On Thursday night, October 10, Troop 5 members Roland Warnock, Cole Daniels, Doug Fielder and Spencer Mullins loaded up into a fully-equipped Suburban and began an adventure trip to Santa Elena Canyon in the Big Bend of Texas. They were led by Kirby Warnock and Kayo Mullins. Departing Dallas at 6:30 pm, they drove to the Warnock Ranch in Fort Stockton, spent the night, then got up early to meet the fine folks at Big Bend River Tours in Terlingua, our outfitters for the trip.

     Before departing the group enjoyed breakfast burritos at the newly remodeled Lajitas resort, and got to meet the owner of Lajitas, Mr. Steve Smith.

     Once we linked up with Big Bend River Tours, we all listened to closely the advice of our guides Tracy and Tim. The past six years have been a time of an oppressive drought in the Big Bend. That, coupled with Mexico's refusal to release water into the Rio Grande as part of a treaty with the U.S. has lowered the water flow in the river that separates the two countries. With only a two-foot flow, Tracy and Tim said we needed to go in canoes, not rafts, as the heavier rafts would bottom out on the river floor and we would spend too much time walking. It didn't matter. We had a blast, and the boys enjoyed the extra responsibility of paddling their own crafts.

All set to go: Doug, Spencer, Cole and Roland at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon.

     After packing our gear in dry bags, and our cameras in water-proof ammo boxes, we were off. The first thing we discovered was that a flash flood two days earlier at the put in point had washed away most of the bank, meaning we now had a 12-foot sheer cliff to hand our canoes and gear down. No matter, Tracy and Tim got us in a relay line and we soon had everything down by the river.

     We were now set to enter Santa Elena Canyon, a stunning formation that forms the boundary between Texas and Mexico. You are framed on either side by cliffs of 1,800 feet. Once you go into the canyon, you have to go on through. There is no other way out.

     The first thing to say is that there is no way these photos can communicate the sheer size of the place. Looking at them is like looking through a keyhole. Big Bend is HUGE, and Santa Elena is so large and imposing that you feel like a gnat on the toenail of an elephant. It is so impressive that several times we stopped paddling to simply gaze up, slack-jawed at the size of the cliffs and the hundreds of rock formations and caves that dot its walls.

     Along the way we stopped at Fern Canyon, a side canyon on the Mexican side of the river. (That's right, these members of Troop 5 took the first international trip this year, leaving the U.S.!) Fern Canyon is dotted with several pools that have been eroded into the rock from millions of years of water passing through it. Although some pools are only 3-4 wide, they are 12 feet deep, meaning you can jump in and disappear instantly. These pools are fed by a tiny spring, far up in the mouth of the canyon, making the water in them ice cold, but very, very refreshing after a day in the mud and sand of the Rio Grande. We braved the agua fria for a good rinse. The walls of the canyon are dotted with a Maidenhair Fern that grows in the cooler, shaded places.

Man, that's some cold water! Roland and Cole try to get in slowly at Fern Canyon.

     We stopped around 5 pm on a sand bar nestled in a shaded part of the canyon, with the sheer, 1,800 foot cliffs on either side. Our guides, Tracy and Tim started rustling up dinner while the boys enjoyed a big old, Texas-sized mud fight. Cole Daniels shows the results in the photo below.

Enjoying that Rio Grande mud

     Once the mud fights were over and the boys had cleaned up, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner of lasagna, baked in a Dutch oven by Tracy and Tim. After that we enjoyed a strawberry shortcake dessert, then spread out our sleeping bags and went to sleep. The weather was so nice we did not need tents, which would have interfered with our view of the millions of stars that came out after darkness.

Paddling down the canyon. (That's Mexico on our right.)

     The next morning we were up early, ate breakfast and paddled on out of Santa Elena. We arrived at our take-out point around 3 pm, and sat down under the shade of a large Salt Cedar, or tamarisk tree to enjoy a late lunch. While were dining, several tourists, cameras in hand, came up to ask us if we had just come through the canyon. They took photos of us, and listened in envy as we described our adventures. After lunch we unloaded everything from the canoes and drove back to Fort Stockton, where everyone enjoyed the shower at the Warnock Ranch, then we headed into town for a plate of enchiladas at Sarah's Cafe. That night we all slept like bricks. We awoke the next morning (Sunday) and began the 7-hour drive back to Dallas.

     All of the boys agreed: It was the best Scouting trip they had ever been on. Cole Daniels went so far as to say that it was, "Better than Colorado." Nearly all of the credit has to go to Big Bend River Tours and our guides Tracy and Tim. If you want to book your trip with them, visit their Web site at: www.bigbendrivertours.com.

In Fern Canyon: Spence, Cole, Roland, our guides Tim and Tracy, and "mime Scout" Doug doing his best Marcel Marceau.

     While you could bring your own canoes and gear, it is just much more convenient to hire them, as they have everything you need for a safe and comfortable trip on the river. It would be quite a chore to haul all off your canoes, cooking gear, safety equipment and dry bags from your home base, then go through the hassle of shuttling vehicles at the put-in and take-out points. Plus besides being expert guides and outfitters, these folks can flat out COOK! We enjoyed wonderful meals at every turn.

     For any Scoutmasters contemplating a trip like this, feel free to e-mail us for references and info. The boys at Troop 5, Kayo Mullins and myself can tell you that it is a fun-loaded trip that you will remember for a lifetime.