Big Bend National Park, Texas

Jason puts his back into rockwork with the NPS backcountry trail crew.
The view from the top of Texas looking into Mexico. AMAZING!

One might not expect to find a mountain-town paradise -- full of raft guides, mountain bikers, hikers, good coffee, delicious food and awesome trails -- in southern Texas. Surprise! We found all of the above in the very cool little town of Terlingua, as both Subaru/IMBA Trail Crews rested up for a few days of backcountry trail work in Big Bend National Park.

On this occasion, we left our bikes behind and hiked 10 miles into the mountains to build trail with park staff. The plan was to meet in the field and discuss possibilities for a new shared-use trail at the base of the mountains. Working as a team, we would survey the area and discuss strategies for building a sustainable trail to show off the park's incredible landscape.

The mountains of Big Bend National Park are unlike anything we've seen before. The 8,000-foot peaks rise stunningly from the desert. Climbing from the desert floor, we marveled as the rocky, barren terrain gave way to juniper, ponderosa, grasses, agave and sage.

Arriving at "Boot Camp," we were greeted by the park's backcountry trail crew -- an awesome group of experienced trailbuilders who work seasonally for the National Park Service (NPS). This crew works hard! They maintain trails in rugged terrain, and call Boot Camp home for a good part of the summer. Their cabin features little more than a simple kitchen, bunk beds, a woodstove, a water catchment system and a composting toilet. Spare as it was, we were comfortable and glad to settle in for the night.

Our second day in Big Bend will always be near the top of my "why this job rocks" list. We hiked above Boot Camp through a canyon and popped out on the south rim of the range. The forest opened up to reveal an expansive view of the Texas/Mexico border. We worked with the NPS crew on a variety of trail maintenance projects, but I kept finding myself sneaking back to the rim to take in the incredible view.

During the afternoon, my fellow Trail Care Crew member Kelly Bishop informed me that she'd spotted a good-size buck. Hoping for a peek, I walked a bit... and was treated to a glimpse of a stunning mountain lioness. Perhaps the adrenaline rush exaggerated my impression of her size, but I'd peg her at a good 90 pounds of meow. When I reported back to the crew, we all agreed it was unusually that the rockwork and loud voices had not scarred the cat away. There would be no more solo explorations on my program that day.

Our visit to Big Bend National Park was a great experience. Most of the work the Subaru/IMBA Crews perform is in the front-country, with easy access to trails and plenty of volunteer muscle available. It was a pleasure to work with the resourceful Big Bend crew and collaborate on techniques for sustainable design and trailbuilding strategies. After two more productive days, we hiked back to our cars, kissed our much-missed bikes, and returned to Terlingua still abuzz with the good vibrations.