Marfa Flights: Aerial Views of Big Bend Country

III. Into the Heart of Big Bend National Park: Exploring the Chisos Mountains

INTO THE HEART OF BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK Exploring the Chisos Mountains III. 23. Chisos Mountains Vista Big Bend National Park Emerging from the surrounding arid flatlands, the Chisos are a mountain island in a sea of desert. Dynamic geologic forces of sedimentation, deformation, and volcanism formed the peaks such as Pummel Peak (left) and Pulliam Ridge (right). The Chisos Mountains form the centerpiece of Big Bend National Park, which covers 801,163 acres. I selected this as the first photograph of the Chisos Mountains in the book to help orient viewers to the aerial viewpoint. This approach is from the direction familiar to visitors, with Panther Junction visible in the foreground. 24. Panther Junction Big Bend National Park Panther Junction is the headquarters for Big Bend National Park. In the foreground Lone Mountain, with its erosion-resistant igneous rock cap, dominates the view. In the background , just to the right of center, is Pummel Peak, shaped like the pummel (or pommel) of a saddle. This view appealed to my photographer’s eye because of the composition in which Lone Mountain points to the peak in the distance, leading our eyes like an arrow on a road sign. 42 : INTO THE HEART OF BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK 25. Green Gulch Chisos Mountains Basin Road, the main access into the Chisos Basin, winds uphill through the high desert grassland and woodlands of Green Gulch to Panther Pass. On the right is the sheer igneous rock face of Pulliam Ridge. In the distance at left is Lost Mine Peak, the supposed location of a lost secret Spanish gold mine. The Civil Conservation Corps built the historic road in the 1930s. 26. Northwest Side of Pulliam Ridge Chisos Mountains Pulliam Ridge was formed when magma filled a cavity in the earth. When the magma cooled and the surrounding material was washed away by erosion, the ridge was revealed. This formation is named after Bill Pulliam, a legendary Big Bend rancher who cut pine trees from the ridge and lowered them by cable to build a log cabin for his wife. 27. South Rim and Emory Peak Chisos Mountains The hike from the Chisos Basin trailhead to the South Rim is widely considered the most strenuous and spectacular day hike in Big Bend. Emory Peak (center) rises an additional 1,000 feet above the rim. The twelve-mile loop takes at least eight hours to complete, with a vertical ascent of 2,000 feet, and hikers have reported mountain lions along the trail. The South Rim trail is closed at certain times of the year when peregrine falcons nest on the cliffs. 28. Lower Juniper Spring Chisos Mountains Townsend Point (left) and Upper Juniper Canyon (right). According to Native American legends, ancient spirits inhabit the Chisos Mountains. Hikers have reported unexplainable glowing lights on the mountainsides. This is one of my favorite images of the series due to the beautiful palisades on the upper rim and the sculptural shapes of the lower foothills that seem to guard the mountains above. 29. Fresno Creek Sierra Quemada The mountains at the base of the Chisos are called Sierra Quemada, which means “burnt mountains” in Spanish. The hills are covered with highly flammable grass, which is periodically ignited by lighting strikes, then rejuvenated after rains. 30. Approach to Pine Canyon Chisos Mountains The verdant valley of Pine Canyon leads upward toward the grassy saddle of Smuggler’s Gap (top center), which forms a natural pass through the mountains. Pine Canyon was also known as Wade Canyon, named for Lloyd Wade, who hauled the first bathtub into the mountains for his cabin there. To the right of Smuggler’s Gap is Panther Peak. Mountain lions still roam the Chisos Mountains, and there are over 150 sightings of the big cats each year in Big Bend National Park. There have been four attacks on humans since 1984. These big predators naturally regulate the deer and javelina populations. 48 : INTO THE HEART OF BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK 31. Over the Dodson Trail Sierra Quemada Just below the South Rim of the Chisos Mountains (upper right), Fresno Creek flows twenty-one miles southeast to the Rio Grande. Dodson Spring (lower right) was the water source for Harve Dodson’s ranch, which was located nearby. The cabin ruins are still visible along the Dodson Trail, which he used...