chisos basin

January 16, 2022

I arrived at Panther Junction in Big Bend National Park thinking that I would be car camping at a place I had visited before. Unfortunately, all of those spaces were reserved. The park ranger asked me if I would be okay with backpacking up a trail in Chisos Basin for the night.

It took me a minute to think it over. It’s a completely different thing to car camp vs. backpack. I had everything with me that I needed, but I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for this particular challenge. I wasn’t familiar with the area at all. I was just recovering from a day of sickness. I was switching plans midstream and questioning my ability to do this. I agreed. Got my backpacking permit and headed to the basin.

As soon as I hit that road and saw the trees. The lushness after being in the desert for so many days. It was shocking and amazing. In the parking lot, I packed my pack. The basics. The essentials. Avocado toast for the night. Two granola bars. Nuts. Water. Warm clothes. A swig of honey whiskey and off I climbed.

It was an incredible experience — the sunset and the sunrise. Looking through the window. A portal to another land entirely. I was in it all night. Watching the moon cross over the sky. The juniper trees dancing nearby with their shadows across my tent. It was an amazing night. Wrestling with the cold and the light of the moon. My thoughts. Grieving the death of a mentor. Writing poems. So many thoughts. Here is one to share from my notebook that night:

what a place to sit and think
juniper flats
chisos basin
big bend
the solitude
the silence
the waiting
a neverending sky
surrounded by mountains
the hikers passing by
feeling it in their bodies and minds

you can’t come to a place like this
without changes within
it’s perspective
from the basin