4 Days in Big Bend
From canyon cliffs to abandon mines to Hot Springs, we saw a bit of everything today. We started off the day slow, enjoying the glory of the morning. By 11AM we took off down a beat-up dirt road toward our trailhead at Mariscal Canyon. The road was so rough that we looked for an alternative to our planned hike. Still anxious to explore, we unanimously pushed on to the canyon. It took about 90 minutes to complete the 30 mile drive, and our motion sickness almost ruined our lunch.
Upward and onward
Fueled up, we started off on what seemed like an easy trail, slowly meandering through a wash out turned into a calf burning, blood pumping, 1000 foot climb. Crossing cacti and loose rock, we finally caught a glance of the Rio Grande through the canyon. Encouraged, we pushed on to the top, but soon we had trouble deciphering where to end. After a quick backtrack, our travels halted at the canyon’s rim. Only pictures will suffice:
It wouldn’t be a trip without a foot shot
After photographing every single angle, we returned to the ‘Burb. Along the way, we agreed to cook dinner before cleansing 5 days of dirt and oil in the Hot Springs. We soon found out we weren’t the only ones with the same idea. But who could notice while feasting on Kevin’s famous backcountry cuisine? This night’s meal featured cheese sausage, salmon, and chicken with noodles and potatoes, washed down with a chocolate bar.
Call it what you want… I call it good
Thoroughly stuffed, we ignored Mama’s advice to wait 30 minutes and journeyed to the Springs. No sooner had we found our oasis than we were greeted by a ‘spirited’ half dozen soon to be friends. The first to introduce himself was none other than a Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of ’04 A-Company Crapper (a baritone player in the Aggie Band). Drew, an 11th time visitor to Big Bend, gave us the full history of the park and told us of a couple of secret places not on the park maps including Cattail Falls and some cave that leads to a canyon near a rockslide.
Orion’s belt
The details aren’t too important. What matters is that even though our journey had ended, there was so much more of Big Bend to explore on our next adventure.
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