Splendid Isolation - Big Bend National Park

Day 1, Splendid Isolation - Big Bend National Park

The Backcountry Life leadership team was out on another adventure this past weekend taking a client to Big Bend National Park, Texas. We drove into the park late Thursday afternoon. Met briefly with park rangers and secured our permits to summit Emory Peak and hike the Outer Mountain Loop and expected camping zones.

We cached water towards last ? section of trail at Homer Wilson/Blue Creek Ranch as recommended by National Park Service in description of Outer Mountain Loop Trail as well as highly advised by the rangers we discussed our plans with.   

Early evening before sunset we began our ascent from Chisos Basin up towards first nights campsite at Pinnacle on Toll Mountain. Shortly after beginning the trail I stopped and donned my headlamp in expectation of hiking the trail in dark as the sun was quickly disappearing behind behind the Chisos Basin mountains and the direct sunlight had vanished off the basin walls. We made great time to Pinnacle camp and never had to engage headlamp.

After shelters were quickly built at Pinnacle and cinched tight to withstand the strong gusts of wind still coming through the short Pinon Pine trees on Toll Mountain and dinner began to digest warm in our stomachs we slipped into our sleeping bags and discussed the finer detailed plans of morning schedule in climbing the summit of Emory Peak.