Spring Break Trip Report 3/14-3/21

[badknees]

Just got back from a 7 day trip with Little Goodknees which included Apache Canyon and 4 days in Smoky Creek. I'll get some pictures put together as soon as possible and get a report together as well.

Had the good fortune of a chance meeting with JamesB and Xception in the lodge while eating a cheeseburger after the 4 day Smoky Creek trip.


Got to clean up a bit and tend my wounds, but stay tuned, I'll get some stuff out over the weekend.

WWG - I'll PM you some feedback on your info.

Couple of previews

[Al]

Excellent warm up.  As Homero might say: We're waiting!

Al

[homerboy2u]

Excellent warm up.  As Homero might say: We're waiting!

Al

  This guy is developing mind reading abbilities ...or i am being just too obvious.....

[badknees]

OK, I'm working on it.

Day 0-1

Although Spring Break is not the ideal time to fight the crowd (relative term), Little Goodknees and I were in need of a Big Bend Trip. Our plan was to do the overnight run from Houston via US 90 and base camp in the Basin. We left Houston at 20:45 on the night of the 13th and arrived in the Basin Friday morning of the 14th before sunrise. We found site #2 open and set up as soon as it was light enough to see. As usual, the first day for us is a warmup day. Get the legs moving with a short walk or two and recover after the long drive. Little Goodknees recently finished reading "Beneath the Window" and wanted to take a look at the Wilson homestead, so we drove down to the parking area and hiked up the road to Oak Spring. We avoided Cattail...too many cars around.



The Ocotillos were in bloom but no leaves




After sitting above the water tank and snacking we decided to run over and look at the petrified tree off the Persimmon Gap Rd. and strectch our legs again. The afternoon was hot and dry but it was a great day to be back in paradise. The tree is pretty amazing and the views back toward the Chisos are great.







After an early supper we wanted to catch Casa Grande framed by the window near sunset. The lack of clouds seems to leave the shot a little dull but I'll just have to try it again!



The evening was cool and pleasant with a very bright moon and hence few stars. Our plan for Day 2 was an early start to Apache Canyon to see what we could see.
We were both exhausted by the time we turned in and I don't think I've slept that well in a long time.

Day 2- Apache Canyon - Coming soon..........

[BigBendHiker]

Hi badknees!
Thanks for the pictures and the trip report thus far.  Looking forward to the rest!


Thanks,
BBH

[badknees]

Day 2- Apache Canyon


Sleep is a blessed thing, and after a good one and a breakfast of sausage and egg tacos, we headed of down RMSD and parked in the wash that marks the start of the Apache canyon trail. It was a clear cool morning and we were well rested and ready to go. With some snacks and a gallon or so of water we crested the top of Burro mesa and fill out the required permit.


The trail is a slow easy wind down toward the corral which sits between the two unamed peaks south of the actual canyon.


The corral itself is an amazing piece of desert engineering. It is straight, with 90 deg corners and solidly built. Hope they built in the winter,
because it was pretty hot the day we were there.


We headed north along the west side of the wash below the old house ruins on the hill and worked our way to a point just below the south tip of the
canyon. A short uphill climb and we we treated to our first views of the canyon.



To the east were great views of the Chisos


We decided against descending into the canyon and instead worked our way east and north around the colorful alcoves. The ground is littered with chert
chips that have been worked by human hands long ago. Careful scrutiny can turn up some interesting things.


Having lunch in the only shade around... an outcrop on the highest point of the canyon rim, I knew that some warrior had also shared the same spot many
years ago.








After having explored the eastern rim of the canyon, it was time to head back. The old adage about the "shortest distance......" may be true, but in Big
Bend if you factor in blood loss and time, it probably doesn't pay to bushwhack most of the time. We tried to do a direct NW to SE bushwahck from the
canyon back toward the trailhead. I have attached the route below, and I HIGHLY recommend against the route we took back toward the trail. The only thing
that didn't stick me or scratch me were rocks. By the time we intersected the trail again we were both dripping the red stuff. (Did I mention we saved
about a mile!)


After reaching the trailhead we bolted to Study Butte for a shower and the back to the Basin for dinner and sleep.


PS. Both Oak Creek and Cottonwood Creek are both flowing near the West Ent Rd and RMSD.



Day 3 - Maple Canyon and prepping for Smoky Creek - Coming soon

[TheWildWestGuy]

Great report - nice rock outcrop photo's of Apache Canyon.  Just think of the eon's of paleo-indians living and working in that place and sending their speartips for trade far away.   I think I read somewhere (maybe the NPS site?) that Flint spearpoints from Apache Canyon and Hornfel Spearpoints from Banta Shut-In were both widely traded in pre-Columbian days and may even have reached as far as Colorado and Arizona.   The works are obvious and widespread at Apache Canyon but I have found little trace of paleo-indian mining at Banta Shut In although there is a copius quantity of black Hornfels rock and reliable water - maybe it's just my "untrained" eye.   Anyone have any scientific insights?... TWWG

[badknees]

Day 3 - Maple Canyon and prepping for Smoky Creek - Coming soon

Picked a zone camping permit for 3 nights in Smoky Creek and proceeded to make a short day hike to Maple Canyon.
We folowed the drainage up in to the canyon until a point that it became very narrow and difficult going. Lots of madrone and bear sign (scat) in the
drainage.





After a short trip we proceeded to pack up for our backpack to Smoky Creek the following day

Day 4

We awoke to a cloudy but relatively warm morning and drove down to Mule Ears overlook where we planned to start our trek into Smoky Creek. Our plan was
to carry enough water for the round trip into Smoky Creek. In the event that we could not locate supplemental water we would return the following day.
As we passed the corral at Mule Ears Spring we encountered a party of 3 camped inside the corral. I mentioned to them the infraction, however I believe
it fell on deaf ears. Mule Ears Spring was holding a significant amount of water and flowing as well.



We continued on to the Smoky Creek overlook at the end of the Mule Ears trail and stopped for a rest and some photos before descending into the drainage.




The morning continued to be cloudy and the light was not optimal for photos but the hike was pleasant and the views were great. As we descended into the
drainage, I made a mental note that the return trip up the bluff was going to be strenuous, albeit short. Octotillos were in bloom, although leafless, and Mule Ears towered over our descent into Smoky Creek.


The transit into the drainage is we marked with large cairns and the trek north in the wash is smooth and fast. The drainage not too sandy, or too rocky. It's just right for a brisk pace, and we made good time to the first "Black Rock" spring located about 1/2 mile before the sharp eastward turn towards the entrance into the Sierra Quemada.


Unfortunately the spring was bone dry and the future of our trip was now in question. As we proceeded into the canyon that marks the Sierra Quemada we soon began to see signs of water. First some pools, then seeps, and finally a flowing stream. We continued on until we passed through the narrow gap to a point on the topo that shows a spring. That spring does exist and produces a flowing stream below it for several hundred yards.


After 6 1/2 miles under pack we decided that we needed to find a suitable area to make camp somewhere near this reliable water source. We found a nice gravel bench about 200 yds up inside a side drainage of the main Smoky Creek drainage. This looked liked home for the next 3 days.



After setting up camp, and securing enough water for the next couple of days we explored the immediate area as the sun poked through and lit up Sugar Loaf Mountain. It looked like a glorious evening ahead and we looked forward to what the next day would bring.



More to come... two days of exploring the area north and east of Sugar Loaf Mountain

[badknees]

Day 5


"It looked like a glorious evening ahead and we looked forward to what the next day would bring"

That is what I said at the end of my Day 4 post, but what a difference a day makes. When I awoke the following morning, I heard the patter of light rain on the tent. It was damp and chilly and wet. Since we did not have much in the way of rain protection except the tent,



we stayed huddled up for a couple of hours, wrapped up in our bags. It was a good time to chat, but I should have brought a deck of cards. I popped out for a few pictures, made some coffee and tea and dove back inside waiting for the rain to subside. Little did we know that the Rim was getting snow as posted by others.





Finally after a few hours "stuck in the house" the rain relented enough to get out and explore without ending up soaked. Heading east we could sometimes make out the Rim and Tortuga Mtn through the mist and fog.





We explored the drainage north of Sugar Loaf until we reached the Lone tree pouroff.



At this point we exited the official Smoky Creek trail and headed east up the drainage to a point west of Pt 4230. This drainage held some seeps but no streams. The pouroffs were beginning to increase in size and the weather was still pretty dreary, so we turned back about a mile past the exit from the official Smoky Creek trail.





I wish we had gone a bit further as this area is full of unusual colors and shapes.





After a wet and windy trip back and dinner, the sky eventually cleared to a brilliant blue just before sunset.



I figured with the clearing skies and the NW wind, the night would probably end up being a bit on the cold side. With that in mind we downed cups of hot sweet tea and crawled into the bags for the night.

Tomorrow looked like it would be a better weather day.

...to be continued

[MarkB]

badknees: Enjoying your trip report and photos to date. Thanks!
--MarkB

[Al]

badknees, thank you for the outstanding trip report and photos!  Looks like LGKs and you had a great trip and covered a lot of ground. I especially like the shots showing the cracks in the rocks filled with  . . . what are they filled with? Precipitate from above or below?  Dang I hate it when I need a geologist.  Anyway, outstanding photos and observations. 

Al

[badknees]

badknees, thank you for the outstanding trip report and photos!  Looks like LGKs and you had a great trip and covered a lot of ground. I especially like the shots showing the cracks in the rocks filled with  . . . what are they filled with? Precipitate from above or below?  Dang I hate it when I need a geologist.  Anyway, outstanding photos and observations. 

Al

Al,

LGK's is pretty tough for 11 yrs old!

It was a great trip and we did cover almost 40 miles by the time we were finished. About 22 miles along Smoky and the Quemadas. So much more to see when you look at a map and see how small the area we covered actually was.

I'm not exactly sure about the geology either, but it sure is variable in the Quemadas.

I 'll get day 6 out tomorrow and post some pictures of a "Red Rock" section that looks just like the one along Blue Creek canyon.

Pretty wild place!. Even during Spring break we never encountered another human from the time we left Mule Ears Spring and until we returned 4 days later.

Mr. Knees

[homerboy2u]

I'm keeping my lips  ...thi is a very good thread, but i am not sure how long i can keep it .

[Al]

badknees, thank you for the outstanding trip report and photos!  Looks like LGKs and you had a great trip and covered a lot of ground. I especially like the shots showing the cracks in the rocks filled with  . . . what are they filled with? Precipitate from above or below?  Dang I hate it when I need a geologist.  Anyway, outstanding photos and observations. 

Al

Al,

LGK's is pretty tough for 11 yrs old!

It was a great trip and we did cover almost 40 miles by the time we were finished. About 22 miles along Smoky and the Quemadas. So much more to see when you look at a map and see how small the area we covered actually was.

I'm not exactly sure about the geology either, but it sure is variable in the Quemadas.

I 'll get day 6 out tomorrow and post some pictures of a "Red Rock" section that looks just like the one along Blue Creek canyon.

Pretty wild place!. Even during Spring break we never encountered another human from the time we left Mule Ears Spring and until we returned 4 days later.

Mr. Knees

You guys put most of us to shame.  You need a new handle . . .

Al

[chisos muse]

Very nice, Mr. Knees... Looking forward to the rest.

Again, how lucky you are to have spent that time with your daughter. The world needs more lil girl benders!