Big Bend National Park: I spot a black bear (sic 'em!)

After years and years of wanting to visit, my dream of hiking at Big Bend National Park finally came true! There are two national parks in Texas: Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains, and now I'm happy to say that I have now visited both.

Located in the far southwest of Texas right on the Mexican border, Big Bend is one of the largest and most remote national parks in the United States. It took a full day of driving through the West Texas desert to reach Terlingua, population 110, the only town near the park. After a good night's sleep, we headed out to Big Bend early the next morning, ready for some adventure and exploration.

Big Bend is remote, and it is rugged. There are a few things you have to watch out for: the heat, snakes, mountain lions, and bears. We were fortunate enough to run into only one of the four, but I'll get to that later...

When we arrived at the park, we first decided to hike The Window Trail, a moderate 5.2-mile trail down into a canyon.

The Window Trail took us down a hot, dusty, and winding path into a canyon at the park to a gap between the surrounding mountains - the eponymous "window".

We set off - my parents, my wife, and me - down into the desert canyon. The morning air was cool, but quickly became warm as the sun rose over the southwestern mountains of Texas. We made decent progress, stopping occasionally to identify one of the 400+ species of birds that makes Big Bend National Park their home.

The trek was moderate. It wasn't the hardest trail I've ever hiked (check out this post or this video for that!), but nor was it the easiest. I was certainly tired by the time we reached the bottom of the canyon... and we still had to climb back up!

It was beautiful though. The landscape of the American Southwest is really enchanting. There's something so strange and alien about it that really appeals to me! It's like walking on a far distant planet.

We made it to the bottom, took a good look around, and began the ascent back to the park headquarters. Although this might be the most popular trail at this particular park, it's still quite rugged and not the easiest hike to make. In fact, it gets quite steep as you get closer to the top of the canyon.

As we were walking back, a hiker coming the other direction stopped us to warn us about a bear she had spotted on the trail up ahead.

This is trail etiquette: if you see a threat, be sure to let others know as they are coming up the trail.

As we kept walking, I took out my binoculars. I was more excited than nervous; I really wanted to spot the live wild mascot of my university (Sic 'em Bears!).

As we made our way further up the trail, two or three other hikers stopped us to warn us about the Texas black bear that was just around a curve in the trail. Black bears are one of the native species to Texas, but they went extinct sometime in the last century following decades of hunting, trapping, and habitat loss. However, in the 1980s, these amazing animals began reintroducing themselves to the protected area of Big Bend National Park. Now, they are a thriving species.

The bear was easy enough to spot as we came around a corner on the trail. I was the first to spot the large black mass in the thicket of the hill above us. 

The bear had no interest in us; instead, he or she was mainly concerned with eating the berries off of a local scrubby tree. It paid absolutely no mind to us whatsoever. Still, I am happy to have seen one in the wild. Bears are an important symbol to me and my siblings, and I was thrilled to see a tiny bit of wilderness as I trekked with my family through Texas.