Trail Riding at Big Bend National Park, Texas

It was a question of whether we'd be eaten by a bear or a mountain lion, or just freeze to death overnight in the vast Chihuahuan Desert!

We were attending the 21st Annual Big Bend/Stillwell Ranch Annual Trail Ride and Wagon Train last February when we made this fateful ride. The five-day, organized ride goes through the ranch, Maravillas Canyon, and the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area. Some riders chose to leave the organized ride to spend a day or two in the national park, as we did.

Our plan was to follow a series of trails on the National Geographic topographic map of Big Bend National Park, circling Mule Ears Peak from the highway overlook where we'd parked our rig. The trail out was well worn and marked. It was narrow, with steep rock stair steps and sharp switchbacks - not to mention the long dropoff.

I was riding my mule, Rojo. My wife, Rona, was riding her young Peruvian gelding GG Siroco. Rojo boldly took the lead going out on the treacherous trail - I suppose in honor of his spiritual home, the Mule Ears! About two miles out, we reached Mule Ears Spring.

From the overlook, Mules Ears Trail followed ledges at the base of Trap Mountain and crossed outwash ravines and ridges of the lower Chisos Mountains before descending into the wide draw of Smoky Creek.

Smoky Creek Trail, behind Mule Ears, follows a draw that has many washes and no trail markings, but there was only one general direction to go. We soon came upon a series of lava flow ledges in the draw with water flowing from a tributary that originated at Smoky Spring.

At one point, the slippery waterfalls forced us to exit the draw and traverse the rugged bank until we could find a way back into the flat, deep, gravel creek bed.

An Unnamed Trail
The trick was to find where to exit the draw for the unnamed trail back. Fortunately, the map had coordinates shown for the return trail junction, and I had my GPS instrument to locate us. However, because of the many washes and rugged terrain along the steep banks, the elusive coordinates given weren't easy to reach.

Triumphantly, we located the trail markings - piles of stones in the rock-stunned landscape - and began our trek back. We were only halfway through our journey, and it was already 3 p.m. The trail back appeared on the map to be easier than the trail out, so we believed we had time for the return.

This trail wasn't as well-traveled and worn as the one out from Mule Ears Peak overlook, so we depended on the piles of rocks to mark the way. We soon lost the markings in the rocky, rugged terrain. Rona and I were lost in the 801,000-acre Big Bend National Park, and it was getting late!

We had a map with a trail that we couldn't find, and a GPS that showed us where we were and where we were going, but not how to get there! The options were to traverse overland in the rugged terrain, or try to find the trail for an easier ride back.

But which would be the best choice? The terrain was rocky and arid, with dagger-leafed lechuguilla, spiny ocotillo, candelilla, and creosote brush. Cacti abounded, including the ferocious "horse crippler."

Siroco forged on, over the rocks and through the brush, collecting cactus spines and scrapes on his legs, while the more cautious mule hesitated, backed up, and walked around the prickly obstacles. Rona kept asking, "Where is the road?"

Trotting up one rocky ridge, Rojo's breastcollar broke. The saddle rotated and I fell off into the brush. Rojo is accustomed to (and often responsible for) my involuntary dismounts. As always, he just stood there instead of running off into the vastness of the park.

The sun had sunk behind the mountains and the temperature was beginning to drop when we finally saw the road in the distance. A ride down the final ridge and across the flats brought us to the much-sought-after Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, but we were still three winding, uphill miles from the overlook and our rig. It was about to get dark and javelina - wild pigs - were now Rona's concern. Siroco is afraid of all barnyard animals, particularly pigs.

Lessons Learned
We reached our horse trailer at 6:45 p.m., just as daylight faded. It had been a 17-mile, seven-hour ride, but it seemed much longer. After a well-deserved Corona with lime, we headed out, gassing up at Panther Junction in the dark and passing a half-dozen bands of javelina in our headlights.

We were neither eaten nor stranded in the desert that day, but our adventure could've easily ended badly. We realized that we should've been better prepared for the wilderness with emergency supplies and gear, and more adept at translating map topography and GPS data.

The most important lesson was to appreciate our well-conditioned, willing, courageous mounts. It was Siroco and Rojo that carried us through and added to our positive trail-riding memories.

For more information on the Big Bend/Stillwell Ranch Annual Trail Ride and Wagon Train, call (817) 491-1554, or visit www.trailridersjournalonline.com. For more information on Big Bend National Park, call (432) 477-2251, or visit www.nps.gov/bibe.