Big Bend Day 5: Elephant Tusk to Basin

December 19, 2013

I began my final day on the trail shortly before sunrise.  I discovered that I had camped a mere few feet from the trail.

There was a beautiful sunrise from afar.

As I hiked I found that there was an plenty of water on the trail.

Unfortunately I soon lost the trail went off the intended route.  I journeyed up and down many ridges.  The photo below looks back on the largest descent of the off trail excursion.

 I eventually made it to the Fresno drainage and decided to follow it to where it crossed the Dodson.  I even was able to locate a cairn, but I saw no others.  Along the way I had to negotiate through some thick brush.  The photo below show the thickest that I encountered.  Fortunately this was some of the most thorn-free vegetation I encountered on my hike.

After most of the morning I finally found established trail and a cairn on a ridge that was certainly the Dodson.  I filled up some water from Fresno Spring and continued on, knowing that the remaining mileage was still quite high.  On the way I had my final view of Elephant Tusk and felt like it was laughing at me, as I was still so close to it.

The were great mountainous views as I hiked the Dodson.

After some time the trail turned and I could see where I would soon journey.

I soon was on the Juniper Canyon Trail.

The first half of the trail was very easy and flat with spectacular views.

 Then it became more difficult as it climbed up and up through Juniper Canyon.  Seeing the many trees was a great experience after the desert hiked a few miles before.

 After climbing many switchbacks, the evening light off in the distance allowed me to see one of my favorite views of my entire hike.

 As it was nearing dark, I finally made it to Boot Spring and filled up water for the last time on my hike.  A large group of hikers passed by during this time.  I began my descent to the basin and made my way toward the Pinnacles Trail.  Unfortunately I had to pass on the opportunity to go to the South Rim or to go to the top of Emory Peak.

 As I hiked it became very dark, so out came my headlamp to ensure that I didn't trip on anything or step on some unsuspecting creature.  I looked down and could see the lights down in the Basin.  As I descended I came to what are probably nice flat meadows.  I took some time to turn off my light and look up at the numerous stars.  Soon I came to the end of the trail and made my way to the visitor center to return my permit to box so that the national park service would know that I made it back safely.  After this, I headed back to my truck in the amphitheater parking lot and took a picture to finalize the hike.

As I drove away, I had to stop and take a final picture by the main entrance.

Overall I am feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to complete this hike.  My desert hiking experience prior to the adventure was quite limited.  During this short adventure, I was torn up and scratched up more than I was on my entire Colorado Trail adventure.  I did wear some snake gaiters when I went off trail and they helped protect my legs, but lots of sharp vegetation found its way through and into my light trail running shoes.

 The temperatures were mild and the first night was the only time I believe it was below freezing.  Also, the views were not inhibited by clouds and there was no rain on my hike. It did actually rain the night the that I left, so I am glad that I was prepared for the possibility of rain during this hike.  Making the decision to throw in a few extra water bottles just before my hike, was probably the best decision I made.  Even though water turned out to be frequent, having a capacity greater than I gallon certainly eased my thirst.  I would recommend probably even a little more than I took, somewhere around 1.5 gallons.

I would like to thank those who have come before and reported on hikes to this wonderful, remote national park.  Without these wild experiences of others, I would not have been able to design this route and enjoy experiences off the spectacular Outer Mountain Loop.