Santa Elena Canyon from Lajitas
(Big Bend National Park)
February 8-10, 2019
by Kent Walters

Even though we all went on the same trip at the same time and the same place, it was a different trip for each of us.  Some were more sensitive to the cold, others to being wet, and others were challenged by the new techniques needed to deal with the surprising power of the low water.  

Here’s how the adventure unfolded in broad terms: 

Thursday: Pot Luck dinner at Grassy Banks campground in Big Bend Ranch State Park. Ate dinner, fretted about the cold weather and low water, set up camp, did some star gazing and bedded down for the chilly night.

Friday: Up early to keep our schedule of morning activities – still chilly and semi-dark because of the relative location in Central time zone (just a few miles from the Mountain Standard Time boundary).

Some had a little breakfast and coffee.  Then there was the mad dash to the put-in – unload, organize a little, followed by the equally mad dash to outfitter – park vehicles, take care of some administration (pay the people), and get back to the put-in for final packing and launch.

On water at about 11:00 – safety instruction focused on prevention – “This Side Up” and “the cane is not your friend”.

Paddled from hilly desert into sand-colored mesas in water that kept us alert.  There was one sweeping turn with a branch jutting out at an angle right where the strongest current was flowing, preceded by a rock garden that defied all long-range strategies.  I got hung up on a couple of rocks that turned me sideways to the current and tipped my kayak up just enough for the water to flood in.  I believe it was Robert who was out of his kayak at that point helping people get unstuck who broke me free, and I floated my way around the log to a gravel bar.  Since we were all wet, I declared this our lunch stop, and we dried out and ate. 

We continued in the land of multi-colored mesas with a few more low-water mishaps.  We paddled until about 5:30 and were still well short of our intended destination when we pulled over to make camp and eat dinner.  It was pretty chilly again, and Brent brought out a gizmo that looked like a can with a battery.  You put sticks in it and light them, and turn on a fan that gets them going really well.  We stood around Brent’s can-o-sticks for a while before we used the sticks to build a bigger fire in our fire pan.  We warmed up around this nice campfire.  By the way, the “can-o-sticks” had a USB charger too, in case you found yourself in a situation where you needed a fire and your phone was out of juice.

Saturday: Up late, lazy breakfast and preparation, underway by 11:30.

Wonderful scenery continued.  Just before our camp, we found the same rapid where we got wet last year, and we mostly dragged our boats through it.  Two and a half hours brought us to Entrance Rapid Camp.  There was some discussion about which side we should camp on.  The coordinator insisted that we camp on the US side, which was a great campsite.  

A couple of rangers (enforcement) showed up after we had started putting our camp together.  We talked with them for a while.  We weren’t their target demographic.  First time I’ve ever seen rangers on one of these paddles.  They camped just upstream from us.

A hike up the mesa was organized and executed – great views were the reward for those who made the effort.

After the hikers returned, we witnessed a spectacular sunset.  

The campfire was being lit at the same time, as I recall, in the vicinity of Dave and Sandy’s tent.  The recurring theme of low temperatures sent everyone scurrying to the sleeping bags by about 9:00 again.

Sunday: Up to another chilly morning – on the water at 10:00 am.  

We entered Santa Elena Canyon and took in the stunning views.  

Today saw a lot of people disobeying my prime directive of staying right-side-up.  I’m not sure how I could have made it more clear.  Seriously, we had some really pushy water and co-located wall shots that caught a few of our group unprepared.  
 
And another lunch stop where we shared food, wine, towels . . .

Everyone negotiated the Rock Slide rapids without incident – some running, some lining.  
 
There were a few more low water areas that required some effort, and some getting out of the boat, but not terrible.  The scenery made it all worth it.

We made it to our destination about an hour late.  Our shuttle driver, Marty, was very cheerful and helpful as we took the gear out of our boats and loaded everything onto the trailer.

After sorting things out at the outfitter’s parking lot, some of us went down the road to the Starlight, a restaurant, with an open mic night, and finished our trip with a late meal and some fairly good entertainment.

Photo albums:
Kent Walters  Brent Hwang  David Portz  David Risch
 

The author, Kent Walters