Big Bend Adventure

  “While there is always a danger, we will be in a large group. Mountain lions won’t be a problem. Evan will bring up the rear of the hike to prevent any stragglers. We will be doing day hikes, not camping out at night.”

  “We’ll be fine,” he stated with conviction. He continued to hand out the boxes with new handheld GPS in them.

  Carol and Margie were not so easily convinced. They approached Clifford as the kids started reading the instructions for their new equipment.

  “Really, we’re not comfortable with this,” they said in unison.

  Garnet and Flint paused in reading the instructions to follow the conversation. Clifford nodded toward the boys, and the women looked at their hopeful faces.

  “We will take care of the girls,” Garnet promised to help shoulder the responsibility. “They will have a great time. You’ll see.”

  Unable to deny the boys, the two mothers finally caved in and gave their permission.

  “Great! Tomorrow we can hit the mall and get y’all outfitted with some hiking shoes, socks, hats and backpacks,” Clifford told the teens. “I am going to rent a large van that we will all fit into. I will be picking up my friends in McCamey to help me chaperon.”

  “W-w-Where will we be staying, Grandpa?” Mica asked.

  “We will be staying at the Lajitas Resort. I have five guest rooms reserved. Each room has two beds. Our rooms are adjacent to a swimming pool so pack your swim suits. There is a restaurant on site and gift shops to browse through if we have any energy left when we finish our hikes. They have Wi-Fi available so you can all check in with your parents while at the resort. No signal in the National Park though. ”

  While still apprehensive, Margie and Carol finally accepted the idea. Not surprisingly, the girls themselves had reservations about doing the hikes. The pleading looks from Flint finally made them agree.

  “I can’t stay here for a week,” Carol said. “I have to get back to work. I guess I’ll fly back in a week and pick Opal up.”

  “It won’t work well with my schedule either,” Margie agreed. “And next week will be a problem for me also. I have a deadline for a project that I have to complete.”

  “I’d be glad to escort Amber back,” Carol volunteered. “You can pick her up at the airport in Midland/Odessa right?”

  “Oh yes, thank you,” a very relieved Margie accepted her offer.

  “I’ll need to catch a ride to the airport too,” William said overhearing their conversation. “I’ve been gone far too long. I’ll fly home to San Antonio and leave the car here with Roberta.”

  Clifford gathered the family together the next morning to plan the shopping spree. Richard and Myron quickly begged off.

  “If you are smart you will give the ladies the credit card and let them take the kids to the mall,” Richard said ruefully. “I hate shopping! Thankfully Alice keeps me well dressed.”

  “What do you think ladies?” Clifford address his daughters-in-law. “Are you willing to take the kids shopping for me?”

  “There are only four of us, and six of them,” Alice addressed the other women. “How do you want to do this?”

  “I’ve been volksmarching before,” Garnet spoke up with a slightly superior tone. “I don’t need to be outfitted. I have everything I need. But I can give Mica and Flint advice on the best trail shoes. I don’t know anything about girls’ footwear.”

  “How about, my taking the three boys in my car then,” Alice proposed. “It shouldn’t take long.

  When no one objected to the plan, she continued, “I’ll treat the boys to Pizza at the mall, so tell Helen we won’t be home for lunch.”

  “Come on, boys,” she called, and started toward the driveway.

  Clifford tried to hand her a credit card, but she declined.

  “I’ll use my card and give you the receipts,” she told him. “It will be easier if you just write me a check.”

  “Okay the rest of us will go in my car,” Roberta said. “Let’s go ladies.”

  “I’ll put it on my card like Alice and you can pay me back.”

  “We’ll eat at the mall too,” she called back over her shoulder as they headed toward the driveway.

  The full parking lot at the Sunset Mall surprised all of them. Not wanting to waste time driving up and down the rows in search of a spot close to the door Roberta parked at the first open space she found.

  The three women and the three girls headed into the mall on a mission.

  “I’m afraid we didn’t plan very well,” Margie observed. “The girls aren’t wearing socks.”

  Everyone looked down and saw painted toe nails on feet clad in sandals.

  “Looks like we need to buy the socks first,” Crystal giggled.

  They started looking first at Dillards. Not exactly the athletic shoes they were looking for so they moved on to Foot Locker. Crystal spotted her brother and cousins in the store and asked her Aunts if they could head on down the mall to see what other stores they could find.

  Opal saw a colorful display of athletic shoes in front of Shoe Dept. Encore and headed over to take a look. A saleslady came over to offer help and they gladly told her of their mission of getting trail shoes for hiking in Big Bend.

  The clerk directed them to the nylon socks with two layers. She said she was a hiker herself and those socks prevented blisters.

  Outfitted with socks they each took a turn getting their feet measured and it wasn’t long before they had chosen some colorful light weight trail shoes that had great tread.

  Bags in hand they moved on to another store to shop for hats and backpacks. They found some that met with the girl’s approval and then headed back toward the food court to get lunch.

  They again spotted their cousins with Alice, this time eating at the pizza place. They exchanged waves and noted the bags stacked around the table legs. They didn’t stop however, they opted to eat at Chick-fil-a.

  On Monday morning a rental van that could hold up to 15 people was delivered to their front door. Attached to the back was a small trailer for everyone’s luggage. Everything was quickly loaded but the goodbyes took longer.

  Garnet gave his mother a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. His father, Myron, was going along as the van driver. He turned to help his Dad finish loading the luggage. Flint and Crystal said quick goodbyes to their parents and turned to board the van. Their mother called, “Be careful you two, don’t do anything stupid!”

  The siblings noticed Opal and Amber clinging to their mothers. Margie was going over the plan again with her daughter, assuring her that she’d meet her at the Midland/Odessa airport when Carol brought her home.

  Flint and Crystal each grabbed a girl by the arm and pushed them into the van ahead of them.

  Mica was the last one in. When he bid his parents goodbye, Mica held them close a long time. With an encouraging smile they shoved him toward the van. The van door slide shut and they were off on their adventure.

  The parents stood waving in the driveway watching their offspring disappear. Only Opal and Amber looked back and returned their waves.

  The trip was broken up by the stop in McCamey to pick up Ava and Evan. Introductions were made all round.

  “Here let me help you,” Garnet said and helped Evan load their luggage. They piled back into the van and headed on down the road.

  Ava had chosen a seat behind the three girls. She wanted to get to know her charges better. She couldn’t help noticing the long hair that two of the girls had. She leaned forward to get their attention and they turned round to visit with her.

  “Do you girls take care of your own hair?” she asked, hoping that the answer would be “Yes”.

  The girls exchanged glances and with a rueful smile and shake of their heads admitted that they did not.

  “I see,” Ava said thoughtfully. She glanced over at Crystal. “Do you know how to braid hair?”

  Crystal shoo
k her head. “Nope”

  “Well I’m going to have to teach you then. You can do one of the girls hair and I’ll do the other. We will have to get some hair-friendly elastic bands that won’t damage hair.”

  “Here, trade places with Evan and come sit behind the girls next to me. I’ll teach you how to braid while we travel.”

  Time went by quickly for the four females as Ava taught Crystal how to braid. Crystal was a quick learner and soon Ava was showing her the harder technic of French Braiding.

  The men ignored Ava’s low voice giving instructions and their conversations didn’t bother the two workers as the males discussed a wide variety of sports. Suddenly from the back of the van Mica took advantage of a break in the conversation.

  “y-y-You n-n-know, we could get lost and end up dead way out in the desert,” Mica stammered, his forehead creased with a frown.

  “That’s why we will all carry our GPS units. The units can broadcast a signal so a park ranger can locate us if we get lost,” his grandfather reassured him from the front seat. “But don’t you worry; we will be following well traveled trails.”

  “What about snakes, rabid skunks, cougars?” asked Crystal, her attention distracted for a minute from what she was doing. “I remember seeing on the news that a boy was attacked by a cougar not long ago.”

  “He was only five and he was away from the adults,” Evan explained to her. “If we stick together in a group the cats won’t bother us. But you will need to keep an eye out for snakes though and that means everyone not just the hike leader. I was on a hike once and several people went by a rattlesnake before they annoyed him enough that he finally struck out at a hiker.”

  “What about if we trip and sprain an ankle,” Amber asked. “I’m a real klutz sometimes. That would ruin it for everyone.”

  “Well anything is possible, of course,” her grandfather told her. “Hiking is not really dangerous but it does have potential hazards. We just need to stay aware of our surroundings and not get careless.”

  Soon the teenagers grew tired of the miles of got out various electronic devices and the van got quiet. There were MP3 players, Kindles, and iPod games. At the next rest stop everyone switched seats and Evan and Ava moved to the back of the van to watch a video on the small built in screen.

  It was evening by the time they arrived at the Lajitas Resort. They quickly checked in.

  The ladies had two rooms with a door between the adjoining rooms. Clifford and Myron shared a room and Evan and the boys had the remaining two rooms that also had a door between them.

  Mica opted to room with Evan and let his two cousins share the other room. After unpacking the teens eagerly changed into swim suits and went to check out the pool. Evan went along to keep an eye on them. There were no other people at the pool. Mica, Amber and Opal stayed in shallow water and didn’t join the other three who swam and dove like ducks.

  Ava headed over to the gift shop to find some of those rubber bands she wanted so she could braid the girls’ hair.

  Ava and Crystal put their talents to work and braided the younger girls’ long hair into two braids down their backs. They received lots of compliments on their handiwork when they met the others for breakfast.

  The group enjoyed the food at the resort’s café before loading into the van to head out to the trailhead for the first hike. Before Clifford would let them get in, he had his grandchildren form a circle for inspection. He asked them to pass their backpack to the person to their left. He then had that person check the backpack for water, snacks, a first aid pack, and GPS. He was pleased to have them all pass the inspection. They loaded up and headed out.

  Myron drove them directly to the trailhead of the Mule Ears Trail. It was at the end of a spur road off Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. He dropped them off with a promise to be back in a couple of hours.

  “Okay Opal, turn on your GPS. All of you can if you want to.” Clifford told them. “See where you are now and see where we are headed. The twin mountain peaks in the distant explain the name of this trail. ”

  The teenagers fiddled with their GPS units and then Opal headed off on the trail.

  They were walking in the Chihuahuan Desert and it was very hot and dry. Fifteen minutes into the walk Opal called a halt. She was already covered in sweat.

  “I knew this wasn’t a good idea,” she whined, removing her hat and wiping her face with a shirt sleeve. She fanned herself with her hat before returning to her head. She turned around to view the group behind her. She looked accusingly at Flint. “This hiking is more strenuous than I ever dreamed it would be.”

  “We’re all in this together,” Garnet said, cheering them on. “We can do this. You’re in charge of the pace Opal. Slow down and enjoy the scenery along the trail.”

  Opal looked around in disbelief. What scenery, all she saw was flat land, rocks, and cactus? The hiking tail ahead appeared to be easy up and down over stony hills.

  “Okay, I am here, and I said I would do it so I guess I’m committed.”

  She turned around and led off again. When they arrived at the first of several sandy ravines Opal halted the progress again to get a drink of water. Ahead they had a better view of the twin pillars of rock which Clifford identified as the Mule Ears.

  Moving on again Opal led them along the ridge and across a small canyon. Soon a green oasis appeared. They came to a spring at the center of the cottonwood trees. Checking her GPS Opal led them to the remains of a stone dwelling.

  “What now, Grandpa?” she asked tiredly.

  “You are looking for a small bottle with a cork in the neck. Inside the bottle will be the next clue.”

  The six teenagers spread out looking along the wall and behind clumps of cactus and yuccas. Mica gave a shout and held a bottle high. He had located the bottle under a clump of dry grass at the base of a cottonwood tree.

  Ava had Clifford and his grandchildren assemble for the victory picture. Then Opal pulled out the cork and retrieved the message.

  “Good job!” Opal read the note out loud with a big smile. “Amber will be the leader of the next hike. It will be on the Chimneys Trail. GPS coordinates are: Latitude: 29.2129785 / Longitude: -103.4587918.”

  “Okay, let’s eat our snack and rest for 15 minutes before we head back the way we came. You might want to take off your shoes and let your socks dry out so you don’t develop blisters.”

  Opal put the note back in the bottle and tucked it into her backpack before removing her shoes and getting out her snack. The teens rested and enjoyed their various snacks. Amber got out her sketch pad and some colored pencils and did a nice sketch of the oasis.

  Clifford strolled around and chatted with each of them asking if they had any blisters or other problems, but they were all in good shape.

  “I’ve heard tell that pilots used to test their skills by trying to fly between the two great stone monoliths,” he told them. “I’ve never hiked over there but they say there is plane wreckage scattered around there.”

  “I’d like to come back soon to hike over there to check it out,” Garnet said with a smile.

  At the end of their 15 minute break, they pulled on their shoes, packed up their litter, shouldered their packs and picked up their walking sticks. Opal tired but resolute again led the way, this time retracing their steps back to the trailhead.

  A stray breeze brought a whiff of creosote bush to Clifford. He looked around to locate a plant and started pointing it out to the kids as they passed him on the trail, asking them if they could smell it.

  He continued educating them about different plants as he spotted them. He pointed out the Lechuguilla which is a small Agave plant that grows only in the Chihuahuan Desert. He pointed to some Prickly Pear which they were all able to identify.

  Next he pointed out the Ocotillo plant. He explained that the Ocotillo isn’t a true cactus. He told them it was also called candlewood because it could grow u
p to 20 feet in height. While the tall plants looked dead he explained that when it rained they would turn lush with small leaves.

  They made it back to the trail head before Myron showed up with the van so they sat down to wait.

  “I thought you said this was a well-traveled trail,” Crystal said. “We haven’t seen another living soul.”

  “That’s because it’s a Tuesday,” her Grandfather replied. “We can expect more hikers during the weekend.”

  “You all should be proud of yourselves,” their Grandfather told them. “You finished up this trail which is around 4 miles in under two hours.”

  Just then a cheer went up when Garnet spotted the van coming up the road to pick them up.

  The remainder of day one of the Big Bend Adventure was spent at the resort swimming pool. Mica perched on the pool steps. Opal and Amber stayed close by keeping their hair out of the water.

  “I know long hair looks good on Mermaids,” Amber said to her younger cousin, “but it isn’t easy to swim with. Even braided.”

  “I’m not swimming. It would take too long time for my hair to dry. I can’t go to bed with wet hair. If I do it will be a rat’s nest in the morning,” Opal agreed.

  Flint, Crystal and Garnet splashed and swam. Suddenly Flint dove under the water. The next thing anyone knew, Mica disappeared under water too.

  Flint came back up with Mica sputtering and coughing trying to tread water. When Mica went under again, Flint realized his mistake. He quickly rescued his cousin pulling over toward the steps where it was shallow enough he stand up.

  "I-i-I can't s-s-swim you idiot!" he said when he finally caught his breath. He hurried up the steps and out of the pool ignoring Flint’s attempts to apoligize.

  "I-i-I hope you all drown!” he yelled as he ran away from the pool and back toward their rooms.

  Clifford was just heading toward the pool when Mica rushed past him and he had heard what he’d yelled.

  Mica slammed open the door to his room so hard it bounced against the wall nearly tearing it off its hinges.

  Clifford turned on his heal and strode after him. He wanted to find out what was going on. The door wasn’t locked so he let himself into the room.