It's a lonely place, removed from the world by more than mere distance; a place reserved for only the most adventuresome and hearty. It stands in the middle of the desert like a great monolith constructed by the Gods of Old to relieve the countryside of its monotony and misery. It's surrounded by miles and miles of nearly nothing; a harsh land where only the fit survive and the strongest prevail. Big Bend National Park is unparalleled in beauty and isolation in a part of the world reserved for survivalists. It has been described as one of the most remote places on Earth; an empty land full of hellish summers and harsh, lonely winters. And it is these things...and so much more.

There is no such thing as a quick trip to Big Bend. To get there, no matter your point of origin, one must travel through the greater part of West Texas. The nearest airport with commercial service lies hundreds of miles away at El Paso or San Antonio. Even the Interstate highways are hours away from the park entrance. There's no such thing as "stumbling" upon the site, so far removed it is from civilization. To get there, one must intend to get there, and must be full of determination and patience. To some, the trip is not worth the gasoline (which can be hard to find). To others, it is the trip of a lifetime to one of the most remarkable, majestic and humbling spots on the planet.

Located deep in the desert, the park lies adjacent to the Mexican border. The little Mexican village of Boquillas stands just across the Rio Grande River; a community so remote it doesn't have electricity to this day; no Mexican federal police; no local law enforcement; no grocery store or theater. Here time passes as it always has; a day like a century, a century like a thousand years. To walk the streets here is like stepping back in time, to say the least.

Rising out of the desert are the Chisos Mountains, named a thousand years ago by natives who roamed these parts in search of food and water. Actually an oasis in the desert, one would think the area would be spotted with what little civilization exists this far out in the remote world. But not so, because Chisos, in native language, means ghost, or spirit, and most native peoples avoided the pristine mountains here like the plague.

One doesn't have to venture from their car or RV but a few steps to know why the name was given. Here the winds blow eerily, whispering with every gust, luring you to abandon the familiars of campsite to recklessly wander through the canyons and arroyos and wilderness that make up the geographic wonder, perhaps to never return. Rattlesnakes, bears, mountain lions; all avail this remote wonderland, and the presence of man is foreign to the terrain. One can't avoid the feeling of being out of place; alone.

To encounter the strangeness that is this place is a life changing event. I remember my first trip to the Chisos as a young teenager. It was an extended weekend getaway, and what I found in this rough and wooly country has forever changed my perception of what I consider beautiful and majestic. I have camped in the beauty of Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park; gazed in wonder at the spectacle we call the Grand Canyon. But never have I "felt" a place so much as Big Bend and the glorious Chisos mountains. Here the sunrises and sunsets rival any across the wide world, and here one can not only get to know nature in all its glory, but themselves as well.

Here in this lonely stretch of the world are fables and mysteries galore. Some say the mountains first got their name from the Apache, who tell the tale of a Chief Alsate, destined to forever walk the haunted land because of some terrible deed that failed to please the Great Spirit.

Nearby lies Canyon de Brujas (Witch Canyon), often the site of moanful cries from an Apache maiden who is said to have drowned herself rather than be defiled by her white captors. The spirit of the maiden is said to wander the canyon in search of a way home to her Apache village. In the nearby towns of Study Butte and Terilingua ghost stories abound. Once great mining villages, there are countless tales of haunts and evil spirits who plagued the minors here.

Actually the national park is made up of a large area that includes more than just the ghostly mountains. There is the Rio Grande and its several unbelievably grand canyons where adventurers can spend a day or a month on the fast running waters headed to the Gulf of Mexico nearly a thousand miles away. Here, rafters from across the world enjoy this remote part of the world nearly year round. Just to the west of the park boundary lies the ghost town of Study Butte; further down the road the one-time U.S. outpost of Persidio. But by far and wide, the greatest attraction to this traveler are the mysterious Chisos, full of mystery and awe, ageless and mighty among all the grand sites the world over.

To experience the area, one should plan on some rugged backcountry camping. Be warned: Be prepared! It's not unusual to find yourself the only camper in the campground (there are several to choose from). There is a lodge in the Chisos Basin; a beautiful place where the rooms are adequate and comfortable. From here one could venture out to more remote areas of the park and still take short trips throughout the Basin to discover the mystery and appeal of the area. But to really get the feel of the Ghost mountains, there's nothing like sleeping underneath the stars. And the stars are not brighter at any spot on earth! Be warned there are ancient legends about the Chisos. Some of the Commanche who traveled through here to raid in distant Mexico believed the mountains would take the soul of a person who lingered long. Legend has it that many a brave wandered too deep into the mountains never to be seen again. On some nights, one can still hear the moans and cries of the lost, sentenced to forever search for a way out of the mysterious, rugged terrain. More than one native legend says the most ancient spirits of the Earth abide among the mountain peaks, and from here created the remainder of the world, far from them that they spend their eternity uninterrupted by the machinations of a modern world.

One of the best starting points of a venture into this remote part of the world is the common gathering area in the Basin, where park rangers nightly relive the stories that are part of the legend of Big Bend. No matter what wonderful sites you have visited before, life is not complete until you have made the arduous adventure into the remote stretches of far West Texas, and here discover the mysteries and wonders that are in the great Chisos Mountains of Big Bend. Happy traveling!