Yucca in Bloom

Tanya rests

Hike from the falls

Lizard at the falls

Us at the falls

Near trailhead

Warm Up & Cattail Falls

Tanya and I arrived at Panther Junction Visitor Center on Monday morning (March 12) in the midst of spring break chaos. It was my fourth trip to the park and the third for her. We went to get away from our daily strife in the big city, and to hopefully see the splash of color that spring wildflowers bring to the rugged desert.

We planned this trip with the most flexibility because my crazy work schedule did not allow us to make firm dates for accomodations (i.e. no reservations), and all campgrounds and backcountry campsites would likely be full. We prepared to zone camp all four nights if necessary. That's what we wanted, actually.

We obtained zone camping permits for the first three nights: 1) off River Road on the west end (zone SO3), 2) off Old Maverick Road on the north end (zone WO7), and 3) Dominguez Springs (zone SO4). We scored a backcountry roadsite campsite - Nugent Mountain #1 - for the fourth night. We declared it our "easy" night of camping :-)

We stopped first at Croton Springs for a quick warm-up hike, interested to see how things looked after a relatively wet winter. We didn't find flowing water, but the pond was mushy wet. A croaking frog broke the desert silence as we approached. We ate our lunch, but didn't give much thought to the food. My eyes wondered the landscape. I was eager to get on with exploring.

We then drove to the parking lot near the Cattail Falls trailhead and found it packed full of cars. The afternoon was quite nice with dry air and warm sun. The fresh smell and sights of the desert awakened our senses and eased our moods.

The trail was a little crowded, but only relatively so. "Crowded" here meant that we passed another group of hikers about every 5 minutes. The dry heat combined with frequent cool breezes made the afternoon pleasant. Coming from Houston, moist with high humidity, it felt wonderful not to sweat as much.

The falls were trickling steadily into a large, clear pool. The sound of droplets plunking into the deep water echoed off the cliff face. The area around the falls is probably the most serene place in the whole park. We sat in the shade on a large rock and enjoyed the afternoon.

Hiking Out to Camp

Camp on First Night

We headed south on Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, driving slowly to take in the grand views. We stopped at Sotol Vista for a brief time to take photos and enjoy the sights. The rumpled features of the desert spread out before us, the increasing haze intensified their distance.

The afternoon was growing late and we pushed on, eager to make camp for our first night. Our plan was to find a relatively easy area to hike on the north side of River Road. After driving east on River Road about 0.9 miles from Ross Maxwell, we intersected a broad wash that lead north-ish from the road. Just beyond the wash we found a nice spot to park on the right.

The priority was chips-n-salsa and beer. Yes, nuts to the camping gear, we were having some adult snacks first! We joked around and slowly packed our gear for the night. It felt great to stand in the hot, dry air and listen to the stillness of the desert.

We hiked north along the wash, which appeared to lead up to some hills and the mouth of a small canyon. The hike was quick and easy, and we arrived at the mouth of the little canyon in about 15 minutes. What we found was quite surprising - water, and a lot of it!

We ascended the hill to the west of the canyon mouth and hiked a bit more just to get farther from the road. My GPS indicated we'd hiked about 0.7 miles, so I called the distance good and we made camp. (note: you're required to make camp at least 1/2 mile from any road when zone camping in the park)

Just before dinner, I could not contain my curiousity and hiked to a viewpoint over the mouth of the canyon. I discovered the remains of an old rock and concrete dam. Directly below this old dam were several pools of water and a really neat U-shaped shute eroded into the bedrock. We both wished for flowing water, cold beer, and inner tubes :-)

We agreed to explore the dam and canyon in the morning, and we settled into our campsite for dinner and sunset. The air cooled off nicely as the growing shadows enveloped us. Clumps of wildflowers encircling our camp swayed gently in the breeze. We sat in silence and relaxed. The first stars became visible in the clear purple sky and we called it a night.

Ruins of Dam

Unnamed Canyon

Tanya at Santa Elena

Pools Below Dam

TJ and Unnamed Canyon

TJ at Santa Elena

Unnamed Canyon & Old Dam

I was up long before sunrise, eager to meet the day. I love the schedule of camping: to bed at dark, rise before dawn. Most times of the year, this gives you 8 hours or more to sleep - plenty enough - and you get to see sunrise and sunset.

Tanya slept in while I made coffee and scouted around for a good spot to watch and photograph the sunrise. I weaved through the sparse cactus and wildflowers as I wondered the sloping hills surrounding our camp. Tanya rose after sunrise and we ate breakfast.

After packing up our gear, we descended back down to the wash below the dam. We stashed our packs and climbed up towards the dam on its east side where it appeared easier to pass the broken wall of the dam and enter the canyon.

We hiked into the canyon along its broad, flat gravel bottom. We encountered many pools of water and tinajas along the way. After about 1/2 mile from the dam, we came to an impass. It would take serious climbing or getting wet to continue deeper into the canyon, so we decided to turn back. We picked up our overnight packs below the old dam and headed to the truck.

Santa Elena

The Santa Elena Trail parking lot was quite full. Spring breakers were out in full force, but I really wanted Tanya to see the canyon. My first time to visit the canyon was during my previous trip (solo trip). I guess I'd avoided the canyon on our earlier trips to Big Bend due to its popularity and crowds. I'd seen the canyon countless times in photographs. But seeing it in person was more awesome and majestic that I could have imagined. I hoped Tanya would feel the same way.

We walked along the flat banks of Terlingua creek to the confluence with the Rio Grande. The classic V-notch of Santa Elena deepened and evened out as we lined up our view with the Rio Grande coming through the canyon. The river flowed by gently and reflected the clear blue sky like glass.

We could see lines of people in the distance working their way up and down the switchbacks into the canyon. Despite the heavy crowds, we marched on. It was a bit of a pain to hike the trail. At some points we had to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear the narrow passage ahead. We traveled into the canyon as far as we could go, and took a break at the waters edge on a large boulder. Our empty stomachs soon had us on our way.

We ate lunch in the shade after returning to the truck. We had plans to meet up with a friend later in the day, so we pressed on with our schedule.

We decided to establish our campsite for the second night before doing anything else that day. Our zone camping permit was for the area just east of Old Maverick Road along it's north end (near the west entrance of the park). We parked about 1.5 miles south of the west entrance. The road is plenty wide for two vehicles to pass, but we found a good spot off the road in an angled side-track left by a maintenance scraper.

We packed up all the gear necessary for camping overnight (except the food), and hiked about 0.5 miles due east in the hot afternoon sun. We came to an arroyo with gently sloping sides and decided to make camp some distance back from the rim. After marking the spot with the GPS (we would return that evening in the dark), we headed back to the truck.

Badlands

Hummingbird Moth

Cactus w/ Blooms

Tanya w/ Camera

Cracked Earth

TJ in Badlands

We met up with JamesB (we're members of Bigbendchat.com) in Study Butte, and then traveled to a spot just north and slightly east of Maverick Mountain. There, we found an awesome area of badlands.

We explored in the late afternoon sun and watched a thunderstorm pass east of us and settle over the Chisos. For a while, the clouds obscured the sky and we took a break in a dry wash. There were small clumps of wildflowers in the wash and a small flying critter amongst the flowers. The little beastie turned out to be a white-striped sphynx hummingbird moth.

Just as I grabbed the camera and telephoto lens, the sun broke through and illuminated the vibrant colors of the wildflowers. It was a perfect moment. I stalked the hummingbird moth for a while and shot many photos trying to capture it. It was a challenge given the moth's sporadic and quick flight pattern.

We hung around the badlands while the warm golden light turned to soft hues of orange and pink. The setting sun gradually transformed the barren hills and rocks into a pastel wonderland. Just as the first stars peered through the lavender sky, we set off to satisfy our growling stomachs at the Starlight Theatre.

The food and beer were quite good, but the fatigue from a long, active day caught up with us. Finding our campsite in the dark was fairly easy. We parked in the "scrape-off" and found our way to the tent using headlamps and the GPS.

I was a little worried about all the time we'd eat up doing this minimal zone-camping thing, but it wasn't too bad. The trick was finding spots like that where the 0.5 mile hike was through flat, open terrian easy to navigate.

Vermillion Flycatcher

Cottonwoods at RGV

Morning

I was up early to greet the sunrise. I set about taking photos and exploring the area. I made coffee, grabbed a few breakfast bars, and proceded with burning up my memory cards.

We didn't hang around too long. We were eager for showers and to get on to our next hike - Dominguez Springs.

Just as we arrived back at the truck, Tanya gasped loudly. This scared the pee out of me as my first thought was SNAKE! She had actually spotted a red-tailed hawk sitting on a nearby telephone pole.

I dropped my pack and crept up to the pole with my camera. I was able to walk right up to the base of the pole while taking photos without the hawk flying off. It peered down at me but wasn't spooked. It just sat there watching. It was a neat moment, but I decided the hawk had probably spotted breakfast and was waiting for the right time to fly. I was just interfering, so I took a few more shots and then we left.

We stopped briefly in Panther Junction to get gas, make a phone call, and use the restrooms. We strayed away from human contact given our condition. I could almost see the brown-green fumes radiating from my body. Two days of camping with no showers will make you reek! :-)

Rio Grande Village

Ever wonder why the $1.50 showers at Rio Grande Village "blast" you so severely with a powerful spray? I think it's to help knock off baked-on backcountry dust :-) After two days, we seriously needed it along with loads of soap.

After a thorough scrubbing, we packed our overnight packs for the next hike. This would be a long one and we were careful to get it right. Having a printed checklist of supplies was perfect - I reviewed it a few times and Tanya double checked things.

We then drove west to the picnic area in RGV and spread out in the shade of the giant cottonwoods. We ate a big lunch and watched for a flash of red in the trees. There was a vermillion flycatcher darting about and everyone had their eyes on it.

Taking a Break

The Springs!

Resting in Shade

Sunset on Mariscal Mt.

The drive from Rio Grande Village to the Dominguez Springs trailhead took about 1.5 hours. Tanya napped a little as we bumped along River Road. I was amazed at the wildflowers along the way. There were several small fields of color between the turnoff to River Road and the intersection with Black Gap Road.

The trailhead was deserted under the cloudless sky. The temp was 92°F, so I squeezed a few more water bottles into our ready-to-go packs (we had about 1.5 gallons each). The sign stating "thefts have occured in the past" caused us a little anxiety, so we squeezed in a few more items (things that were very important but totally useless for the hike): cell phones, IDs, money, credit cards, etc.

We set off about 3pm hoping to hike the 7 mile trail by sunset. Dominguez Peak and the Punta de la Sierra seemed so far away. I think we were both doubting ourselves, but I put us at ease by figuring that we could camp anywhere along the way if we couldn't make the springs by nightfall. Our zone camping permit allowed that since the S04 zone enclosed the entire trail.

We've done strenuous and long hikes together before. The usual routine during our hikes is that we talk little and bury our minds in our own thoughts. Trails will often allow only single-file travel which inhibits conversation. When you're sweating, breathing hard, and trying to avoid tripping and planting your face into solid rock, chatting about this-and-that isn't going to happen.

The Dominguez Springs trail (actually an old road most of the way) was wide enough for us to walk abreast. It has a steady incline, but gentle enough that it's not terribly strenuous. We found ourselves talking continuously about everything. Big bend, future trips, books, careers, children, life, etc. It was good quality time together and exactly what we needed. I felt the stress and distance caused by my frequent and long out-of-town work trips dissipate. I felt reunited with a good friend and reminded why I love my wife.

We took a break after the first 2.5 miles and then another 2 miles later. After the second break, the trail steepened and deteriorated into a series of washes. We were directly east of the Punta de la Sierra and south of Dominguez Mountain.

We made the first 4.5 miles in good time, averaging about 3.3 mph (excluding breaks). The rest of the trail was not so easy. We found it very difficult to follow the braided washes as they would frequently end and we'd have to shift east or west through rocks and thick bushes to find another open wash. The breeze died down at this point and the late afternoon sun bore down on us. We were driven by the thought of completion - the springs weren't too far away.

We found no cairns or established trail. As we traveled north, we zig-zagged east to west a little in hopes of picking up a better path. The best we could do was hike in the washes and transfer over to the next wash as the previous one ended.

In the last half mile, we finally discovered a cairn. At this point, our "trail" opened up into a broad, flat wash and the hiking became significantly better. After 6.4 miles from the trailhead (according to my GPS), the wash branched and a cairn marked a path to the left. Immediatly after turning, we found another cairn that lead us up a hill to the right.

As the hill leveled out, we caught first sight of the old corral. The sun had dropped behind the Punta de la Sierra and the shade was most welcome. We dropped our packs and looked around in disbelief that we'd actually made the whole distance. It had taken us nearly 4 hours.

The old ranch sits on top of a hill in the middle of a beautiful, peaceful valley. Jagged mountain peaks towering over this spot isolate it well. The view to the southeast is spectacular at sunset - the clear view of Mariscal Mountain bathed in late evening light is beautiful.

We explored a little bit further and came upon the ruins of a multi-room rock house. Just past the house we found remains of an old rock and concrete dam. Water trickled steadily through the missing mid-section of the dam and we found a few small pools upstream.

All the physical activity caught up with us. We became aware how tired and hungry our bodies had become. We'd just traveled 6.5 miles (according to my GPS) in direct sun through open desert in low-90's temps. And with heavy overnight packs too!

We set up camp in a flat spot near the old corral. We ate our food, had a baby-wipe bath, and hit the sack.

Exploring Beyond Springs

Early Cactus Bloom

Morning at Dominguez Springs and Hiking Back

Despite the serene location and lack of human annoyance, I slept horribly. I love to be in isolated locations like that, but I guess subconsciously I'm a bit afraid. There's no one around and help is far away. If we got into trouble, it would be a very difficult situation.

I bailed out of the tent about 4:30am under the most beautiful skies I'd ever seen. I just had to wake up Tanya to look at the stars. They were brilliant in the clear, moonless sky and I'd never seen them so bright. The remoteness and isolation of Dominguez Springs provided an awesome location for star gazing. I broke out the camera and tripod and made two very long exposures to catch the mountains and star trails.

I mangaged a little more sleep, but we both got up long before sunrise. We ate breakfast and packed up everything. We discussed exploring the area beyond the springs. We felt fatigued from the previous days of hiking, but we decided to make an effort to see as much as we could stand. We had come so far and wanted to make the best of it.

We left our packs and set off to the old dam. Beyond the dam is a nice stretch of bedrock. A lot of it was slick from the steady trickle of water coming from the springs. After a short distance, the rock gave way to the gravel bottom of a typical wash and the water disappeared.

We continued along the wash heading roughly west. The area was lush and beautiful with many small trees lining the wash. We found a few mushy spots where the water collected just below the surface of the gravel, but no pools or tinajas. We hiked about a mile up from the dam, and called it quits. We picked up our packs on the way down, and set off for the long journey back to the truck.

The return hike was much easier. It was a little cooler, all downhill, and our packs were lighter. We hummed along covering the distance quickly and easily. Our joints hurt and muscles ached, but the rhythym of hiking took over our bodies and propelled us down the trail.

About 2 miles from the trailhead, we encountered our first human contact since the previous day. A nice gentleman from Katy was making a dayhike up to the springs. We stopped and chatted for a bit. Tanya asked about our truck and he responded, "is it the black Ford with the broken windows and all the contents pulled out?" I think Tanya and I both tensed up and had a brief moment of panic before we realized the guy was just joking. We had been worried about a break-in.

We all had a good tension-releasing laugh and chatted some more. We eventually parted ways - us eager to get back to the truck and the other guy setting off to explore a new area of the park for him.

Junkin' Out at RGV

Tanya at Boq. Overlook

Bluebonnets!

Thunderhead & Sierra del Carmen

Sunburst

Coyote

Rainbow

Cloudy Morning and Parting Gifts

The weather turned cloudy and windy the last morning. We awoke to gray skies and the fresh smell of rain. I slept great and found the energy to spring up and get going. We quickly packed up and scarfed down a few breakfast bars.

I was disappointed not to see a colorful sunrise, but we were both tired and eager to get home to our son. We missed him terribly and wanted to get on with the long drive back to Houston.

We stopped at Panther Junction to turn in our permits. The stiff breeze carried a moist, fresh smell that promised rain. The air was energizing and I wished we could have stayed a bit longer to see the storms.

As we headed up 385, we encountered three amazing and wonderful sights - parting gifts for our last minutes in the park. The first was an amazing sunburst. As the rising sun found a break in the clouds, shafts of light broke through and illuminated the east side of the park. I just had to pull over for a few photos.

Then, just south of Tornillo creek, we crested a hill and saw a coyote in the road ahead. It loped west off the road but not far. I stopped and lowered the window. The coyote loped off slowly, allowing me to take several photos.

Finally, somewhere past the Dagger Flat road, sunlight broke through the clouds and illuminated the desert in front of the Rosillos Mountains. A faint rainbow appeared against the dark clouds.

These were sights that by themselves would keep us coming back to Big Bend over and over. It is a wonderful place. It recharges your soul and sets you right. It is therapy on a natural scale. It is an experience worth having again and again.

We'll be back again... soon.

Red Buffalo

Petroglyphs

These photos were taken from sensitive areas in the park. We visited these areas briefly during our trip as we traveled around the park. These areas are not well known and are not advertised to the public. The reason behind this is to help protect them from vandalism and destruction. Already, a small amount of graffiti has appeared near and on these artifacts.

So, enjoy the images but please don't ask where they are. I fear they will be completely destroyed by vandalism in the near future.