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Put-in
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Banks of Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend NP, Texas, USA Where it was sandy and shallow.
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Take-out
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Banks of Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend NP, Texas
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River Miles
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50
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Fees or permits
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$30 per vehicle
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Night Skies
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A “Dark sky” designated ecosystem
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Temperature
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45 - 80 degrees F. Daily- Early spring, It snowed the week before.
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Sky
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Sunny, Clear at Night
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Moon Phase
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Dark
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Sunrise/sunset
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Sunrise 7:30 am sunset 7:15pm-
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Precipitation
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—
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Wind
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Little wind
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Participants
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Mark Johnson, Carol Johnson, Naomi Brown, Samuel Tarantino, Robert Goodman, Pam Goodman, Ishai Goddard.
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Transportation
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We took our own cars and parked in a Ranger’s yard.
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Craft
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3 canoes, 2 kayaks
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Road Miles
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About 1000 miles by car.
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Map
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“Big Bend” by nat geo.
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Food
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Mostly dehydrated food and fruit, Fresh water, TP
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Water
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One gallon per day, per person, carried in either jug or bladder. Also carried a Sawyer Squeeze for water purification.
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A bunch of us stupid - or brave enough to kayak and explore biology in Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park seemed a good idea at the time.
All of us were retired geologists, biologists, mechanics, medical doctors, ichthyologists, limnologists, other sciences, and either adventurous hikers, experienced kayakers, or just plain crazy.
First, allow me to describe Big Bend National Park.
It’s “remote”. One REALLY wants to be there. It’s wild, unpredictable, bizarre, beautiful, deadly.
Everything evolved to poison, stab, snag, burn; go without water for months, irritate, itch; kill. Dangerously hot; yet freezing cold at night.
It was called the Chihuahuan Desert. Not a place for frail humans. Many plants and animals observed only here.
We hauled all our kayaks, canoes, PFD's, and paddles; food, water; gear, packs, jackets, knives, poles, shoes, hats, sunscreens, Gorilla Tape, scissors, sharp knives, Super Glue, orange, In Reach GPS, extra everything and emergency medications.
Almost to Mexico, Big Bend is one weird, remote, beautiful desert; one “normal” forgot and many miles to anything resembling civilization.
Everyone wrote Wills and Power of Attorneys.
Dying there was a real possibility; everyone daily wore at least a transponder, compass, map, knife, cell phone; were fit, experienced and understood risks.
We carefully considered all dangers, delights, white water, no water, and “what if” scenarios.
It was wonderful!
Our mechanic, a good natured-guy, somehow got most of the work. His abilities to problem solve were astounding.
He tied, taped, tinkered, paddled, scouted, cranked, fixed, medicated. Surely there were more.
Rather than praying to any deity, we put our faith in our mechanic and envied his calm abilities to take care of anything. We all admired him.
Fuel, Food, Vaccinations, Gear
Months ahead, we worked out a careful plan on Excel spread sheets, of mostly dehydrated food; computed fuel needs (both gas and propane) decided on gear, dry bags, clothing, over the counter meds, needed vaccinations, anti-venom, kayak supplies and prescription meds.
All had a portable stove, fuel, cell phone, helmets, rain gear, binocs, utensils, matches, whistle; carried extra water or wore bladders; knew how to charge devices; wore an analogue watch; camera, had extra batteries, paddles. There was probably more.
No one wanted to get sick or transmit some disease; we wanted to be warm, dry, cool; not get stranded, sun burned; starve, or thirsty, as safe as possible.
We could all swim and knew first aid, CPR or other life-saving behaviors.
Do you think we were being too cautious? Then you have not been to Big Bend, on the water, or in the wild!
Anything can (and does) happen.
We traveled to Santa Elena Canyon in far south Big Bend. A Park Ranger kindly allowed us to park at her property, thus avoiding thefts, additional expenses, or worry about vehicles.
It’s called Big Bend because the Rio Grande River bends. Many legends, stories, petroglyphs, Disney characters or myths abounded.
Using iNat, we decided to be Citizen Scientists. We were all retired “science” people, and able to observe natural phenomena.
For days, we slowly paddled the river, noting every amphibian, fish, bird; we tested water and carefully investigated the rock canyons on foot.
In some parts of the river, it was too shallow to safely paddle. Lewis and Clark style, we portaged everything over damp sand.
There were subtle changes in the ecosystems.
In the desert, we were unable to find a species of plant we all were accustomed to seeing. We were also unable to locate a species of frog “normally” found in damp spaces. We frequently saw many plants wildly reproductive.
Why?
We discussed “finds", "no finds’; everything, at dinner and worried about this remote place.
We looked over at persistent CO2 smog from Mexico, considering native flora and fauna in Big Bend and the effects of the large carbon cloud.
Orion, in the Dark Sky, seemed to glare at us. His dog, Sirius, also seemed to reproach. What have we done?