"South Rim" campsites?

[stingrey]

Ok, I KNOW there is a thread that has the goods, but my searches aren't yielding any info. I'm looking for a thread where everyone chipped in some info about which site going up South Rim was their favorite and why. I remember a thread with info about how "open" a site was in terms of vegetation, views, thinking rocks, something along these lines...

Wondering 'cause I want to camp South Rim with my wife this upcoming July, and I need more insight. I stayed in BC4 this last time, and like another post put it, I felt like I was being "watched", but to me that was GOOD. That means that I was possibly coming up on taking an amazing picture. I also felt like I was completely sheltered from whatever would be thrown at me. THAT was good considering I was staying in a new super light tent.

If someone can point me to this thread or simply begin to name off their favorite sites, I'd appreciate it. I have the PDF file that shows the goods, and I've read most of the other threads with one indicating that TM is windy, seems exposed per the wind/lightning info that was posted there, etc. I'm looking at a site the week of July 14.

I recently found the thread that had those AWESOME lion pics that 'Viper took. I'm not afraid of a close encounter, so if you know something that I've yet to find out and that you don't want others to know, PM me! I promise that my wife and I won't be consumed by lions. Bears, maybe... Though I'll try to avoid that, too. Either way, I'm hoping for the seclusion and shelter of BC4 with some good vantage points.

In fact, I'm thinking that BC4 might be the place to go to be out of the way (unless someone gets BC3 those nights) enough to set up, tear down and put stuff in bear box while we do an extended day hike down Colima Pass and up around to South Rim to return to BC to sleep for a second night before returning to civilization. Not sure she'll want to do Emory, but I am sure that she'll enjoy Colima as much as I did last time I was there. Anyway, this is about sites... If you have the link, perfect. If you have more insight, perfect. If you have some lion insight that does not involve strapping some deer meat to myself, PM me! :)

[RichardM]

Try the Most scenic campsites in th Chisos and Favourite High Chisos Backcountry Campsite Poll topics for starters.

Sorry, no hints on how to attract panthers.   Either they think you might be tasty or they don't.  Maybe bathing regularly has something to do with it.

[stingrey]

Those are the links I was after. You rock! Thank you! Btw, on the lion, I was sorta kidding. I know it is a chance encounter type thing. Plus I've seen two (on one trip) in the park, just didn't have my cam "ready" at the time. Maybe next time...

[RichardM]

Those are the links I was after. You rock! Thank you! Btw, on the lion, I was sorta kidding. I know it is a chance encounter type thing. Plus I've seen two (on one trip) in the park, just didn't have my cam "ready" at the time. Maybe next time...

On my last trip to the park I had my camera ready at all times.  Literally every time I set foot out of our lodge room I had it ready to go, just waiting for those bears and panthers to present themselves.  No luck.  With the bears, you could probably find out where they've been spotted lately and hang out there, but with the panthers it's pretty much a crap shoot.  If the panther doesn't want you to see him, chances are you won't.  Once upon a time the most common spot for panther sightings was in the Basin Lodge parking lot as the cats would come raid the dumpster behind the restaurant.

[stingrey]

You know, I'm lucky more often than not with bears, but looking at the sightings report this past time around DID improve my odds considerably, and I think that reviewing the previous sightings did in fact lead to my recent bear pics a couple of weekends ago.

The lions... Though I've seen two and both times I had my camera front and center, the first sighting was a dud because my memory card was full, and the second was impossible 'cause the lion was crossing the road at high speed. Now I know better...

I now have a much larger memory card, AND I also have a camcorder that is almost always in record mode when I'm driving in the park. I am particularly fond of my camcorder's pre-recording loop feature which allows the cam to record while it is in standby.

The cool thing is that if something does fly by, I can hit the record button, and the camera will have captured three seconds worth of stuff from BEFORE I ever hit record... Having that thing strapped to my visor at all times will ensure that my next cat sighting is captured in one way or another!

On the cats not allowing you to see ‘em, I believe that this is true most of the time… But James and I saw a very large bobcat (I like to call it a bob-lion) walking around at RGV, and we were able to sneak up on the beast without it really knowing we were there.

It wasn’t ‘till I stupidly began to whisper to JamesB that it was “right there” when the cat heard us and disappeared into the brush. Not that I ever want to corner/surprise a lion, or ANY animal for that matter, they have their off days, too! It’s just a matter of time before one slips up and gets caught in my viewfinder! :)

[stingrey]

As a heads-up, my wife and I will be hitting NE4 two weeks from now... I'll put in my .02 worth when we return!