Folks visiting Big Bend National Park for the first time are often confounded by the “scale” of the deep desert. Distances are tough to judge without a map or GPS. Gradual hills that look like a simple climb from the road become significant challenges to your hiking and climbing abilities. Your pack seems ten times as heavy in the desert and that “extra” water that you packed becomes a life saving necessity.
The deep desert in Big Bend National Park looks pristine and inviting from the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive but up-close it’s whole different adventure; one that tests your skill, endurance and stamina. But for me (and my guide Jack) the reward is well worth the effort.
Where else can you stand alone in a world of 7 billion people?
Deep Desert – Big Bend National Park, Texas
Copyright © 2011 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II set on aperture (Av) priority using an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens tripod mounted. The exposure was taken at 65mm, f/14 for 1/50th of a second at ISO 100 using a Singh-Ray warming polarizer filter and 2-stop graduated neutral density filter. Post capture processing was done in Adobe’s Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5.
Click on the image above for a larger version.
Texas Landscape Photography 
And that is why I go there so much! You’re right, from afar, the hikes through the desert of Big Bend seem fairly simple…. at ground level, surrounded by things that will scratch or bite you …. not so much.