February 22, 2013 Big Bend National park

Today we hiked Pine Canyon. It starts at about 5,000 feet and goes up to about 6,000 feet into the mountains in two miles.  It is on the outside wall of the caldera which is the Chisos mountains.  From the mid desert to the high desert mountains. We have been at sea level most of the last year, so we felt the altitude.

Yucca blossoms on the road in.  Sotal and prickly pear in the mid desert.

 

John took this of me heading up the canyon.  The beginning of the pines.

In the creek bottom hardwood trees. The trail dead ends at 6,000 feet at the poor off. John having lunch.

Some of the jagged rock cliffs  and pinnacles at the top of the trail with pine forest below them. These mountains are part of the volcanic caldera. John on the way back.

Tall yuccas. The Sierra del Carmon's in the distance with some colored foot hills

Javalinas.  Prickly pear skeleton, madrone trees with their red smooth bark, pink flowers and a huge beetle.

ferns seen in the lush high canyon, yuccas with curly edges seen on the mid desert.

tiny pink flowers, tiny white. A baby agave, evening primroses, a holey prickly per pad-I am thinking not natural holes, yellow flowers and a couple of knarly dead trees seen in the lush area.