Josh- Big Bend- Day One

Saturday, January 12th and Sunday, January 13th

Our drive to Big Bend was rather uneventful, other than a three hour delay at Walmart to get
supplies. It is already late, about midnight, as we pass through the front gates of Big Bend and
we can see nothing around us other than what our headlights illuminate on the side of the road.
A little over an hour later we arrive in our campsite and get out to stretch our legs and prepare
the tents. At that moment, we all look up and notice the clear night sky illuminated by the stars,
unobstructed by any other lights. It had to be one of the greatest views of the night sky I, or any
other in our group, had ever seen. After looking at the night sky for some time, we finally got to
unpacking and putting up the tents. Twenty one long hours after hitting the road, jammed into
the van like sardines in a can, we could finally sleep. We woke up the next day freezing, but
as we looked outside our tents we realized we were not only in the mountains, but surrounded
by them. After a long while of taking in our surroundings we ate a hurried breakfast and made
some sandwiches for lunch before heading out for our day off. Our first stop was the hot spring,
situated right on the bank of the Rio Grande. After spending some time in the warm 105 degree
water we ate lunch and began our drive down the scenic route. Along the way we encountered
the Tuff Canyon and spend a good deal of time hiking from one side to the next. We arrived to
camp after dark and made the most awful dinner we would have all week. We decided then that
cooking after dark was no longer an option. We packed on the layers then headed to bed for our
first day of volunteering. After being packed in the van, and spending a fun filled day together I
could really feel the group coming together. Though we hadn’t learned much about our work yet,
we knew it was going to be a long, fun filled week.