Big Bend Trip Report: Home Page

Chisos Mountains South Rim Hike (second leg)
Croton Springs
Paint Gap Road
Grapevine Hills
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Chisos Mountains South Rim
I was up around 5 a.m. boiling water for the morning coffee followed by a bowl of oatmeal and a granola bar. It was a cool night with temperatures in the lower 40's. My 45+ sleeping bag plus a few layers of t-shirts and a UT sweatshirt did me well. The plan was to totally break down camp, leave the pack at the campsite, take my camera, and go back up the trail (1 mile) via flashlight to the South Rim for sunrise pictures. I will definitely select campsite SW4 on my next overnight trek to the South Rim. I also noticed a sign for a toilet not far from campsite SW4, which makes it all the more attractive. I arrived at the South Rim around 6:20 a.m. and relaxed and enjoyed the dawn of Big Bend hovering over the mountains below. It was peace as peace can get. I watched and photographed the sunrise above the Sierra del Carmen and then slowly worked my way along the rim for about an hour. The photographic possibilities were endless. I had to stop and remind myself a few times that just beyond the agave plants that I was using for foreground was a 1,000+ ft cliff. The scene below was both exhilerating and peaceful at the same time. I hiked back to camp and made sure I had everything and left around 8:45 a.m.. The hike down the Laguna Meadows Trail was very pleasant aside from a few sore toes. The trail was mainly in the shade the entire morning, which made it all the better. I was beginning to curse the Pinnacles Trail and wondered if I would ever hike that route again? Unless I'm with someone that just has to do Emory Peak I'll be going up and down via the Laguna Meadows Trail (ideally both in the a.m. to take advantage of the shade). I suppose up Laguna Meadow and down Pinnacles wouldn't be too bad either (still a second choice). The water held out fine since the hike down was rather smooth. I did enjoy the use of my trekking pole as I negotiated the larger stone steps. I passed another crew of college students working on the trail. I was glad to see the park keeping the trails in good shape and again I thanked the group for their hard work. About two miles from the end of the trail I encountered two young college students on their way up. I was very surprised to see one of the guys carrying a gallon jug of water in each hand? He also wasn't wearing a shirt and I figured by his appearance that he didn't have on sunscreen. His hiking partner was also carrying a gallon jug of water and had another one tied to his backpack? We stopped and talked about the trail and I gave them an estimated time of arrival at the South Rim. I did comment about how much water they were carrying and said that I planned for 48 oz., but could have used a little more. Anyway, I simply can not imagine hiking 7 miles uphill carrying a gallon jug of water in each hand! I arrived at the trail head around 11:10 a.m., which puts the hike down around 2-1/2 hours. I splashed a little water in my face and put on a fresh shirt and met up with Joey outside the visitor center. We ate a hearty lunch at the lodge and discussed the itinerary for the rest of the day.

Croton Springs (Hike: 1-2 miles)
Joey and I had never been to Croton Springs and really didn't know what to expect. The trail from the parking area leads down to the main wash. You follow the wash north and look for the cairns, which will take you up the west bank of the wash and on to Croton Springs. However, if you follow the main wash north there are some very interesting rounded rocks, which are great to photograph. Also, the spring has a sediment that deposits white crystals along the wash. It almost looks like snow when you first see it. This hike doesn't compare to Ernst Tinaja or Grapevine Hills, but the rock formations made it an interesting place to photograph. We ended up hiking around 2 miles and explored all three directions of the washes from where the initial trail ends. Note: there have been mountain lion tracks spotted along this trail - confirmed by a friend of ours who also hiked this trail the same week.

Paint Gap Road
We drove down Paint Gap Road to see what there was to see. This area has a great view of the Chisos Mountains and towards the end of the road there is a nice stand of Sotol plants. I could see some really nice pictures of the cactus blooms (if they were blooming) with the Chisos Mountains in the background. We didn't drive to the end of the road and later found out that there is an old corral there and a large piece of petrified wood in the ravine (sounds like something to check out on the next trip).

Grapevine Hills (Hike: 2 miles)
The balanced rock at the end of the Grapevine Hills trial is a must see for first timers to Big Bend. I must admit that I have hiked this trail on all four of my trips. The drive out to Grapevine is rather long, but it is accessible without a high clearance vehicle. The Road Guide states that the trail head begins one mile from the end of the road - a lot of help that is. It seemed to take us over 45 minutes to get to the trail head. . There is a problem when it comes to photographing the balanced rock. The rock faces north east and doesn't receive direct sunlight during the spring. I assume the afternoon lighting is better during the summer? We were planning on some nice late afternoon light and were disappointed to reach the balanced rock to see that it rested in full shade. We still enjoyed the area and ended up with some nice detail shots of rocks and plants along with the classical composition of the balanced rock. I would like to return on my next trip and spend the day photographing in and around Grapevine Hills. The rock formations there are very intriguing. I was basically whipped from my South Rim hike and was ready to get back the inn and take a load off my feet. The good news was the waitress at the restaurant next to the inn presented us with a new expanded menu - more entrees than you could shake a stick at. Joey tried the enchiladas, which would come back to haunt us both (lol). The menu was the talk of the town.

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Day Four