The Lost Mine Trail: We Found Hiking Gold, but No Mine

The Lost Mine Trailhead is on Basin Junction Road near the Chisos Basin Campground. The parking area is small (about 15 cars), so it’s a good idea to get there early. In case you're wondering, 9:30am is not early. There were no spots, but we found another tiny lot about a quarter-mile east and road-hiked …

José Falcon’s in Boquillas del Carmen: Lunch, South of the Border

This post is going to be an odd mixture of short hike and restaurant review. Our story begins at a border crossing station on the Rio Grande. As we passed through the station, we were reminded by a park ranger that we would need a passport to re-enter the United States. The Boquillas Port of …

Hot Springs Canyon Trail: Sunset on the Rio Grande

Just like that river twisting through a dusty land And when she shines she really shows you all she can ~ Rio, Duran Duran   It was mid-afternoon when we pulled into the parking area at Daniels Ranch in Big Bend National Park. The ranch, located about a mile west of Rio Grande Village, is one …

Grapevine Springs Trail to Balanced Rock: A Second Hike to Balance Out Our Day

Earlier that morning, we had hiked out of the Chisos Mountains, finishing our overnighter on the South Rim Loop Trail. Not satisfied with seven miles on no sleep (read here), we threw our packs into Sparticus (our rented Jeep Gladiator) and headed directly to the Grapevine Springs trailhead. We had one more (thankfully short) hike …

Big Bend’s South Rim Loop – Day 2: The Longest Night and Forsaking Emory

Sometimes you have a bad night. Day one on the South Rim Loop had been spectacular. Astonishing scenery, extraordinary wildlife encounters, eight miles, and over 2000 feet of elevation. We were ecstatic and exhausted, a sure-fire recipe for sleeping the sleep of the dead. Unfortunately, as we made camp Lisa began to complain of a …

Big Bend’s South Rim Loop – Day 1: Bucks and Bear, Rigor and Rimshots

It was our second day in Big Bend National Park. Our “warm-up” hike at the Upper Burro Mesa Pour-off (read here) had whetted our appetite for the charms of southern Texas trails, and we were ready for an extended adventure. That adventure would come in the form of a two-day backpacking trip to the South …

Upper Burro Mesa Pour-off Trail: The Gift of the Cacti

We landed at San Antonio International Airport at 10:00pm Christmas Eve. I grabbed our bags while Lisa went to pick up our rental vehicle. She proudly returned, having been upgraded to a startlingly large, cherry-red Jeep Gladiator. With new-found swagger,  the kind that comes from knowing you could drive over a Honda Civic, she threw …