Big Bend National Park
Posted on Fri 17 March 2023 in Travel Log
Spring Break in Big Bend
Spring break is the absolute busiest time of the year to visit Big Bend National Park. People like to do it early in the year before the temperatures get too hot. I found a place to stay in Alpine, a town 100 miles north of the park. I planned to take off Friday to do some hiking. After work, I walked some trails behind Sul Ross State University. Decades ago, students carried a desk out to the ridge to study, and it still sits there today. They also decorated a tree with old bicycles.
The dogs were having a hard time walking around in Alpine because there were "stickers" all over the ground that kept stabbing them. They're the small sharp droppings from a weed that grows in the desert, and they suck. The hiking trails and campground had them everywhere. The dogs brought them in on their paws, and I kept stepping on them in the camper. Not fun!
Foggy Morning Hike
The weather in Terlingua had been sunny and 70s all week, but the forecast for Friday was 55 and overcast. I left Alpine at 5:30AM to make it to the Lost Mine Trail by first light. Except, that's what everyone else did too. When I got to the trail head at 7:15AM, the parking lot was already full, but I managed to get the last spot on the street. It was a good hike, even though it was in the fog.
I also went and hiked around the Lone Mountain Loop trail
Packing out
A winter storm was forecasted to blow through on Friday night through Saturday, so I waited until Sunday morning to head out. By the time I got to Van Horn, it was 70 degrees again and no sign of snow.
