Big Bend Trip Report: Home Page

Sunrise at Terlinqua Ghost Town and Cemetery
Chisos Mountains South Rim Hike (first leg)
South Rim Video
Interactive Map

Terlinqua Ghost Town
Up before dawn and down the road about ten miles from Study Butte to the Terlinqua Ghost Town. We parked the truck next to the adobe ruins. We waited among the ruins and watch the Chisos Mountain silhouette take shape in front of another tranquil Big Bend sunrise. The Chisos Mountains are a dominant figure within a 30+ mile radius. You can easily make out Pulliam Peak, Casa Grande, Emory Peak, and the edge of the South Rim from the Terlinqua ruins. Once the sun came up we moved on to the cemetery, which is something right out of a western movie. Most all the crosses are made out of wood and the names and dates have long since weathered away. There are some really unique above ground graves made from adobe and several sites that are as unusual as the Big Bend landscape. One in particular is bordered with dark lava rock and others include markers made from bottle caps and other found objects. The cemetery has a marker number 11 by it which is a reference to the self guided tour that we later found out about by our waiter at Ms. Tracy's cafe. Unfortunately we didn't have time to fit in the tour - maybe next trip?

Chisos Mountains South Rim (Hike: 14-18 miles)
We headed to the Basin and decided to knock out most of our shopping before the South Rim hike. The lodge had a nice gift shop and we purchased several things for each family member and a thing or two for ourselves. I made my final decision on the BB patches and found a cool BB coffee mug. I ended up hitting the trail around 11:00 a.m.. Joey spent the day covering most of the Ross Maxwell drive and the Old Maverick Road and was planning to meet me for lunch at the Basin Lodge the following day between 11 - 11:30 a.m.. This was only my second true backcountry hike and the only one that I've done solo so I was feeling a bit adventurous. Although, I knew the 7 miles uphill was not going to be a walk in the park. I had already developed a few trouble spots on my toes from the Lost Mine Trail, but thanks to the wonder of mole skin I was ready for more punishment. This hike would typically be 14 miles roundtrip, but I added approximately four additional miles by hiking to and from the campsite to the South Rim for sunset and sunrise pictures. After a mile or two I was reminded how gruesome the Pinnacles Trail is. Sections of the trail are literally like climbing up a large stone stairscase. The switchbacks seem to be never ending, but before too long (about 3.5 miles) you reach the Emory Peak trail turnoff and the trail to the South Rim smoothens out and becomes a joy to travel. The trail winds through Boot Canyon and then along Boot Springs, which is where I stopped for lunch. Most of the trail is in the shade and the last section to the South Rim goes a lot easier than the first section. I carried 48 oz. of water to drink and 32 oz to cook with. I was rationing the water knowing that I could only drink 24 oz. on the way up, but already I was trying to figure out how I could get away with drinking more. My body was definitely craving more water. I decided that I could actually drink a few more ounces since the hike down would be easier than the hike up. Interesting what you think about when you are thirsty. About a mile from the South Rim I ran in to an elderly man who was wearing a big smile. We made the usual trail greeting and stopped for small talk. I assumed he had stayed on the South Rim the night before so I began questioning him about the temperature and what campsite he had stayed at. Turns out he, this 77 year old man from Boulder, Co., was hiking the 14 mile trail as a day hike! Wow, there is life after 40 after all. He gave me some friendly advice about eating healthy, staying in shape, and watching your fats. We parted ways with another trail greeting - he with his big smile and me shaking my head wondering if I would ever make it to the South Rim. Later I asked myserlf if I really did see that guy or if he was just my imagination? I passed a few volunteers working on the trail with pick axes and shovels and I thanked them for their work. The trail passed through a high mountain meadow, meandered through some trees and opened up to a 180 degree view of the South Rim. It stares you right in the face. The view is so widening that it doesn't seem real. Suddenly my pack seemed a little lighter. It was around 2:30 p.m. so it took me about 3-1/2 to reach the rim. Not long after that I heard a shriek from above and it was two of the Peregrine Falcons playfully flying high atop the South Rim. They took a swirling dive and chased each other down until I lost them in the smaller mountains below. I hiked and photographed all along the South Rim and later made my way to campsite SW3. I passed SW4 shortly after leaving the South Rim and the further I hiked away from it the more I had wished I had taken SW4. Another group of college students were working on the trail just past SW4. They assured me I was on the right path to my campsite, which I was beginning to doubt. I was surprised to see that most of the group were women. I thanked them for their hard work and they all moved aside as I trudged along. My campsite ended up being approximately 1 mile from where the South Rim first comes in to view, which immediately began adding mileage to my trek. I set up camp, took a 30 minutes break, dressed my toes with mole skin, and headed back up the trail to photograph the South Rim at sunset. There is so much to photograph it is difficult deciding what to photograph - sounds kind of crazy but it's true. I finally settled down and just tried to respond to the beauty that comes from the South Rim. Some of which I could capture most of which I couldn't. One of the best sunsets I've experienced - not so much because of how it looked, although it was beautiful, but because of where I was and how I felt. I hiked back down to SW3 and began to put together my dinner of Lasagna with Meat Sauce. When I finally got around to bedding down and turning off the flashlight my eyes where amazed at the brightness of the sky. I took a double take at what was before me - every square inch of sky was filled with stars. It had been way too long since I've seen the sky like I was seeing it that night. Being there was a good thing - I enjoyed the show until I was too tired to keep my eyes open.

To view a short video (1 mb)of the South Rim click here. Your browser should open Windows Media Player or your default player automatically. The video is approximately 25 seconds and pans the South Rim area from east to west.

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Day Three