The night passes without incident and I wake up with the sun. I’m awake, but not physically up yet. The frigid desert morning is not ideal for coaxing one out of ones toasty warm sleeping bag, but the anticipation of my first hike is enough getting me moving. The tent comes down much easier than it went up last night. Camp is broken, everything packed up and I head back down the the 7 miles to the road. The early morning is eerily quiet, the the crunch of my tires over loose gravel is the only sound until an owl flaps wildly out of the tall brush and across the road. A lone tree, miserable looking and leafless, releases a flock of giant ravens as my jeep approaches. Finally I reach the road and take the turn towards Chisos Basin.
The basin is referred to as an island of green nestled in a sea of desert. It’s an oasis. As you climb the road up over the foothills and down into the basin, the desert brush falls away and a woody forest takes it place. The road climbs and descends number of switch backs until you break through the wall that is the Chisos Mountains and reach the 3 mile wide basin. The mountains are all around you, menacing and angry looking. They are a fortress, a natural castle, protection from the harsh landscape that surrounds them. Formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago, looking around, one can’t help but marvel at the power of nature.
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| Campground in Chisos Basin |
The campground is surround by forests that cling to the slopes up until the air becomes too thin and the mountains too steep. There’s a small store to stock up on food and supplies, rooms, and whole cottages for rent, and a full service restaurant and bar. Hardly roughing it, but with the full glory of the Chisos standing sentry between you and the rest of civilization, it becomes a world unto itself.
Packing for my hike is trial and error. I know the things I will definitely need, but as I go through the jeep, I keep finding things MIGHT need. Rain gear? In the desert? I know if I don’t bring it, there will be a monsoon, extra batteries, just in case. How much water? A gallon a day? Its still hard to judge so I fill up as many containers as I can fit in my pack. Water IS life out here, and I’d hate to die of dehydration on my first hike. When I'm satisfied, I zip up and hoist it onto my back. It’s heavy….really heavy, but I test it out with few wobbly paces and the weight feels alright. I can do this, I think, the first leg is only about 4 miles….no problem. Hell, I walked 10 miles in my crocs on my last vacation, this is nothing. With that, I'm off down the Pinnacles Trail toward Emory Peak, the highest point in the park. The plan is to camp at the base of it tonight, in boot canyon, and make for the south rim tomorrow. Come back to my site for another night, and then back to the trailhead the next day.
The plan starts off without a hitch and I’m enjoying the beautiful weather. The sun is warm but the air is cool, sweater weather. My favorite. Periodically, you get a break in the trees and you can see Casa Grande. The massive flat topped mountain that is the calling card of these mountains and landmark for most of Big Bend. Nooks and crannies, crevices and caves coat it’s sides, the simple presence of it humbles me, and I can almost feel its weight towering over me. All these new stimuli work together to create a sense of calm serenity in your chest that makes you feel privileged to be in this particular place at this particular time. Away from the timers, and schedules, and alarms and deadlines that clog a conventional life with stress and disappointments. This is how life should be.
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