2 Backpacks, 2 Bikes, a Van and a plan..: Finally, On the River!

After over 8 weeks in Big Bend, we finally had the opportunity to get on the river! We hooked up with a local outfitter that operates river tours in the park (Big Bend River Tours) and were able to tag along on a scheduled canoe excursion yesterday that began at Santa Elena Canyon, one of the most beautiful canyons in the area.

On this full day Rio Grande canoe trip, called the "boomerang", you paddle up river through the Santa Elena Canyon for approximately 4 miles then stop for lunch on a flat landing area across from Fern Canyon. After lunch there is guided hike/scramble through Fern Canyon, time for a swim in the river before getting back in the canoes for the return trip back down river through the canyon.

Looking up the canyon walls from the river

The morning paddle was beautiful. Although the day would eventually get into the low 100's, it stayed relatively cool well into the morning. The skies were bright blue against the canyon backdrop and it was amazing to be quietly canoeing up river in the shadow of the tall canyon walls. There were 6 canoes on the trip. A family of four from Houston, including two 17 year old girls who made the trip very entertaining with their antics both in and out of the canoes, another young couple who drove up from the Laredo area and two local river guides who worked hard to ensure we all had an enjoyable and memorable experience in the canyon.

Shortly into the day, the teenagers, who were first time canoe-ers were having some difficulty managing/steering their canoe, so one of the guides nicely offered to tie their boat up to his so they could all travel/paddle together. By afternoon, they were towing him along at times, splashing him with their paddles and having a grand time.

Pulling in for lunch at the half-way point

Canoes resting while we cooled off in the river then enjoyed lunch

After a great self-serve lunch laid out by the hosts who carried the assortment of sandwich meats, cheese & crackers, fresh fruits, cookies and condiments in a well-packed cooler in one of their canoes, we crossed the river for the promised excursion into nearby Fern Canyon, a unique side canyon that hides numerous pools of water, waterfalls, caves and odd rock formations in its depths. It was billed to us as a "hike", but was actually more of a climb/scramble adventure involving a good amount of climbing, ducking and squeezing through rock formations, including a dripping waterfall.

There was even a portion where we had to rappel up and down a 15-foot rock face using a rope, which was really cool and a first for me. I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the climbing by rope and was not bothered by the height or the "trust" factor necessary to ascend using this method (which admittedly, was only on a small rock face). The excursion also included climbing into and scrambling through a low-ceilinged cave to come out on the other side. This part brought to mind a number of scenes from the Lord of The Rings and numerous comments about Gollum, giant spiders and Frodo Baggins were made as the group ducked and scrambled through.

Unfortunately there are no photos of this adventurous part of the day. We had to get to Fern Canyon by wading across the river and we didn't want to risk getting the phone wet as we trounced through the many "wet" parts of the excursion. Here are the photos of the rest of the day that turned out to be an entirely spectacular, albeit hot as the day wore on, experience.