Big Bend [Day2] - South Rim

It's day #2. After a tossy-turny night of frigid sleeping, I wake up at 8am with numb feet. I've never felt the cold, dead feet of a cadaver, but I'd have to guess it's kinda similar. "Splendid," I thought to myself. Apparently, a 22 degree night in The Basin was too great an opponent for my Kelty bag. With jittery bodies, we shook the ice off the tents, broke down the camp, and loaded up our packs. We 4 yayhoos were ready to hit the mountain trails!

After 3.4 miles and 1,300 feet elevation gain on the Laguna Meadows trail, we cut left down Colima and dropped our gear at site #3. Now free from our burdensome backpacks, we felt like 90lb. girls as we skipped down the trail (clarification: that's how our legs felt, not our inner beings).

For the rest of the afternoon, we hiked the South Rim. This 7 mile loop is regarded as one of Texas' classic hikes. And for good reason! The trail leads you along the very edge of a 2,000 foot drop to the dessert landscape below. This platform offers hikers uninhibited views of good ol' Mexico. The 2 photos above give you a small taste of the glorious panoramas we got to drop our jaws over.

The oval-like trail began its final curve, leading us north and west back into the tree line. Once in the shade, we found the paths patched with snow and ice that remained from the storm a couple weeks prior. I really enjoyed how the cacti and snow made such an odd couple. Yet in Big Bend, that sort of relationship is normal. Upon our return to camp, we plopped our weary selves down on a fallen tree and ate as many calories as possible for dinner. The 11+ mile marathon day was behind us and the fear of another frosty night loomed ahead. We had some good Bible time in the tents, but the night was still young. So we braided one another's hair, had a spirited pillow fight, talked about our latest crushes, and watched Grease 3 times in one sitting. And that was day numero dos.

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it, and he formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture;
the flock under his care.
- ps. 95.1-7

Big Bend [Day1] - The Window

During the final week of the Christmas break, I was immensely blessed to be able to fulfill a long-time dream of mine: set foot on the trails of Big Bend National Park. On January 12th, 3 other boys and I piled ourselves and backpacks into a Suburban and hit I-10 running. After a good 8 hour drive across 600 miles of this great state, our numb bums and adrenaline-ized hearts were ready to feast on the best hiking Texas has to offer.

But before I go any further, I will give you a brief lesson on this park. First off, Big Bend is located way over in the western portion of the state (if you know how to make the shape of Tehas with your right hand, it sits exactly where your thumb joint is). The park gets its name from the big U-turn the Rio Grande River makes as it flows along the borders of the USofA and Mexico. Big Bend became a national park in 1944, and it currently stands ranks as the 8th largest national park in the lower 48. It is often described as the land of "killing heat and freezing cold; deadly drought and flash flood; arid lowland and moist mountain woodland; and a living river winding its way across the desert." (Touche.) And it's over 1,250 square miles, making this park the size of Rhode Island. Oh poor Rhodee.

So here Travis, Reese, Jordan, and I are. Four guys out for a breath of fresh air in the most breath-taking landscape of Texas. Don't get jealous yet, for I'm only on day #1. We get our backcountry permits settled with the park ranger and throw up our tents at a campsite in The Basin. Now it's about 5pm. We make a spur-o-the-moment decision to cram in a day hike that night. Contradictory, I know. The trail is 2.8 miles one way. The one-way ends at the "Window", a large V-shaped rock canyon that cuts through the Chisos Mountains. With thirty-something minutes until sunset, we grab our cameras and Nalgenes and jog our gleeful selves toward the canyon walls that frame the Window.

Huffing and puffing, we arrived just as the sun was going night night. It was a spectacular sight to see, and a mighty fine way to begin the trip and cap off day #1.

I lift up my eyes to the hills,
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
- ps. 121.1-2

Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
- ps. 46.10