It was 5 a.m. on November 27, 2019. I had a frisson of excitement which is why I was awake at this unusually early hour on a holiday. My friends and I were supposed to leave for Big Bend, a National Park in southern Texas (basically wilderness), and boy were we underprepared for this trip. We had done our basic google search about temperature, distance, food, water, and places to go but that’s just about it. Google Maps said that it was about 500 miles away and it was going to take us around 8 hours to reach Terlingua, a place in Big Bend, where we planned to stay on a glamping site. We were packed with some basic supplies like food, blankets, and a lot of water for a trip that would be less than 2 days.
For those who don't know how wild and "big" big bend is, let me give you a brief description. From our casual internet surfing, we learned that we must have food, water, and gas with us at all times as we could be hundreds of miles away from the nearest store. Moreover, Big Bend doesn’t have a good network service, or should I say no network service at all. It is also filled with all kinds of wild animals like wolves, bears, and coyotes and isn't densely populated.
But there I was, thrilled and excited and sleepy. Kartikey, a close friend, was very excited for this trip too, but unlike me, didn’t seem to be wary of the conditions in Big Bend. Achyuth, my roommate, didn’t have his passport on him so he was scared to go someplace far from home that could get us in trouble. He was a bit reluctant to go on the morning of the trip but Kartikey and I convinced him that it was all going to be all right even though we didn't exactly believe that. We started from our home a bit late because it took some time to convince Achyuth, but all was good, and we were off.
The journey was a bit boring as it was just me playing songs, Kartikey driving, and Achyuth sitting at the back having no idea where we were going. Achyuth is kind of like that when it comes to planning. He doesn’t know what the plan is, but he is always in the plan. Apart from stopping at McDonald’s and Pizza Hut for food, it was a rather uneventful drive barring that one time when we got pulled over but left with a warning for overspeeding. After our final stop in Alpine (Texas) where we filled our gas tank and had our last "connection" with the outside world, we drove into Big Bend and started the real adventure.
The drive into Big Bend was picturesque. Stunning. We just could not get enough of the view. It was almost too perfect. But as we neared our destination, it started getting a bit gloomy. Something which we had not hoped for but knew from the weather forecast. We reached our glamping site at about 4 p.m. and met our host, John. Since there was a time constraint as we were to pack and leave for home the next day, we decided to go on a trek.
I am someone who is not into trekking especially in gloomy dark weather, but I was outnumbered. The drive from our site to the lost mine trail where we were going to trek was about an hour away. By the time we reached, it was already fairly dark for someone who loves his life to not go for the trek. But I decided that it was probably a once in a lifetime experience and tagged along with Kartikey and Achyuth. We started our trek when others were ending theirs and from the information boards around the place, we were aware that the place was filled with diverse wildlife including different kinds of bears. We were rushing to reach the top-most point in this trek, but it was a fairly long trek, and I was certain that we will not reach the top that day, at any cost.
We did have a fair bit of fun on the way up, but it was getting overcast. I told my friends that we should turn back but they were intensely focused on reaching the summit. There was no way I was willing to turn back alone, so I continued again. We were probably half-way into this trek, and it started to drizzle a bit. I knew the consequence of getting wet in the cold without having any heat source, so I told them again that we should turn back. But nope. They were very determined to reach the peak. We continued. I am not going to lie, but the view from up there was just something else. About a quarter way through, they finally realized that we should turn back as it was dark and very slippery. The way down was faster than the way up mainly because I was leading the way down. I knew that there were many bears, and if I encountered one, I did not know what I would do but to use one of my friends as a shield (LOL). We did have a bit of a scare when I saw a shadow of a rock and thought that it was a bear but apart from that, thankfully, no bear encounters.
The way back from the Lost Mine Trail to our camping site was a bit tricky too. It was a complete mountain drive in rain and total darkness. But Kartikey being the decent driver he is, made us reach our destination in a single piece.
Now obviously, the tent looked dope, but I was sure that it was not meant for this kind of windy weather. It was getting a bit chilly, and we decided that we should eat, sleep, and wake up early for our next adventure the next morning. We had the cold leftover pizza from the afternoon, and that was pretty much all we ate. We decided to go to bed and call it a night at about 9 p.m.
It had been about an hour or so since we called it a night, and the temperature had dropped way below the comfort level. I was fortunate to have packed my comforter, jacket, and sweater with me as I was anticipating something like that. My friends seemed to be YOLO-ing everything. It got so cold that I had to clutch my nose to keep myself warm, but apart from that, I had a mildly discomforting sleep. I was woken up at about 3 a.m. to loud noises. I opened my eyes to find that Kartikey was shifting his bed next to Achyuth’s bed so that they both could cuddle together and keep each other warm. Once I was up, I could not go back to sleep as it got even colder. Kartikey and Achyuth had a slightly rougher experience with the cold and received little to no sleep too.
At 5 a.m., we decided that we should go to the Santa Elena Canyon trail to get a head start on the day. We packed everything and said our goodbyes to the tent. It was only later that we learned that the temperatures that night went as low as 2 degrees Celsius. Adding the cool breeze factor, it would have felt like under 0 degrees celsius.
It was complete darkness, and there was no sign of humanity in an already uninhabited place. We were off to Santa Elena Canyon trail. All we had was the Google Maps to our destination that we had saved a day before. We were on our way, but we could barely see what was ahead of us. In absolute darkness, on the off-road was also when I got my first taste of driving (without DL) in the United States. Thanks to Kartikey.
We got a little shaky on one turn where google maps told us to turn, but there was no sign of road there. We decided that it was better to follow google maps, and boy did we know what we were up for in the next 13 miles.
This road was completely off-roading with a vehicle that wasn’t meant for this. It was one bumpy road, but it was what google maps had for us. It was hard to tell exactly what we were surrounded by, as normally, one would see something around their surroundings, but all we saw was complete darkness. We rode over some small hills and rivers on that bumpy road. I was just glad that the car did not break down the whole time. With no mobile service, I don’t know how we would get out of that place if our car gave up.
The drive was still bumpy, but we got a bit of reassurance when the sun rose. It was then that we truly realized what surrounded us. Big gigantic monumental mountains. No wonder we could not see anything around us. The sun eventually rose. We could see Mexico right in front of us in touching distance. We got into the parking lot of the trail, and I heard a rather loud sound like water flowing in a river. It felt like that a nearby river was gushing with water. However, when I got down while Kartikey was parking the car, I realized that it was our car making that sound. We had a thick layer of mud on our tires, probably from when we crossed those rivers on our way. We decided to first go on the trek and soak in the beauty that surrounded us and then decide what we would do after that.
6:14 a.m. Santa Elena Canyon trail. The parking spot where we scrubbed the mud off our tires.
What we had in front of us was something out of scenery. A river flowing in front of us that separated us and the mountains. A river that separated the United States and Mexico. The entire region was surrounded by a very calming energy. I could feel a sense of relaxation as I breathed the fresh air that engulfed me. We took a couple hundred pictures on the trail, but I think none of them are good enough to display the magnificence and magnitude of the place. None of them could do justice to the grandeur of the canyon.
However, the clock was ticking, and we needed to continue on our venture. But first, it was time for some tire cleaning. We did not have any equipment to do the cleaning, so we took some sticks and stones and started scraping whatever mud we could get off the tire. This took us some time to do, still, we were not able to completely get rid of the dirt. But we were very short on time, so we just decided to drive with the slippery muddy tires.
I would have never imagined that one day I would be going into another country by crossing a river without my parents knowing about it. But there I was doing that. This time, it was only Kartikey and I who were going to go to Mexico as Achyuth did not have his passport on him.
We crossed the border (legally). Walked up to the river where there were some people on the boat. They helped us cross the river and reach Mexico, and now we were in Mexico. This felt surreal. But the fun wasn’t over. We decided to go to the nearest village with our donkeys. I, again, never imagined that I would get to ride a donkey but damn was it a fun jerky ride. The villagers were delightful people, and our tour guide helped us around the place. This was a small town with not more than a hundred people staying there. We found a restaurant where we ate Goat Tacos and drank Coca Cola from the glass bottles. We would have loved to see around a little more, but we did not have much time in our hands, and Achyuth was alone in the car.
Therefore, it was time to say our goodbyes to the villagers, the tour guide, and the donkeys. We crossed the border again and reached the United States safely. To be honest, this was scary in retrospect just because anything could have happened to us in Mexico. But again, everyone was nice in that village, and we had a pleasant time.
The next adventure on the to-do list was to visit and get into the hot springs between the border of the States and Mexico. The drive going into the hot springs was a bit risky too. It was a one-lane off-road hilly path, and a little bit to the left meant that the car would go all the way down to the cliff. Fortunately, we managed to keep our feet on the ground. By the time we reached the hot springs, we were already starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation.
We reached the parking lot for the hot springs, but it was a mile to the springs. We were tired, so we were not too keen on getting into the water. But we thought we could check the place out, and if things looked good, we would jump in. After walking a mile, we saw something that we had not hoped for. A crowded hot springs. This ruined our chances of getting into the water. We ended up coming back into the car without fulfilling that adventure.
We decided to visit one final place. A tourist center with a gas station so we could refuel. The road was smooth, and no traffic around us. The only issue was that the speed limit was a mere 45 mph, which did no justice to the current environment. Kartikey, the designated driver, thought it would be okay to speed since there was no traffic in sight. To be fair to him, it made a lot of sense to speed rather than abide by the law. Regrettably, a car coming from the other direction was a ranger/cop car that caught us speeding. As soon as it crossed us on the other side of the road, the sirens went off. Deep down, we knew that we were in trouble. But we decided to go ahead and not pull over in the hope that the sirens were not for us.
But the sirens continued, and we were left with no choice but to pull over. The cop pulled up behind us and did not seem too pleased by us. He told us to keep our hands where he could see them. Then proceeded to ask us a bunch of questions like if we had weapons etc. He then told Kartikey to step out of the car with his hand in the air and stay still. This was a windy day which would make it hard for anyone to stand still, especially for a man who weighs 80 pounds. I was hoping that he manages to stand his ground, otherwise he would get shot or something for moving.
The whole thing lasted for 15 minutes but felt like forever. In the end, the cop told Kartikey to return to his car while he made the speeding ticket. He came to the car and gave us a $275 fine for driving 82 mph in a 45-mph zone. We were distraught, but we knew we deserved it. What was chilling for me was when the officer told Kartikey that he could be in prison, but he was only served a speeding ticket. Achyuth and I decided to split the fine into 3 ways without hesitation with each paying $90 to Kartikey. In hindsight, getting a ticket made him drive more sensibly and cautiously. Driving that fast, especially for a sleep-deprived driver, could have been risky for us.
After the speeding ticket, we stopped at a place to refuel and headed back to Arlington. The journey way back home seemed longer, mainly because we were driving slower and were exhausted by then. We stopped at a couple of places on our way back to buy some coffee and energy drinks so that Kartikey does not fall asleep on the wheel. The caffeine in the drinks helped us in staying awake.
The drive was made daunting when it started to rain. There was a bit of haze on the highway which made it even more difficult to see anything on our way. Finally, after 8-9 hours of an arduous drive, we made it home at 11 pm, safely. Nothing could ever beat the satisfaction and comfort of reaching home.
It made me realize how dependent we are on technology, so much that a tech less world makes us feel unsafe. It made me realize how we take basic utilities and amenities for granted that most people do not get to have. It made me realize that the nature around us is so beautiful that we need to experience something like this once in a while to feel alive. Lastly, it made me realize how fucking big Texas is that we drove like 1200 miles and still did not get out of Texas.
© 2020 - 2021 Shubham Arya