Big Bend National Park in Southwest Texas, and its surrounding area is a geological wonderland. With limestone and shale strata about 500 million years old from when the entire region was under a deep ocean basin, mountains formed by 38-40 million year old volcanic activity, and constantly changing wind-sculpted sandstone cliffs - the vast variety of rock and mountain formations exposed from many prehistoric ages provides an endless scope for one’s curiosity. The weather in the region during winter is constantly changing and unpredictable, often providing rich contrasts between sky and earth. As clouds blow across the mountainous expanse, deep hues of blues, purples and lavender-grays play against the reds, pinks and golds of the rock formations and desert landscape. The landscape and weather combine to create ever-changing beauty and wonder that delight the eye and soul, while the quiet solitude of the place provides the perfect environment for meditation. This was our second trip to the area, and it yielded surprises both fascinating and blissful.
We spent five days exploring the region and the park and discovering areas where we felt enveloped by a deep stillness. The weather was in constant play as well, and nature gave us the gift of wondrous experiences, one of which is recounted here.
On the third day of our trip to Big Bend, we drove into the Chisos Mountains, which were formed by volcanic activity several million years ago. The range lay ahead of us amidst cloud coverage after heavy overnight rain. As we approached the park, we could see snow in the distance on the highest peak. The unusual promise of snow in the Texas desert beckoned us as we drove closer and climbed higher. We reached The Basin, an elevated valley in the central part of the Chisos Mountains, and parked our car.
We hiked a short distance up a trail which led up the gentle slopes beneath the white-dusted peak of Casa Grande, a little-known monument to the ages with igneous rock jutting upward from its center like a jagged chimney. We came across a clearing where snow lay atop the soft golden grasses that grew among the prickly-pear cactus, evergreens, and shiny boulders that decorated the mountainside. Thick white clouds covered the sky, but there was no precipitation. The only sound was the whirr of the wind gently swirling through the gaps between the mountains. A feeling of blissful peace came over us as we soaked in the hush of the wilderness. God’s energy was everywhere here, resonating in the rhythm of the wind and vibrating in the tremble of the tiniest leaf. We lingered for a while, playing in the snow before beginning our descent down the mountainside. As we ambled leisurely down the trail, the wind quieted and snow began to fall. The pungent fragrance of mountain juniper permeated the air and filled our noses as the cold soft flakes fell all around us.
Although it was December 29, we felt like it was Christmas in paradise, as if we were in some other world. We stopped several times on the trail to take in the sweetness of the scene, feeling snowflakes tickle our faces and the tops of our heads. We watched in wonder as clouds began to lift away from a rocky mountain peak to the west, revealing a deep azure sky above and around the peak. Surprisingly, as the clouds parted further and the sky brightened, snow began to fall above us in full force. The sun emerged, piercing the dark wall of clouds and spilling its rays on the ground. The sun’s light was everywhere now, yet the snow did not cease. Tiny crystalline flakes gleaming with brilliant white sunlight tumbled out of the sky, surrounding us in a shower of sparkle and light. No man-made creation could ever compare with the beauty of this snowstorm in the sunshine.
Enchanted, we stood still wanting to hold time in abeyance, but the sun-shower lasted only for a few hundred heartbeats and then was gone. We were silent for some time, holding on to the feeling of awe that this fleeting moment of unexpected splendor had evoked. We made our way slowly down the trail, and by the time we reached the base of the mountain, the sun was shining brilliantly and only a few stray white clouds remained in the deep blue sky above. The rest of the clouds had traveled far, sweeping rich colors across the horizon and over the desert landscape below.
Deep in wonder and fulfillment, we left the Chisos Basin and drove back down the winding road that afforded gorgeous views in all directions. We would have ended our day fully satisfied, yet the ornate desert colored in late afternoon light called to us to explore further. We traveled to the eastern part of the park to find out what awaited us there.
Scarcely two hours later, below the mountain range in another part of the park vastly different from where we had been, we walked down a path along sandstone cliffs, under arches of low trees and through a bamboo forest. The afternoon sun had made the air warm and temperate. We reached the trail’s end and soaked our feet in hot springs perfumed with ancient minerals, on the banks of the Rio Grande, under a rose-streaked twilight sky and with Mexico just a stone’s toss away. The lovely warm water carried away whatever trace of cold that remained in us. As we warmed our feet and savored our surroundings, we contemplated the amazing contrast between this place and the winter mountain scene we had experienced only hours before.
We left the park just before dark. As the last light in the sky faded and the stars began to appear, we realized that this was one of the most memorable days in nature we have ever had, tucked away in this remote corner, which is the hidden treasure of Texas known as The Big Bend. We were reminded of the splendor of God’s creation, and how God’s energy permeates every remote corner of it.
--Amy Ahluwalia
