Big Bend NP -- Lost Mine Trail

On Thursday morning, our first full day at Big Bend, we headed into the park around 9:30 am.  Ken and Bonnie have a National Park Pass and since we were traveling in one car, we all got in for free!

We had decided to drive to the main Visitor Center at Panther Junction first so we could get an idea of what things we wanted to see and do over the next four days.  Chuck was driving today and Ken and I were busy snapping pictures right and left.

The rock formation at the top of this mountain to the north looked like a man leaning against a rock.

Big Bend is in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert which encompasses about 140,000 sq. miles in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico.  Who would have ever thought a desert could be so beautiful!

Spring is a great time to visit Big Bend because the flowers are blooming everywhere and the temps are not nearly as hot as they will be in the summer.

At the Panther Junction Visitor Center, Ms. Lavender, one of their park rangers did a terrific job of helping us figure out what to see and do while we were here.  She was so knowledgeable about the park and was so enthusiastic about sharing the information with us even though we were probably the 1,000th person she has talked to.  We also watched a 20 minute video about Big Bend that was very good.

With all this information, we decided to explore the Chisos Mountains area of the park today.  While there is a campground in this area of the park, they do not recommend RVs over 24 feet because of the curves and steep grades.

We climbed in elevation from 3,750 feet at Panther Junction to 5,401 feet at Chisos Basin.  We decided to eat lunch before beginning any hiking.

After lunch, we looked for wide-brimmed hats for Bonnie and Chuck at the Park store.  I ended up giving Chuck my hat and getting a new green hat for me.  Hmmm.  Funny how that worked out!  :)

After making sure we all had the appropriate head gear, we began our first hike:  the 4/10 mile Windows View trail.  It was a very easy hike on a relatively flat paved trail but with beautiful views.

Of course, we had to get our first selfie pics of the day.  :)

We did see some of the park's Carmen Mountain white-tailed deer along the trail...

as well as some of the blooming cacti.

Well, that hike was easy.  We decided to next try the 4.8 mile (round-trip) Lost Mine Trail hike that has an 1,100 elevation climb.  The park ranger had recommended that we do this trail even if we only hike just to the first mile and back.  She had also recommended doing the hike before 10 am or after 2 pm so we would more likely be able to get a parking space.  It was around 2 by this time and we had no trouble finding a place to park at the trailhead.  We got our walking sticks and headed up the trail.

Most of the trail was a gradual incline all the way up.

With all the trees, cacti, and flowers blooming, we encountered some very distinct aromas.  Some were strong and pungent (like this white flowering shrub below) and others were almost sweet smelling.

We hiked the first mile and rested and enjoyed the views for a few minutes.

We decided to hike the complete trail so after a few minutes of rest, we headed on up.  As we started hiking again, we met a couple who had just started full-timing in August on the way up.  We stopped and chatted with them for about 10 minutes.  She had just had foot surgery a few months ago and hip replacement within the last year.  We figured if she made it all the way to the top and back, we could!

We began hiking a series of switchbacks on the trail that reduced the amount of the incline to the top.

Every once in awhile, you would spot a small cactus to the side of the trail like the one below with its brilliant red flowers blooming.

The Chisos Mountains are completely contained within the park and were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago.  From the trail, we had beautiful views of the Chisos mountains all around us.

We would be walking along the trail and then just around the corner -- WOW!  Watch:

We could not have picked a better day to do this hike.  It was supposed to have been in the upper 80's today, but the sky stayed overcast with the sun just trying to peak through here and there keeping the temps more in the 70's.

As we got closer to the top, the trail became much steeper and rockier.  We took our time and made it just fine.  We were so glad we hiked all the way to the top because the views of Big Bend and the Chisos Mountains were INCREDIBLE!

The pictures don't even come close to giving you an idea of how beautiful it is.  But we keep on trying to show you!  :)  We sat down on the rocks at the top, drank some water, ate a few snacks, and just enjoyed the immenseness of Big Bend for a few minutes.

From here, we could see a small arch in the rock formations (that reminded us of Arches NP),

some spires (that reminded us of Needles Highway in South Dakota),

...and some shallow caves.

Since it was now about 4:30, we began heading back down the trail.

While I had slowly took the lead most of the way up the mountain, Bonnie set a very fast pace back down the mountain.  We could hardly keep up with her!

But we were glad we did because it was starting to sprinkle a little bit and we wanted to get back down before it got much later.  It took us probably 2 hours to go up the mountain but only a little over an hour to come back down!  :)

As we began the drive back out of the park, Chuck spotted a big tarantula crossing the road.  Of course, we had to stop and take a picture.

Chuck told Ken to put his hand closer to the tarantula to get some perspective on how big he was but Ken said "I don't think so!"  :)

We didn't see any more wildlife on the drive back to the campground but we did spot this jack rabbit next to our camper when we got back.  Chuck thinks seeing the rabbit is a good sign that the rattlesnakes are NOT anywhere close!  :)

After a long day of hiking and exploring, we enjoyed a meal together outside.  The food was delicious but the flies were a little annoying.  :)

When we first got to Big Bend, Chuck commented how when you come to a place like Big Bend you begin to realize how big the earth really is and what little of it we have been very blessed to have seen.  Then, you think about how small the earth is in relation to the sun and the solar system and the universe.  Amazing!

What a great first day at Big Bend!  And what a great blessing to be sharing this adventure with such wonderful friends!  :)