Wes, Clay and Bill In Big Bend National Park

My son Wes, nephew Clay and I started our journey to Big Bend National Park on Friday, December 31 at 9:00 am.  Actually, it was really Clay and I as we drove to Baton Rouge to pick up Wes.  We stayed Friday night at my Mother's and were blessed with a bowl of Chicken and Sausage Gumbo which was fantastic.  We rose early on New Years morning and picked up Wes to begin our adventure.

Jack Wesley got up early to see his daddy and papaw off on the trip.  Wes was ready to go when we got there meaning he was really fired up to go.  Normally, Wes moves on island time but not this day.  The group was full of anticipation even though it would be Sunday before we actually got to hike.

Our route took us through Lafayette, Lake Charles, Beaumont, Houston, San Antonio, Del Rio and then Marathon, Texas where we would spend the night.  We were supposed to go to Fort Stockton, Texas to spend the first night but we made a fortunate wrong turn and wound up going down Highway 90 out of San Antonio through Del Rio.  What beautiful country that turned out to be.  Mesas, mountains, Lake Amistad, deer, javalena and other sights were seen all along the route.  We arrived in Marathon, Texas around 7 pm.  We stayed at the Marathon Motel in one of the all time small rooms.  With a roll away bed we did not have enough room to even open the bathroom door so if we had the urge then we had to refold up the roll away.  After a late dinner of Mexican food we called it a night.

We awoke early and left Marathon around 6 am.  We arrived in the park around 7:15 and made a water cache in the desert at Homer Wilson Ranch House then proceeded to Panther Junction Ranger Station.  The personnel at the ranger station were very helpful and courteous.  I was able to obtain a senior pass for free admission to all national parks for life.  This was a great value for $10 and you can only get it at a national park.  We obtained our backcountry permit and we were off to the basin to begin our trip.

After Wes required us all to have a late breakfast in the lodge we went to the car, put our packs on and began our trip up the Pinnacles trail, East Rim Trail and finally our first destination of the Southeast Rim and campsite SE3.  The route up was a little harder from a cardio standpoint than I thought it was going to be.  I had not done that hike in many years and had forgotten how tiring it could be.  We were carrying 6 liters of water a piece and full food load so we were as heavy as we would be for the whole trip.  Once we cleared the saddle and into the mountains I really felt the trip had begun.  After arriving at the campsite we got everything set up and then visited the southeast rim for some great sightseeing and sunset watching.

Clay and I used hammocks to sleep that night and Wes used his tent.  It was a very cold and windy night and the hammocks while very comfortable proved to be a little chilly.  Clay did not have a tarp to cut the wind so he was especially cold.  My hammock and tarp worked well but I still got a little chilled during the night.  I am going to invest in an under-quilt at some time in the near future.

We arose to a beautiful morning and went to see the rim and a great sunrise.  After a leisurely breakfast and coffee we headed over to Southwest Rim campsite 4 for another day and night in the Chisos.  Clay and Wes had never been to Emory Peak so they headed to see the sights while I got camp set up and spent some quiet time looking out from the Southwest Rim and visiting with some other hikers as they made their way through.  Upon returning from Emory we finished a wonderful day with a great sunset from the Southwest Rim.

We had a deer in our campsite that night as we were getting ready for bed.   The deer are not tame in  the mountains but they have become accustomed to people.  I am sure this large doe was just waiting to see what scraps could be acquired while we slept.  After a nice dinner of freeze dried food (sarcasm) we were off to bed.  We used tents that night but the wind either did not blow as much or we were more sheltered than the night before.  As a plug for Big Agnes, I used the air mattress and had a wonderful nights sleep.  This is something that rarely happens to me with my arthritic shoulder but I was more than pleased with the result.

The next morning Wes and Clay wanted to see the sunrise so they headed to the rim.

We were off and running early that morning headed down the mountain through Blue Creek Canyon and the Homer Wilson Ranch House.  We were low on water but had enough to make the trek.  The hike down the canyon was beautiful.  Unfortunately Wes began to have some trouble with his feet.  When we arrived at the ranch house we had finished the last of our water.  It was about 1:30 in the afternoon and the temperature was in the middle 70's.  Clay and I went and retrieved our water cache and returned to the ranch house.

I took a look at Wes's feet and was not pleased.  He had major blisters on both feet and I knew right away that he was in trouble.  The Dodson Trail is rocky, long and hot.  Wes was struggling just to get down Blue Creek with his bad feet.  I had to make a decision since we were at the point of no return place in our trip.  After consulting with Wes and Clay I felt it in the best interest of the group not to chance a bad experience for Wes.  He was very disappointed because he thought he had let down the group.  We assured Wes that it could happen to anyone and not to feel guilty.

I walked to the road from the desert and was able to hitch a ride with a couple from New Mexico.  At first the husband was not sure what to think of me but his wife assured him that I would not rob or kill them.  I got in the back of their pickup truck and made the 20 mile ride to the basin.  After making a change in our backcountry permit I returned to the ranch house and retrieved the boys.

We spent the night at Grapevine Hills and got ready to leave the park the next morning.   As I got into the car to start the return trip--dead battery.  They boys had been playing music with their ipod and left the door to the truck open and down went the battery.  Luckily we had cell service and raised the ranger station.  About 45 minutes later a ranger arrived on the scene and we got a jump.  What a relief that was.

We were able to do some sightseeing that day and headed out of the park that afternoon.  We arrived in Baton Rouge on Thursday and Birmingham on Friday.  Then we watched LSU beat Texas A & M in the Cotton Bowl.  Geaux Tigers.

To view picutres of the trip go to the following link.
http://picasaweb.google.com/williamw.keith/BigBend2011WithWesAndClay?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7675rfhPv-7gE#

We really had a great time on this hike.  I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my son and really get to know my nephew.  Wes and Clay really bonded during this trip and I am sure they will be life long friends.  Next year I will make a return trip and hopefully it will last longer but you never know what to expect from Big Bend National Park.  If you love the outdoors or backpacking this is one great place to see and experience.