on.

A success opened my Monday: I managed to reverse the directions that got me to Eco-Ranch yesterday, and safely returned to the highway. At least now I had some confidence that I could return this evening for my final night stay.

I returned to the Visitor Center for my passport stamp, and to watch the park film. Hearing about the history, geology, and biome of the park helps give me context for what I see around me. Big Bend, if you compare it to other parks, could be an amalgam of Saguaro and Great Basin, with a pinch of Zion for flavoring.

For today's feature venue, I chose the Chisos Basin.

In the center of the park, the Basin provides a high-altitude 'island in the sky', a zone where more temperate life flourishes. These mountains - the only mountain chain contained entirely within a National Park - began as volcanic eruptions, followed by many millions of years of sculpting by Mother Nature.

The ranger had recommended the Window trail - and mentioned that I could catch a connector from the campground that could take a mile off my hike. Armed with that knowledge, I drove down the campground road. At the entrance, a sign directed hikers to the left for parking. I hopped out of the car, saw the sign for the Window trailhead, and headed up the trail. Five minutes later, I came down the trail, back to the car to grab my water bottles, and set off again. Hmmm... I thought the description of the trail said it ran downhill all the way to the Window, so why I am climbing?

Sure enough, this trail led to the lodge, where the main Window trail starts. So much for a shortcut! As this new trail descended, it eventually passed a trail that connected back to the campground. As I found out on my return, that trail reaches the road by campsite 49. From there, I followed the road back to the car. Just before I got there - my car was in sight! - I noticed the bulletin board where campers register. A small flyer on that board states where to pick up the connecting trail. Shouldn't that notice be prominently displayed where the hikers can see it, instead of just the campers?

I pointed that out later in an email to my park contact, to get my only complaint about the day off my mind. Now I could concentrate on the spectacular scenery surrounding me:

red rocks encircling the basin, soaring into the sky: a blanket of green covering the mild slopes - even a touch of autumn color at points.

After circling the basin, the trail ended up in a dry wash heading to the Window. (The Window is a narrow cleft in the rocks from which a waterfall will pour during wet times. Not today.)

I walked through a mixture of alpine plants and desert succulents. At a few points, I noticed a Century plant (agave), which (according to the park film) will grow for up to 50 years [sorry, but half-a-century plant doesn't sound as exciting], then spend all its energy blooming in its big reproductive event. Then it dies, though it can stay standing for a few more years.

At one (rare) shady point, a bird with brilliant blue plumage flew by me. As I looked in the tree, I noticed at least three of them, hopping about. For a few minutes I tried to get a picture of one through the branches, to little effect. Then a butterfly coasted by, and I took off to capture its portrait. To a bystander, I must have looked like a child on the seashore: Look! There's another shiny shell! Oooh!

Eventually the streambed segued into a slot canyon. At this point, a trickle of water appears, flowing over the slickrock, forming miniature waterfalls.

The trail transitioned also, scampering over the slickrock, or climbing and descending stairs constructed of concrete and stone - an interesting approach I've not seen in any other park. It made for a delightful diversion.

After cascading over a two-foot waterfall, the trickle disappeared underground. Gone, vanished. Just past that, the slot canyon ended at the pouroff, a slickrock ledge changing from horizontal. I sat down and inched toward the edge, but the smooth surface of the rock discouraged me from going far enough to where I could look over the edge. Not worth risking my life!

As advertised, the return was consistently uphill - not steep, but not flat. This let me regain confidence in my ability to hike uphill. The last time I faced a strenuous hike was last month in Bryce Canyon, where the trail had me gasping with each step. This time I reported no difficulty. My normal rapid pace must have tailed off, though, since I did get passed by a foursome of other hikers.

Not quite 3:00 - I have time for one more hike before the long drive 'home' to Eco-Ranch. The Lost Mine Trail, named after a legendary gold mine in the Chisos that no one has yet found, "offers spectacular desert and mountain views at the one-mile point and beyond." At the start, it offered higher views of the basin feeding into the Window - beautiful, but not significantly different from what I'd immersed myself in already.

Then I climbed over a slight ridge - and a panorama of the back side presented itself, stealing my breath away: mountain ridges covered with forests, sloping in the far distance to the more arid elevations.

As I stodd marveling at the scene, a couple I'd passed earlier caught up to me. Matt and Diana quickly revealed that they were visiting from Germany, out seeing our parks. On four trips in the last four years, they've seen 46 of our parks. We chatted awhile about the beauty available in these treasured lands, and I gave them the link to my blogs.

I didn't quite make it to the end of the Lost Mine Trail, with the spectre of my long drive looming. On my way back, I decided to cook at camp again, picking up groceries in Terlingua/Study Butte. I had my Garmin search for 'grocery stores', and it recommended the Cottonwood General Store. The next closest store it found lay 57 miles away.

Welcome to West Texas!

NOTE: The next day, I emailed my park contact this note:

Claudia -

I just wanted to pass on that I was highly impressed with the job that NPS has done with Big Bend.

Of special note: I took the Window hike yesterday, and found it delightful. When I got about a quarter-mile away from the pouroff, suddenly a small amount of water appeared in the stream. It passed along the otherwise dry streambed, flowed over the slickrock, and formed miniature waterfalls. Then it cascaded over a final waterfall - and disappeared!

I looked very closely, but I could see no trace of the pipes or the (solar-powered?) recirculating water pump your crews must have installed for that nifty water feature. You have done a fantastic job!

[I still await her response...]