About 2PM, even though it is still foggy, we decide to try the second hike along Lost Mines trail. After all, some of our most successful hikes in the Lake District have been where we could see only 15 feet ahead, so we don’t have any idea of how much more we have to go through.
It remains misty the entire hike up and when we reach the top, the sun comes out.
During our morning hike we saw nothing but fog. You’d think we were up in the Lake District or something. The Chisos Mountains Basin catches any clouds drifting by, creating a verdant hidden valley, often shrouded in clouds.
We emerged at the ridge and could see nothing. We hung around for awhile to rest and eat our snack. People came for the view and left without seeing one. We were about to turn back, too, when the clouds began to break up. Then…!
Some people already there said we were pretty lucky. They had been waiting two hours for a view. And the view is certainly worth the hike. I don’t know if I would have been as happy about the experience if the sun hadn’t come out.
On the way down, we get to see all the sites we had missed going up. We were surprised that the basin and the lodge were right there below us all the time. We agreed that it was nice going up without knowing–we felt more like adventurers, even though our adventure was no more treacherous than Winnie-the-Pooh’s expedition to the North Pole.
However many hikes `I have done in the English Lake District (and over the years there have been very many) I don’t think I have ever seen views like those in your photographs. Big Bend must be a truly awe-inspiring place.