For our birthdays the past couple of years Connor Thomas and I have gone to Big Bend to celebrate the only way we know how. This year Connor put together a bikerafting trip that would be the inverse to the Big Bend ~ Rio Revival that we did the year before. On that trip we did a “traditional” bikepacking trip that included a 6 mile hike up to the top of Mariscal Canyon with views of the Rio Grande 1800′ below. This year we brought our new packrafts and floated through Mariscal Canyon with our bikes in tow.
In this episode we talk about our trip, our bike setups, our packrafts (and what we’ve learned), along with some great tips on cooking real food in the backcountry! My favorite was the Jambalaya and Cornbread that Connor made using his Nols cookset, pictured below.
There is a big difference between seeing Big Bend and experiencing Big Bend. Edward Abbey said it best…
“You can’t see anything from a car; you’ve got to get out of the goddamn contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbrush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail, you’ll see something, maybe.”
Edward Abbey ~ Desert Solitaire
These last two trips have given me a greater understanding and appreciation for this area. I’m no Edward Abbey, but I’ve gotten out of my car and I’ve worked, sacrificed, and bled for Big Bend, and I’ve seen some things. Experiences like this don’t come easy, they are earned, but that earning is the thing that makes it special because you know what it took to get there and most park visitors may never leave their cars.
The Routes
The first route is from our trip we did last year that incorporates a hike up to Mariscal Canyon.
This year we brought our backrafts and floated the Mariscal Canyon giving us views of the 1800′ canyon from below.
To compliment these trips Connor created a historical companion that I highly recommend you checkout if you’re planning to do either of these routes!
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