day 10 -- big bend

pulled into the park headquarters after a rolling ride across the tip of the chihuahua desert that's protected here. as oklahoma territory faded into an empty landscape along the washita it felt like I was at the edge of the earth, but this, this was even more so. knowing the road ended in the park, that this land wasn't protected from much of anything now that no one would try to scratch a living from it (though of course they had at some point) gave it a sense of finality. it's not on the way to anything, but at least in theory was the sort of desert desperate immigrants cross in hopes of finding work farther north -- hence the border checkpoints placed some 40 miles up the road on both US385 and SR 118. in the off chance that you'd survived the desert and found a ride (often no cars either way for 20 miles), you were out of luck just when you thought you'd made it. big bend is a huge park with four scattered campgrounds, three main roads radiating from the central 'panther junction,' and dozens of miles of jeep roads. and though it looks relatively benign...lots of low scrub, cactuses, green hillsides, there's no water anywhere. so there are only a few miles of trails cut into the wilderness around the main campground at chisos basin, enough for a couple days' hike but not much more since carrying water farther would get a bit heavy. all this means there's not a whole lot to do here but camp out, watch for bears and mountain lions, and take drives in the summer heat. it's relatively quiet this time of year because of that last point, though really I didn't find it that opressive...105 degrees at lower elevations, 90s at the 5400' of the basin.

I set up camp and wandered up to the lodge to post the days' travels -- no cell phone service anywhere but wifi at the lodge -- and get a meal. I hadn't taken time for a relaxed not-on-the-road meal in a while. ate a burger, slipped out onto the patio to snap sunset photos, and listened to the very european clientele. about half the guests there and in the campground were foreign, which is interesting given the remote location, but it's quieter and much easier to get into without reservations than the grand canyon, I guess. slept in here in the far west of the time zone where the sun comes up late, even later in the basin. the basin itself is one more geological phenomenon...in addition to criss-crossing low folded ranges and the vast ancient sea, this was an isolated volcanic incursion, a high tower of upthrust rock with a slightly better watered basin in the center. dramatic scenery, lively flora and fauna. so after a quick ride down to the river in the afternoon sun, I packed up the tent and set out for a backcountry overnight. I planned a later afternoon start to avoid the heat, but in the event that wasn't an issue. it started raining about ten minutes into the hike, and I took shelter a couple of times in an effort to keep the tent and camera dry. but this was the ethereal, whimsical rain that is desert rain -- big drops and the swoosh of wind and rain through branches but not all that much water. it did pull up a new smell, a damp peppery sage.

the hike climbed to the rim of the basin and then along the south edge with forever views across the river into mexico. reached the campsite next to an outcrop above a 1200' drop around sunset, so I'd hiked through shifting light and the phases of afternoon/evening bug sounds. spent a breezy and solitary night at 7400' and dragged myself out of the tent in time to pack up and catch the sunrise. as I turned back to the campsite to grab food out of the bear locker, I saw a buck nosing through where I had set up the tent. but no bears or mountain lions.