Saturday, Aug 9: DescentIt was at this point that we started our descent in earnest. I stopped talking and started moving quickly, ready to get to the bottom as the Laguna Meadows trail is kind of anti-climactic after the South Rim. We stopped for lunch at 12:30pm and I finished the last of my food, just as planned. I was so glad I wouldn't be getting back to the basin with leftovers I had carried for 16 miles. While eating I felt something on my hand and discovered about 12 prickly pear spines in my palm. I looked around and didn't see any cactus anywhere around me. I puzzled over this for several minutes, then finally gave up and got ready for the final push.
We moved quickly after lunch. Leaving the South Rim views took our adrenaline down a notch and made us all realize how tired we were. The group separated with Matt, Ramsey, and I in the lead and Greg, John, and Mitch behind us. We came across the trail crew again and saw some of the same faces we had seen the previous day. I suppose they had cut across on the Colima Trail from Boot Spring. They seemed to cover a lot of miles and do a lot of work with very little food or water. We were all impressed.
We marched on. We wanted to stop but were afraid if we did our legs would stop working altogether. The last couple of miles was in the sun and it got pretty steamy. At last we came to the end. We threw our gear in the truck and I went into the park store and got a cold soda and an ice cream. Sweet heaven! We lounged in the shade until the rest of the group arrived. Greg got a bag of ice to sit on. Now we had a decision to make: what to do next.
The original plan was to camp in the basin and maybe go to the hot springs to soak or Terlingua for some food and maybe a shower. Recent news that the hot springs were muddy and full of silt detered us from that option. We had thought about camping the the desert two days ago. I looked at the exhausted group. Half of them had their shoes off and were trying to stick them on Greg's ice bag. They were bribing each other for foot massages. I really wanted to sleep. I really did not want to be wet, cold, and miserable for a third night in a row. I also really wanted to camp, but I didn't have a real sleeping bag. I finally made the proposal that I knew everyone would jump on. "How about we go to Terlingua, find a room, take a shower, sit on the porch and drink some beer, eat a huge dinner at the Starlight, drink some more beer, then go to bed." I have only slept in a hotel in Big Bend one other time when I came with my 70 year old father-in-law and six month old son. I always felt I was missing something by staying in a hotel but I just couldn't face another night in the sleeping bag from hell. On the plus side, I had always wanted to spend more than a few minutes sitting on the porch in Terlingua.
The group jumped on the idea like a cat pouncing a mouse. We loaded up and started driving. I had not planned on this so I did not know where to stay. I had never thought about it. I thought about staying in the Big Bend Motor Inn but that was far to drive from Terlingua after having a few beers. As we turned in to the ghost town we saw the El Dorado Hotel.
I remembered it had not gotten rave reviews but all we wanted was a shower, air conditioning, and a bed. We asked the woman at he front desk how much a room was and after eyeing us said "how about $60?". We agreed and filled out the paperwork one at a time as the hotel apparently only owns one pen. We each got our own bed. The rooms were the barest thing I have ever seen. It was comical just how sparce they were. The walls were unpainted particle board and the door looked like it was made of salvaged fence pickets. A prison-cell like window let some light in and a random, out-of-place painting decorated one wall. There was a 12 inch television on a small stand. A broken bench stood by the door. However, the air conditioner worked, the beds were comfy, and the shower was wet. It was all we needed.
We showered and all six of us piled into Greg's truck. The guys who had never been to Terlingua were almost scared. "I've never seen anything like this place." "This is like something out of a Mad Max movie." "Are we safe here." I assured them it was perfectly safe and a good time was about to be had. We found space on the porch, got some beer, and sat in the shade looking at the mountains and desert. We were clean. Life was good.
Things started getting silly. Some old guy named Doug drove up on a moped and introduced himself, then left. Matt and I walked out to the ruins and did a mirror-image shot since we had the same colored shirts on.
Doug came back and said hi, then left on his moped once more. We reminisced about the hike and told random stories. Doug made another appearance, seeming as though he had had a few beers himself, then he left again on the moped. After a few hours we went into the Starlight and looked at the menu. I got a round of tequila for everyone. We were told that if we ate the entire Diego Burger we could drink for free. The Diego Burger is a pound of beef, 4 slices of cheese, 2 eggs, 5 slices of bacon, and a layer of jalapenos served with fries. John and I took up the challenge. The burger came and it was enormous. John finished half and quit. I ate the entire thing and even took a bite of John's unfinished burger. I think I am the only guy to hike 20 miles over a weekend and gain weight.
Suddenly we heard a scream and two tourist parents scrambled around and came in with a 2 year old girl with a bloody face. The couple had rafted Santa Elena Canyon and came to eat. Their daughter had walked onto the porch, just a few feet from the family, seen a dog and tried to grab the dog's bone and it had bit her face badly. The whole place came alive. The dog had disappeared. The bartender was helping the family. People were looking for the dog. A dog was found but it was the wrong one. A woman who owned the dog called her dog over to verify that it had not been that dog. People said it was a community dog. The ambulance arrived and the EMT said the dog needed to be found. We went to the porch and watched the drama unfold. The sheriff's deputy arrived and the dog was found on the side of the building. Just as the deputy got the dog in his truck it escaped and disappeared into the night. It was very sad and strange that such a thing would happen, but there was nothing we could do. The girls injury was bad and the dog was gone.
At 10pm we went back to our hotel and set up on the picnic table outside discussing the dog bite, politics, politics, and more politics. After arguing politics for a while I figured out that everyone was basically arguing pointless points and went to bed. I slept very well in the warm, dry bed.
SUNDAY, AUG 10I woke up at 7am and woke everyone else. We packed up and were on the road with only one stop in Study Butte for coffee. We stopped in Alpine for gas and breakfast at McDonalds, then were on the road again. We had one minor traffic problem on the interstate outside of Ft Stockton where someone's car apparently had burst into flames. The fire department was on the scene and had put the fire out.
Working on a crossword puzzle was our main focus for a good hour. I had picked up the Alpine Avalanche and was working on the crossword with Greg and Mitch. We frequently picked up the walkee-talkee's to enlist the help of Matt, Ramsey, and John in the other car. We didn't stop again until we Junction where we ate a late lunch at Coopers BBQ.
We finally arrived home at 7:30pm to hugs and kisses and lots of quick unpacking. Everyone agreed that we had assembled a great bunch of guys. Everyone got along and had lots of fun
