Alchemist2000

First of all, kudos for this great site. I love both the forums and all of the great photography.

I am hoping someone here can give me some advice about hiking in the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in August. My husband and I did a number of dayhikes in BBNP last March and had a blast. We hike (and geocache) a lot, but are novices at backpacking. We want to go back to BBNP and do a backpacking trip to the south rim. Is August feasible?

We know it will be very hot, but the temperatures don't look too awful in the mountains. Is there likely to be water in Boot Spring? Yes, I know the official line is not to depend on it, and we would certainly carry enough for our needs....despite the tonnage! However, we were curious as to how likely the chance of there being water would be. We would feel better if we thought there was a reasonable chance that we could supplement what we were carrying with water on the trail. Finally, since that is apparently in the "rainy season", does anyone know anything about their typical afternoon thunderstorms? Are these more of the variety where we put the rain gear on and wait it out as it blows through or are these more likely to be storms with large hail and killer lightning?

Thanks for any input you can provide.

lost_but_found

I certainly would not count on seeing any water in Boot Springs. The last time I was out there (Sept. '01) the only water I saw was the Rio Grande. And I surely wouldn't drink that water!! But if there is rainfall, there will be water in places. One of my friends said something to me about the water one might find in the Chisos - "The little bit of water you might see would be better left to the area's inhabitants because it is a rare commodity." I somewhat believe in this idea, but if there is plentiful water due to good rainfall, then I don't think you would make a huge impact.

About summer storms, I saw a few when I was there last, but they never passed over me. The ones I saw were definitely extracting quite the electric show though. Most of the hike out to the North and South Rim is fairly well protected. But when you are on the N&S Rim, you are one of the highest points. All of the storms I saw passed pretty quickly. They were basically just one cloud with an attitude.

I would plan on taking your water with you. Watch the weather and see what kind of patterns it may have for the area, i.e. what time of the day storms typically show up, how much rain they drop, and how frequent they are. If there are a lot of showers before or when you go, you may have a good chance of being able to treat some water and lighten the load. And, as always, ask the Rangers when you get there. They will be able to give you a good idea of the chances for rain and water and where they would be.

Alchemist2000

lost_but_found, thanks for all of the great input...that is exactly what we needed to know. Now, if we can just figure out how to lighten the rest of our packs enough so we can lug all of that water up the mountain, we are definitely going to give it a try.

BTW...I love your reference to a lone thunderstorm as a "cloud with an attitude"

lost_but_found

No Problem!! Glad to help!

There is some really great gear available out there to significantly reduce the gravity from the "growing stone" we backpackers must endure. I have found and seen in action a really great tent that is uber-light! http://www.tarptent.com/

Also, slumber gear for this time of year can take a lot of weight off your back. Look into a silk bag liner that you could use to cover up with for this time of year and protect your bag in cooler times of the year. Also, the amount of clothing reduces. I normally do my major backpacking trips in early spring and late fall and need plenty of warmth. All I would take would be some shorts, a t-shirt, and a couple pairs of socks and underwear - and of course my Precips (which I could put on if I get a chill). But I would also be counting on some extra water to wash clothes with.

Good luck to you guys!
Oh, I recommend site SW3 (i think) It is right on the South Rim - great views of sunsets and of Mexico!! But if it is windy at all, you may want to reconsider!!!

Alchemist2000

All sounds like great advice. We had figured out some of it already, but I was not familiar with the tarptents. I like the idea of complete bug protection, even if we really don't need it for this particular trip, but many of the weight qualities of a tarp. Awesome!! We have been salivating over their webpage all evening. Anyone own one of Henry Shires' tarptents? They really look interesting and would save us a lot of weight.

lost_but_found

I plan on owning one in the near future . But I went on a week long trip out to Bandelier NM with two other guys. One has the Cloudburst (tube design) and the other had the squall (modified a-frame). The Cloudburst had the floor sewn in to it - it is spacious and has a few more options than the Squall. The Squall is the one I will get though - much lighter. I use trekking poles, so that is an easy way to save some ounces because the squall can set up with a trekking pole instead of an extra pole (weight).

Alot of the guys I backpack with have one of the two and speak very proudly of them.

copuswalker

I hiked the Chisos last August. There was water at Boot Spring but you want to check and see if it is a wet year.
The temps were pleasent on my 4 day hike. Low 80's for a high in the mountains.
I was told I was a nut for trying but had a great trip.
If the spring is not running make a "just water trip " down and re-fill.
I had the mountians to myself and would recommend it in a heart beat,
Will do it again this year if I can!!!!

__________________
There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

munkee

I don't know about August , but I was just there at the beginning of this month and it was upper 80's in the mountains. However there was plenty of water in Boot Spring. It was running throughout. Also they have gotten a lot of rain this last two months. But certainly carry enough to get you through. If you are gonna camp with a tarp, I highly suggest Deet or some other repellant, the mosquitos and flies were abundant! You'll be in the rainy season so watch for afternoon thunderstorms and lightning. Also I would suggest hiking up Pinnacles trail rather than Laguna, as you rise through the elevation faster and reach campsites a lot quicker. Just my $.02. Have a great trip!

copuswalker

Last year there were small bugs but no Skeeters? I agree with the Pinnacles trail..Laguna is long.....
Good to here the spring is active. I believe May and June are the warmer months from what I can figure. Thanks for the info.

__________________
There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

Alchemist2000

I guess the relative lengths of the two trails depends at least somewhat on the campsite we are aiming for. Are there campsites along the South Rim that are much preferable than others and/or campsites that should defiinitely be avoided? I have looked at the descriptions on the BB website, but I would love to hear from those of you that have actually been there. Right now we are thinking about two nights. One day up, one day to dayhike in the rim area (probably without moving the campsite, although that would also be an option), and then come back on the third day. Due to the weight of the water, I think we could only think about three nights if we could get water from Boot Springs.

copuswalker

Hike away on the Laguna if you wish!!!! I cannot tell you which trail is best for you but can assure I have actually been there!
Tm1 is great if you want a short first day hike?? Ne4 is a great spot if choose???? sw3 is also a great spot?????? Cheers!

__________________
There are those that hike and those that don't and those that say they will but won't.

munkee

I camped in BC2 for two nights, and it was great. Lots of shade and centrally located. I hiked up in the morning, set up camp and took a nap in the heat and then in the afternoon hiked Emory peak. I didn't get to stay long as there was a thunderstorm coming from the South. Got dumped on overnight too! The next morning hiked out to the rim and back around through Colima and back to camp. And then out the next morning. I had 9L of water with me and felt like I was conserving at the end, and wished I had a filter. But it was a great time to be there and I felt like I had the place to myself. I've been up both ways: Laguna and Pinnacles, and it seemed like Pinacles was faster due to the elevation gain being quicker and you start seeing campsites earlier. Made me feel like I was getting somewhere. Laguna just felt long. The meadows at Laguna are nice though, and you get a great view of the peak, since you are directly below it.

toejam

Here's another $.02 - I like the Pinnacles Trail much better than the Laguna Meadows trail. I think its more scenic.

It is always my intention to camp at (order of preference) SE4, NE5, NE3. With a group SE3, NE4, SE1 - these allow more tents. SE2 is a surprisingly long way from good perches on the rim. There's nothing I like better in BB than sitting on the south rim taking in the view. I'll take my books, foam pad and cooking equipment to the edge and hang out there. Sunrises, sunsets and moonlight are amazing.

I can't imagine there being a mosquito problem high in the mountains unless you are near one of the creeks. It's very dry even in the rainy season. I tarp camp often and think it's a great way to save pack weight. I have a cheap tarp from Campmor that was $30-something.

The creek above Boot Spring has always been the best available water when I've been there - I've always carried all my water there but could have used the creek.

Enjoy your trip!

Alchemist2000

Thanks for all of the fabulous advice from so many people!! You have certainly helped us a lot with our planning. Hopefully it will be of use to some others, as well.

Alchemist2000

I just wanted to post a note to say how much we enjoyed our trip to Big Bend and to thank everyone here for all of your valuable advice. We would not have had the courage to overcome our initial worries about the summer heat and to make the trip in August without your encouragement. It was actually quite cool (high 50's near the south rim) at night and rarely out of the 70's during the day. All of the recent rain had resulted in lots and lots of wildflowers of all different types and colors. Even the desert was surprisingly green.

We went up the Laguna Meadows trail and ate lunch on the ridge looking back towards the Lodge. It was a beautiful location with wildflowers all around and the great view back into the Basin. Later, several deer got within ten yards or less of us while we were stopped in the trees further along in Laguna Meadows. We also saw lots of hummingbirds everywhere.

We stayed at SE1 the first night, which was very close to the rim and some beautiful views. We explored along the rim the next day, then moved on to our next camp site, NE4. This was more protected with fewer open vistas than I had hoped. It was fairly cloudy/foggy anyway, so it did not matter too much. We appreciated being protected in the trees when a rain storm came through that night. I don't know how much total precipitation there was, but it rained fairly steadily from about 11 pm - 12:30 am. Our new Rainshadow tarptent (thank you, lost_but_found for steering us towards the tarptents!) worked great in the rain. The only problem with the tarptent was the very slippery floor with our thermarests. I thought I had corrected that problem with the seam sealer, but I was wrong.

We made our way back down the Pinnacles trail the following day. We had originally planned to stay a third night at TM 1 camp site, but an equipment problem and one of my knees made us decide to come back early. We had carried in 13 liters of water between the two of us, which was just about right for the two days and our particular choice of food and cooking that required little water. We had only a little over a liter left when we got back down the mountain. We had planned to pick up more water at Boot Spring for the third night. Although we did not walk down to check Boot Spring, I suspect there would have been plenty of water available since there was lots and lots of water in the creek.

I agree with the other posts here that the Pinnacle Trail is definitely the more interesting trail of the two. However, we wanted to see both of them. Given our level of conditioning and our 50-something knees, I think going down Pinnacle Trail when our packs were lighter was probably the right choice for us.

Thanks again for everyone's help. It was a great time to go, with very very few people in the park.