After meeting in El Paso, Texas, my friend, Katie, and I headed three hours to Marfa, Texas for a night’s rest before continuing our journey to Big Bend National Park. After utilizing the outdoor kitchen to prepare some meals, we camped out in a safari tent and did our best to sleep before heading further south. We only had an hour ahead of us, but time becomes less relevant the more isolated you become. By midday we were excited to finally start our National Park tour, spanning over a week and hitting four parks. Big Bend National Park was at the top of our list and we opted to spend the most time at this park—a total of three days. Of the four National Parks we set out to visit (Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, and White Sands), Big Bend is the largest.

We arrived just before the office closed, and after setting up camp we had about four hours left of daylight. Might as well go for a hike! This is why we came, right? We had no idea our campsite was right next to a trailhead that led to “The Window.” Curious about what the window was, we packed our snacks, loaded our water bladders, secured a map, and of course, grabbed my DSLR and film cameras and a couple of lenses.

We planned our trip during one of the hottest months of the summer—early June—so we remained conscious about our water and food intake. Equally, we needed to ensure our snacks were tightly sealed as black bears have been spotted more frequently since their reappearance in the United States. Their migration story is quite beautiful considering how rare it is for large animals to return to their native home after having been driven away.

Near Terlingua, The Window trailhead is a 5.5 mile out-and-back adventure through canyons and ends with a breathtaking view. Aware of our route, we stuffed our backpacks with:

• 3 liters of water (per person) - Sure, we could’ve been just fine with less, however, water is more precious than gold in the desert and I never wanted to chance the possibility of us running out

• (Sealed) trail mix - More like a treat, but keeping it sealed would hopefully keep the bears away

• CLIF bar - Extra protein

• Bear mace - Obviously

After a half mile into our hike, we ran into a park ranger who informed us we were the last people to head toward The Window, and no one would be ahead of us. We gave the ranger our campsite information so if were still gone just after nightfall, he’d know to send a team to go look for us. We were completely alone.

As excited as we were to get to our destination, the views on our way there were nothing short of gorgeous.

We took our time and Katie took a ton of photos on her phone. She was so sweet to take as many of me as she did; it’s not often I get to see myself doing what I love in my element. Most of our hike was through canyons, and it was extremely hot. Thankfully, we were able to catch a decent amount of shade to protect our skin, and our water supply, from the cloud-less sky.

Katie was so thoughtful on our first hike at Big Bend to take as many photos as she did of me and our adventure on the trailhead. When it came to finally taking my photographs of The Window, it was only right I returned the favor.

I love the mystic feeling of what may reside beyond The Window, and the ambiguity of the admiring onlooker.

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