The Long Hot Summer

[Verduretiger]

I have been hiking quite a bit this summer getting ready for a week long backpacking trip to Big Bend National Park.  I have made two trips to the Sipsey Wilderness, The Chinnabee Silent Trail, a trip to The Walls of Jericho and several trips to Oak Mountain.  It has been incredibly hot and humid with no rain.  Most of the waterfalls have been dry or barely flowing.  I did like The Walls of Jericho quite a bit and look forward to getting back there when there is more waterflow.  With the advent of cooler weather I am planning a couple of overnighters (probably one to the Sipsey and one to the Pinhoti).  In addition, I acquired my first hammock and looking forward to trying it out.  The older I get (63) the harder the ground gets especially with the arthritis in the shoulders and knees. 

I normally just go by myself with my trust dog Curbie but if anyone is interested in a trip just let me know. 

[Skippy]

Big Bend is a special place! I spent a week there this spring backpacking the Chisos Mtns for 3 days and car camping the other days. If you plan to backpack, be prepared to carry alot of water. I carried 2 gallons for my 3 days in the backcountry as water sources are very hard to come by and the ones that we saw I'm not sure that I would have wanted to even drink from.
A good site for info on BB is  bigbendchat.com. .....Enjoy your trip.

[Verduretiger]

Thanks for the reply.  I have been backpacking Big Bend for 25 years or so almost every January.  The trip is usually a week long.  This year I am bringing my son and his friend for their first week long trip.  We will start in the basin, hike up to the Chisos and spend a couple of days, then do the outer mountain loop which is the first trail I ever hiked.  The water situation is always dicey and for that reason I will be making a water cache in the desert close to a road that the trail nears. 

[Pathfinder]

Just curious, Verduretiger, in one post you mention living in Hoover, but your profile says Monroe, Louisiana. 

[ednotmilkman]

Verduretiger,

Have you ever been to Gauadalupe Mountains N.P. ?  I wonder how it compares to Big Bend. I've been to Big Bend twice and am thinking I might try Guadalupe the next chance I get to go oiut that way.

For those that don't know, Big Bend is in the "big bend" of the Rio Grande between Del Rio and El Paso, Texas. Gaudalupe is on the NM-TX border and has the highest moutain in Texas of 8000+ ft.

[MobileBackpacker]

Ednot,

Guadalupe is definetely worth a trip. I was there in January and did the Guadalupe pk. here are a few pics. The picture of the Bighorn sheep was taken outside of the park but just to the northeast near Carlsbad caverns. The place has some definite elevation relief, the hike we went on climbed 3000+ ft in just over 4 miles. Tons of fossils too, the range is an ancient coral reef.

The Long Hot Summer

The Long Hot Summer

The Long Hot Summer

The Long Hot Summer

[wirerat123]

I did Guadalupe Peak in 1999.

We camped out near the start of the trail up under the stars with no tents, I awoke staring eye to eye with a skunk.  Scared the crap out of me.  But all went well.

It was well worth the trek up even though I did it with a 60lb pack and Converse All Stars, but man my feet started hurting on the way down.  I was a lot tougher back then lol.

Those are Barbary Sheep (Aoudad sheep) imported from Africa.  They also have Oryx out there that were brought in from Africa.  Both can be very dangerous and aggressive, especially to dogs.

I was stationed in Ft. Bliss between 1998 to 2000.  May I suggest going to the White Mountain Wilderness near Ruiodoso New Mexico?  Also Taos, Gila national Forrest and Big Bend are WELL worth the trips.

[Verduretiger]

I have not been to Guadalupe but packing buddy has.  The park is smaller than Big Bend but still a great place to go according to him.  I live in Hoover but I was born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana. 

[MobileBackpacker]

Those are Barbary Sheep (Aoudad sheep) imported from Africa.  They also have Oryx out there that were brought in from Africa.  Both can be very dangerous and aggressive, especially to dogs.

Had no idea. I looked up a pic of the Barbary and the horns differ quite a bit from the Bighorn, plus the two ranges are different. Thanks for the info

[wirerat123]

Yessir, the story I was told about them was that a very wealthy land owner had a bunch of them and Oryx imported so that he could start a "Exotic animals" hunting reservation, and over the years a lot of them have gotten loose and blended into the wild. We've actually had Oryx attack our Humvees before near White Sands Missile Range, I had to go in reverse or I swore he'd have taken out the front of the Humvee.

The area out there is very much similar to the climate where they lived in Africa.  I actually know someone around Guntersville that has an entire herd of Aoudad sheep, and a few Painted Desert sheep.  They have beat the crap out of the trees on his farm lol.  They'll headbutt everything.  One of the Aoudads nearly took out my puppy, I'd say maybe tenths of an inch from having his skull caved in.  On a side note, on a limited basis I can take a couple folks and their kids out there to see the animals from time to time.  Deer, Aoudads, Llama, Emu, Horses, cattle, Painted Desert sheep, goats, etc.  Most of them pettable, and safe around children.

Ever hugged and been licked on by a very large 10 point buck? 

Aoudad Sheep (Barbary)


Bighorn Sheep

The Long Hot Summer

Bighorn sheep are much heavier bodied, and have much more prominant curl to their horns. Big Horns also have a big white butt and little to no tail.