Chisos Mountain Summer Hike

The Plan

I needed to make a Chisos Mountain summer hike. My last trip was in the winter and I have been feeling the call of the mountains recently. Summer is a great time to go to Big Bend. There are no crowds, and the monsoonal flow brings moisture to the desert. The higher elevations of the Chisos Mountains are a cool respite from the torrid lowland conditions. Therefore, if you plan on visiting the Big Bend region in the summer, strenuous activities are best done at high elevations. The Chisos Mountains rise over 7800′ and the cooler moist canyons make for a do-able alternative to low elevation desert hikes. Although the lowland desert hikes are some of the best in the park, they are best done in cooler weather.

Sonora 

I had an activity in Sonora, Texas last weekend and decided that it would be expedient to extend that trip. The Chisos Mountains in Big Bend are a 10 hour journey from my home in Houston. Sonora is 6 hours. It was the perfect excuse to tack on the additional four and continue farther west for a Chisos Mountain Summer Hike.

After finishing the weekend up in Sonora, I headed west on Sunday and arrived to a half full campground in the Chisos Basin. I snagged a small but convenient campsite(#2) and setup in the afternoon.

Day 1

Since I arrived after hours on Sunday, I waited until 09:00 on Monday to pick up my entry permit. After picking up my permit at Panther Junction, I drove east and parked near K-Bar. I wanted to check out a possible ranching ruin that I spied on satellite photos of the area sometime ago. I always like to do a short dayhike or two when I get to Big Bend. It allows me to check out places that have piqued my interest for a long time. At the same time, it’s a good warmup for a longer backcountry trip to follow.

The Hike

As I started the short hike, the temperature was already in the 90’s. Proceeding up the dry wash towards my goal, i noticed that the area showed recent signs of a fire. Many acres were scorched.(The ranger later told me it was from a downed power line and was 2000 acres) When I arrived at my goal after about a mile, I realized the the rock wall I had seen in satellite imagery, was a natural feature.

I decided to explore the area for another mile or so. By this time It was getting much hotter. I rested in the shade and contemplated my hot feet and decided that lowland desert hikes were not in the cards.

Planning

I returned to Panther Junction and picked up a backcountry permit for two nights in the Chisos. The plan was to hike to Laguna West 1 on the first day. On day 2,  I would take the Colima trail to Boot Spring and spend that night on the South Rim at SW 4. The backcountry was virtually empty. There was no issue getting my itinerary permitted.

I headed back to the Basin Campground and lazed away the day preparing my gear for the trip. I loaded water, food, tarp and camera and prepared for an early start the next day. Around 15:00 that afternoon a booming thunderstorm and rain hit the Basin and dropped the temperature to 65 degrees. A cool wind was blowing and life was good.

Sotol Vista

I prepared a meal, cleaned up, and headed to Sotol Vista to see if there would be a good sunset. It was quite hazy and I wasn’t too encouraged that the sunset was going to cooperate. I wandered around Sotol Vista taking pictures of things like mesquite beans!

I tried for awhile and got a few passable images….and waited. A light rain fell for a few minutes, cooled the air and added a bit of promise.

Just when I thought the whole thing was going to be a bust, the sky fired up and I was fortunate enough to capture an iconic Big Bend moment.

Lightning and Thunder

Feeling refreshed and invigorated by the cool air and great sunset, I took a slow ride back to the Basin. As I was making final preparations for an early morning start, the sky started lighting up to the west. As darkness deepened, the frequency of lightning increased. I broke out my tripod and set up for some time exposures. Out of about 50 exposures, I caught quite a few strikes and picked out a few of the better ones to post. The sound of thunder reverberating in the Basin, is something eerie.

I quickly packed things away and receded to my tent just in time to avoid the downpour. It rained hard for about 30 minutes and I drifted off to sleep with the light show, the drums and the patter of rain on my tent.

The Hike

I awoke to a partly cloudy cool morning and was ready to head out on my Chisos Mountain Summer Hike. I hit the Laguna Meadow trail about 8:00 after a breakfast of 2 Pop Tarts, and 600 mg of Ibuprofen. Remember my handle is badknees! As I climbed higher on the LM trail, the sky began to clear but remained hazy.

Laguna West

After burning through the final switchbacks, I cleared the pass at the top of the trail and breezed the last 0.7 miles to Laguna West 1. My pack was heavy with 7 liters of water.  I’m not as young as I used to be. A little nap seemed to be a good idea, so I spread my tarp, shucked my boots and kicked back for a little snooze.

A Visitor

I was just nodding off, and heard something moving very close by and was surprised that I had a visitor. I guess he was coming in to find out who was checking in! He was almost close enough to touch. Like most deer in the Chisos, he was not at all spooked by my presence.

Images near Laguna West

Shortly after my visitor departed, I had to huddle under my tarp for about 30 minutes to avoid a light but persistent rain. When it finally abated I grabbed my camera and wandered the hills above Laguna West 1 for about an hour. The agaves were not quite in full bloom yet but close.

After topping the ridge I had a good view of the desert to the west.

The Basin was also visible from the east side of the ridge.

As I wandered back to camp, I found a few more agaves in bloom and some healthy ocotillo just starting to bloom.

Camp Details

I headed back to camp to have dinner and get some rest. Tonight’s menu was Lasagna with Meat Sauce, courtesy of Jet-Boil and Mountain House. It always impresses me how fast my Jet Boil will flash the 12 oz of water for a Mountain House Pro-Pack. Less than 2 minutes in the summer.

I threw down my bag and pad and curled up listening to an audiobook. – “Saturn Run” by John Sandford. It’s pretty good and drifted me off to sleep……UNTIL..Boom, crash, splatter. It started to rain and hail and the sky lit up like a war zone. I flopped my tarp over me like a taco shell and held on tight to keep the wind from tearing it off me. The rain finally abated and I awoke sometime later inside a cocoon of blue light. The moon was so bright it was shining through my tarp, bathing me in blue light…weird night.

Day 2

I awoke refreshed for the second day of my Chisos Mountain Summer Hike. I had some diced mangos, half a quart of water and 400 mg of ibuprofen for breakfast. The plan was to hit the Colima trail on the south flank of Emory and work through Boot Canyon to the South Rim.

Boot Spring

It was cloudy and damp as I worked my way over the saddle on the Colima trail. I ran into an LE Ranger just before I reached the Boot Canyon trail. He was a real nice guy and was in his first two weeks of being in Big Bend. We chatted for a bit and I moved on to check the status of Boot Spring. As I approached the area of the spring, I could hear water. There was a strong flow in the canyon just above the spring, but the pipe was only pushing a trickle of water.

I rested awhile at the cabin and snacked before working my way up to the South Rim. Water was abundant along the canyon bottom and only faded near the final ascent out of the bottom toward the rim.This is a strong flow after the rains, but the pools should persist for quite some time.

South Rim

It was cloudy, misty and very hazy when I reached the junction of the Boot Canyon and Southwest Rim Trails. However the climbing was over for awhile!!

I worked my way to the southwest point for a rest and refreshment. While I sat and re-hydrated, the sky brightened a bit and I took a few pictures before making my way to SW 4.

Emory Peak

It’s a long way down

Backcountry Campsite

I decided to go set up at SW 4 and made the 5 minute walk to the campsite.

A quick look at progress and elevation

After a brief nod, I explored the area behind SW4 and to my surprise and delight I found a small stream about 40 yards below the site in a draw. The rain had fed this ephemeral stream. Although I had all the water I needed, this looked like an opportunity for a bandana bath…and I took it. 🙂

Feeling refreshed I prepared my second hot meal of the trip….Beef Stroganoff. Did I mention I really like my Jet-Boil?

Views from the South Rim

After dinner I headed back to the Rim about two hours before sunset. On the way I found a nice cactus flower with a single perfect bloom.

The sky was much brighter, but still had some building cloud. I wanted to find a cool shade tree on the rim and watch the birds navigate the wind. Ravens, Turkey Vultures and Violet Green Swallows were constantly present. A storm cell was trying to form to the east and shadows crossed the desert floor.

I rarely hear aircraft in Big Bend, but for the second time today I heard a high flying jet. I did not see the first one, but with clearing skies, I spied the contrail of the second one. It was making a distinctive arc in the sky like it was trying not to violate Mexican airspace. It was a 4 engine jet, and I suspect it was military on maneuver. I zoomed on this photo, but my lens was 24mm maxxed out and that plane was pretty high!

South Rim Sunset

As the sun began to drop the shadows ran farther out into the desert

I was hoping for a good sunset and the Big Bend gods began to paint in front of me.

I decided to move to the western most point of the rim and spied a cluster of white flowers that I am not familiar with. I believe they are a species of Rain-Lily, but not sure. The have a sweet pleasant aroma and were abundant on this location on the Rim. (Update: These are Cooperia drummondii – Evening Rain lily)

The sunset began to fizzle and the wind picked up as the light rapidly faded. I felt a bit chilled and headed back to camp and the warmth of my bag.

I hunkered down for the night as a persistent lightning show lit up the sky to the west  I was hoping to get a good nights sleep without wrapping up again. Luck was in my favor and the night passed without rain.

South Rim Sunrise

I planned to be on the rim in the morning about 40 minutes before sunrise to see what Big Bend was going to gift to me. The view to the east was disappointing. However moments after sunrise things lit up.  I was blessed with a light painting from the Big Bend spirit gods.

The sunrise was brief it was very beautiful but my photos don’t really do it justice. It’s not just the visual, but the smells and the taste of the air that make the picture come alive. You have to be there because this is only part of the experience.

Final Day

With a final look, I headed back to my campsite and packed up for the descent to the Basin. Four deer met me in the campsite. They weren’t even mildly disturbed by my presence. The deer watched me indifferently, so I packed up and shouldered my pack. I said goodbye to them as I headed out…

The hike to the Basin is almost entirely downhill and  I enjoyed the less strenuous transit back to the Basin. Three things on my mind when I arrived at the trailhead. Firstly, something cold to drink, second a shower, and finally a bacon cheeseburger. I hit the Basin store and drank a 20 oz COLD Green Tea. I went to Study Butte and spent $4.50 showering off the grime, and upon returning to the Basin, I had a Bacon Cheeseburger, 3 glasses of tea and a draft Big Bend Brewing Co. IPA. After that I went and took a nap!

When the sun dropped, I packed up everything I didn’t need and prepped for an early morning departure.

The Long Way Home

The sky was dark as the moon had set about 04:00. I awoke at 05:00 and the Milky Way blazed overhead as I prepared to leave. I made the return via Highway 90 to Houston in 9 1/2 hours with only light traffic. Road weary and a little stiff, it seems a bit noisy here…..I’m ready to go back anytime. So is the life of an addicted Bender….

Postscript:

Boot Canyon is a real special place in the Chisos, and should be savored. IMHO.

If you decide to do a Chisos Mountain Summer Hike, make sure you do a bit of training leading up to your trip, take lots of photos and check out the stars….there are billions of them.

Hope you enjoyed the read. Here is an Elevation Profile summarizing my hike.

For those who find these things interesting –

Gas was $2.71 in Study Butte, $2.09 in Ft Stockton, and $1.97 in Uvalde

Distance hiked ~ 22 miles ( Backpack + dayhike + wandering)

The Basin Campground was about 30% full and on Thursday, the lodge looked pretty empty

The Ranger who gave me my permit was friendly and not intrusive. No stupid questions about guns etc.