[at-l] Big Bend hiking

[morganpaulw at hotmail.com (Paul Morgan)]

Hummingbird,

Best hiking in Big Bend is in an area called the Chisos Basin.  It's an area 
at a pretty high elevation  in the center of the park.  Oddly enough it's 
forested and pretty cool compared to the desert floor in the surrounding 
park.  I've heard it's got some great out and back day hikes that are 
anywhere from a couple of miles to ten miles.  (always did bus camping with 
a church group when I was a teenager - we never did much extended hiking in 
the park) One of those hikes goes to a stand of trees that aren't found 
anywhere else in the world.  Also has a bird species (finches or warblers or 
something) that are only found there in the park.

For extended hikes be very very careful about water.  You have to hike in 
and out with all your water or cache water before a hike.  Don't expect to 
find any springs along the trails.

There is another area of the park called Santa Elena Canyon at the west end 
of the park where you can walk up alongside the Rio Grande into the canyon.  
Spectacular sandstone along the canyon walls that turns it into an optical 
illusion where you think you're walking up hill alongside the river when 
you're not.

Down at Boquillas Canyon at the east end of the park you can cross into 
Mexico. Use to be able to take a burro ride up to Boquillas in Mexico - not 
sure if they still do that.

When you're in San Antonio don't bother with a tour of the Alamo.  Drive by 
but it's a tourist trap inside.  Go take a tour of the San Jose Mission in 
the South West part of San Antonio.  Best mission in San Antonio.  Great 
little church with a very old stained glass window and it's got peacocks 
roaming the grounds inside the compound.  For eats in San Antonio try any La 
Fonda restaurant for the best Tex-Mex food in the world or Schilo's deli 
downtown by the river - one of the best Deli's in the world.  For the view 
take a walk or boat ride along the San Antonio river.

I grew up in San Antonio,
Too Tall Paul

>Has anyone on the list done any hiking at Big Bend National Park?  We will 
>be there soon and want to do some day hikes.  Jan really cannot do more 
>than that yet but we are looking forward to dayhiking there.  We will be 
>driving our motorhome in as it is small and handles real well on the 
>mountain roads. There are no hook-ups or anything else where we want to 
>hike.  But the area is so vast and we don't know what to expect.  Yes, we 
>have been reading but would love to hear some personal experience and 
>recommendations if anyone has hiked there.  We might possibly do an 
>overnight, with me carrying a pack for both of us, but we will see just how 
>hot it is first.  It was 95 degrees here in Austin today and I really don't 
>like it when it is that hot.
>
>I thought people were kidding when they said there were spiders here as big 
>as your hand.  But I just saw one and the were not.  WOW!!  Fuzzy too.  Jan 
>has a radio gig and we will stay in Austin another night or two, then San 
>Antonio for a while and then to Big Bend.  So please let us know if anyone 
>has any ideas.
>
>Hugs, Hummingbird
>
>
>
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