As part of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive Amaris and Fox stopped at the Mule Ears Viewpoint to take in the vast dessert. The roughly four mile roundtrip hike to the springs sounded nice and we decided to do go for it despite the day starting to heat up. An extra layer of sunscreen was applied to our faces, we made sure the camelbacks were full of water, and remembered the park ranger's advice of "don't die" before setting off into the rocky desert.
Within the first half mile we saw a couple other groups of hikers who had taken a brief walk into the brush to get a better view of the Mule Ears. The trail was scarce of wildlife with patches of small trees and cacti popping up occasionally. Little to no wildlife accompanied us on the walk and there was not a bird in the sky About halfway to the springs there was a large wash to the left with much larger trees rooted on its rocky slopes that were able to thrive, relatively speaking, in the unforgiving terrain.
Roughly a quarter mile left to the green oasis of the springs the heat began to take its toll on the weary travelers. We knew that our best chance at reprieve was to reach the shade of the spring and we trudged on. Shortly before reaching shade we passed by the stone remnants of a house long since abandoned including hoses that would pump water from the spring.
Upon reaching the shade we immediately sat down on some boulders, took our hats off, and chugged water. In a dry desert shade truly is man's best friend along with water, obviously. We spent some time cooling off, taking in the surroundings of large reeds, a rocky dried creek bed, and damper environment.
After catching our breath Fox began to wander around and stumbled upon a nice surprise of a couple frogs staying cool in a small pool of water. We enjoyed spending several minutes staring in awe at the little critters that were able to thrive in such a place. As we know, where there is water life will find away against most odds. Once we had sufficiently cooled off and rehydrated it was back to the sun and walking through the inferno.
While the trek back seemed fairly quick both of us had heavy legs and had to stay focused on the trail in front of us during the final leg. The 4Runner was the only vehicle in the parking lot upon our return and the thermometer clocked ninety five degrees as the vehicle sputtered to life. The Mule Ears Spring Trail is a great introduction to what Big Bend National park has to offer and while the elevation is quite mild it should be enjoyed during the current season and time of day!
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