The Great Unknown

by Natalie Wiest

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February 19-26, 2005 several of our HCC members went with Louis Aulbach on a "scouting" and note-taking trip for his upcoming book on that stretch of the Rio Grande. From HCC that was Louis, myself, John and Anne Olden, David Conger, Dana Enos, and from Comstock, Terry Burgess.

IMHO, this is some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Texas. Desertification of the region and lack of water in the Rio Grande has made canoe tripping impossible many years but this year, thankfully, there is both water and for me the opportunity of running it.

The deckless, wide craft of choice was the canoe: its capacity for carrying gear including all food and drinkable water for a 7 day trip is a huge advantage; its shallower draft and forgiving Royalex hull for a bony river a better survival tactic. Not to be de-kayaked for this length of time, I chose to paddle with my kayak paddle, carrying a more standard canoe paddle as a spare.

Five of us paddled canoes solo; the Oldens, a tandem. Our group of seven are all experienced paddlers, campers, and outdoorspeople and a delight for sharing and appreciation of the great wildness. An added bonus is that the prolific Louis is also working on a cookbook for canoe tripping, and I can assure you it will be a good one from what I got to taste and enjoy on this trip: chicken and dumplings, jambalaya, tuna croquettes and more.

We met at the Cottonwood Campground at Big Bend National Park Saturday evening, February 19, 2005. Sunday morning we were rousted out before 6 a.m. to move to the put-in, the normal Santa Elena canyon takeout, and by 9 a.m. run the hour and half shuttle, each way, for Rio Grande Village as the takeout spot 75 miles downstream. We were underway about 1:30. Louis' "rule" for scheduling was on the water by 9 a.m.; off and make camp around 3 p.m. Weather conditions ranged from cloudless heat early on, and temperatures probably near 80F; full-moon nights that blanked out the Milky Way and cast shadows; to overcast and on the last day, cool rain and drizzle with temperatures in the 50s. My hooray-I-can-take-it-all-and-the-kitchen sink, "because I'm in a canoe" outlook meant I took a long time to repack every morning and I got the "you're late and it's after 9 a.m." glare almost every morning. By trip's end, I actually was ready 6 minutes ahead of time, so there is hope.

The scenery? Spectacular. The immenseness of the space is striking in the more open areas; the quiet and hush of sheer canyon walls, orchestrated by calls of canyon wrens and the swoop of swallows, almost beyond description.

The ancient native Americans were here long before us, leaving petroglyphs by the water; and Comanche trails still visible to lookout bluffs. Big Bend's bluebonnets, Lupinus Havardii, were at their height. Their fragrance was amazing in the arid desert and on the exposures that gave them just enough light and moisture for display. Tree tobacco too was blooming but I looked in vain for the hummingbirds I knew they would be attracting. Critter tracks were in all the muddy spots but outside of birds, we didn't see any of the furry carnivores or scale-covered animals themselves. There wasn't another canoe, kayak, or visiting human seen on the whole trip. From the first night's camp, we could see fires and a white-robed ceremony going on on the Mexican side of the river. Only there and at the end of the trip did we see other people. Only a few horses, cattle and burros seemed to have found enough forage to support them.

At the cross canyon area of Mariscal we took an extra layover day to hike above the river environment. Cactus and only the hardiest plants could gain a foothold here. I spent some time in camp removing cactus spines from my arm where I had inadvertently brushed against them - through a longsleeved shirt. Luckily for me, the spill I took on the hike put my hand into only three big spines and they were easily removed. We found a hot spring not on our maps, and of course the ones that are on all the guides near Rio Grande Village. We were keen on jumping in the hot spring, but changed our minds as we knew how hard it would be to put our cold, wet clothing back on afterwards.

Our trip could hardly have been better. Look for Louis' forthcoming guide to this section of the river, and his cookbook. And now, having bored you to tears with the narrative, I point you to trip member Terry Burgess' photographic record. It's on his Web site,
www.v-trips.com and click on "Canoe Trips" "Texas" and "Great Unknown" if it doesn't come up on the home page. His photography really does justice to the trip.

Other helpful Web sites:
Louis Aulbach's site:
www.hal-pc.org/~lfa "Great Unknown of the Rio Grande"

Big Bend National Park:
www.nps.gov/bibe

Park regulations for paddling:
www.nps.gov/bibe/rivregs.htm

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