A couple of This Week shots

[Al]

Al, where did you hire the guides.

In Boquillas. If my memory serves me, Homero reports Joe Falcon's son is still available to guide. Although redundant, here's a shot looking down from the south side of El Pico. Burro trail. Hell hike going up or down. But once on the plateau doable if in reasonable shape.



Al

The plateau is shown in this shot looking down from El Pico (the flat-looking geologic protrusion toward the left).  It is approximately 8 miles from el Jardin to a similar Glenn behind El Pico PLUS the hike down to where you are picked up by a vehicle: I recommend the mine vs the bottom of Terminal.  Perhaps one can still execute the hike along the entire length of the Del Carmens, but it would be very difficult, logistically.  We were hauled up to el Jardin and the first year picked up below Terminal and the second year picked at the mine.  The hike from the ol' Asarco mine, as best I can tell would be the most practical way to access El Pico today.  There is an old road at the northeast extreme of the developed mine area that goes up and over a saddle. The trail then goes north and east to the main trail, from the bottom on the plain above Terminal, then up, very up, to El Pico, which we did to Terminal the first time, although coming down.  If you are able to pull off the trip, given the canyon to El Jardin is blocked, which is the best way, in my limited experience, I would negotiate being driven to the mine and then to hike up to El Pico.

Al

[Al]

A couple of redundant plateau shots, an incredible view:

Looking south-southwest:



campfire good on the Mexico side of the park in late December, sunset:



Al

P.S. Write this down, "When the sun goes down, it gets colder in the desert."

[guc126]

The asarco mine is the puerto rico mine, correct?

[Al]

C

Al

[homerboy2u]

Perfecto Don Homero, se la aventaron con esa ronda. So, el jardin (the garden) is where the foto of you with the SDC background was taken. #33 and #34 is the caravan on the plateau of el jardin, and the Caсon del Jardin is no longer passable, and Al started his hike to El Pico from el jardin. Correct so far?

A view of the trip thru Google  Earth.....


Picture 33



Picture 34



 No longer passable until some one dynamites the boulders in the El Jardin Canyon

[homerboy2u]

We have compared notes and believe that to be true. I didn't take any shots in el Jardin. However, Homero's shots 78, 85,87,94 and 96 look like they were taken in the trees of el Jardin near where we also camped. No. 95 appears to be taken looking back at el Jardin after climbing out and up to near the rim of the del Carmens and a number of the shots there about appear be taken from the south-western rim of the del Carmens near el Jardin. Homero, please correct me as appropriate.

Al

P.S. Although 87 is a pretty strange picture if taken from el Jardin.

Picture 84. Just as we climbed El Jardin Canyon, I thought this is all but a garden, by the looks of this picture looking down the way we came up El Jardin...A Desert. I still could not understand the locals meaning of Garden, how naive I was of what was up ahead.



Picture 86. We went up a big hill , then this inmense desert Valley along this stretch of dirt desert road.



 Another hump and all of a suden this really big stretch of Cedar trees, i realize then this is EL Jardin, this is the Garden. How incredibly the terrain changes from a desert to a cedar forest, and it has springs up there,several Mule Ears.



Picture 85. Incredibly green, lush and like an oasis up there, Aureliano was our guide (with the cowboy hat).



Picture 87



Picture 94



All the Cedar trees pictures are in El Campamento site, on the GE Map.

[homerboy2u]

Access to the plateau might still be possible by horseback through the canyon or some other trail (not as death defying as that burro trail) . Stock should be available from the ejido Las Norias or Boquillas or some rancho in the area which a solid guide could lease. Looks like the road from Piedras Negras to the Boquillas valley is paved except for the turnoff to Boquillas  which shouldn't be too unmanagable. Logistics are difficult but nort impossible. 

 Correct, they are difficult but not impossible.

[guc126]

Access to the plateau might still be possible by horseback through the canyon or some other trail (not as death defying as that burro trail) . Stock should be available from the ejido Las Norias or Boquillas or some rancho in the area which a solid guide could lease. Looks like the road from Piedras Negras to the Boquillas valley is paved except for the turnoff to Boquillas  which shouldn't be too unmanagable. Logistics are difficult but nort impossible. 

 Correct, they are difficult but not impossible.

Caballeros, I'm gonna think about it. I've got 2 weeks off in December with nothing better planned.

[homerboy2u]

Access to the plateau might still be possible by horseback through the canyon or some other trail (not as death defying as that burro trail) . Stock should be available from the ejido Las Norias or Boquillas or some rancho in the area which a solid guide could lease. Looks like the road from Piedras Negras to the Boquillas valley is paved except for the turnoff to Boquillas  which shouldn't be too unmanagable. Logistics are difficult but nort impossible. 

 Correct, they are difficult but not impossible.

Caballeros, I'm gonna think about it. I've got 2 weeks off in December with nothing better planned.

 Don't ponder about it too  much. With out going out on a limb, i bet there are many on this board who would sign up for this trip,Al for starters plus several other amigos who have PM'ed me in the past. I am already signed,maybe sooner than December?,plus all the savvy DSLR  folks who would jump in a flash on the SDC trip wagon.

 It would be one hell of a trip.

[guc126]

" It would be one hell of a trip. "

No Panther Junction, no Big Bend Lodge, no Terlingua, no Sauceda, no park rangers, no border patrol, no hot showers, no cache boxes. Sounds like a whole mess of adventure. Ok sign me up.

[homerboy2u]

" It would be one hell of a trip. "

No Panther Junction, no Big Bend Lodge, no Terlingua, no Sauceda, no park rangers, no border patrol, no hot showers, no cache boxes. Sounds like a whole mess of adventure. Ok sign me up.

 Nooo cellphone coverage.........we are going.

[Al]

Access to the plateau might still be possible by horseback through the canyon or some other trail (not as death defying as that burro trail) . Stock should be available from the ejido Las Norias or Boquillas or some rancho in the area which a solid guide could lease. Looks like the road from Piedras Negras to the Boquillas valley is paved except for the turnoff to Boquillas  which shouldn't be too unmanagable. Logistics are difficult but nort impossible. 

 Correct, they are difficult but not impossible.

Caballeros, I'm gonna think about it. I've got 2 weeks off in December with nothing better planned.

 Don't ponder about it too  much. With out going out on a limb, i bet there are many on this board who would sign up for this trip,Al for starters plus several other amigos who have PM'ed me in the past. I am already signed,maybe sooner than December?,plus all the savvy DSLR  folks who would jump in a flash on the SDC trip wagon.

 It would be one hell of a trip.

Homero, may I ride in the back of your truck, otherwise I don't have the wheels.

Al

[homerboy2u]

Access to the plateau might still be possible by horseback through the canyon or some other trail (not as death defying as that burro trail) . Stock should be available from the ejido Las Norias or Boquillas or some rancho in the area which a solid guide could lease. Looks like the road from Piedras Negras to the Boquillas valley is paved except for the turnoff to Boquillas  which shouldn't be too unmanagable. Logistics are difficult but nort impossible. 

 Correct, they are difficult but not impossible.

Caballeros, I'm gonna think about it. I've got 2 weeks off in December with nothing better planned.

 Don't ponder about it too  much. With out going out on a limb, i bet there are many on this board who would sign up for this trip,Al for starters plus several other amigos who have PM'ed me in the past. I am already signed,maybe sooner than December?,plus all the savvy DSLR  folks who would jump in a flash on the SDC trip wagon.

 It would be one hell of a trip.

Homero, may I ride in the back of your truck, otherwise I don't have the wheels.

Al

You always have a seat waiting for you,Al. Heck, you know that by now.

[guc126]

"Homero this is the rubber duck, looks like we got us a convoooy"

[homerboy2u]

"Homero this is the rubber duck, looks like we got us a convoooy"

 10-4 10-8 on that,good buddy..comin' at ya from the top of Sierraaa del Caaarmen...wooohooo!!!