Deep in the Heart of Mexico by Taylor Olivares

Photographers: @ katemarieportraiture @reaganwright @traveling_weddings_with_taylor

There is a majestic place far away in west Texas where the night sky is so dark that it reveals every single star that our galaxy has to offer. Once upon a time, this beautiful land was once covered by the sea. The sediments left behind by a shallow sea eventually hardened into massive limestone layers that over millions of years were carved into large canyons that were separated by the Rio Grande. This is where Texas and Mexico meet with the only border being the water in the Rio Grande river. This majestic place is the one and only Big Bend National Park.

Big Bend National Park encompasses the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. Last fall I was lucky enough to be there for a business trip. During my trip to I took a few days off to take advantage of my time there and my plan was to explore the park. Normally I never take time off, but this time was different because I was traveling with a group of friends and my oldest daughter. One thing that is important to know about traveling to this area is that it is very remote and cell service is extremely limited. If you are bad with directions, you can very easily end up stuck in the desert without a gas station or like we did in a completely different country like we did by accidentally crossing into Mexico via Boquillas Canyon.

We began our day packed for success. we had a full tank of gas, GPS directions saved on our phone, sunscreen, water, hiking boots essentially everything we figured one would need to survive the desert terrain. While driving in the park towards Boquillas it felt like we were taking a step back in time. We saw tons of Pueblo style homes that looked like they had been built in the 1700’s or possibly before. Then as we entered the road that leads to Boquillas Canyon we found a Burro who for some reason became best friends with a wild horse. Believe it or not this Burro followed right behind the horse like as if he didn’t even realize he was a Burro and not a horse. I immediately got out of the car because I thought to myself that no one would believe me that a donkey and a horse became best friends. As I started to record on my phone and inch closer the sweetest thing happened. The horse became protective of the Burro and began to shield him with his body. It was such a heartwarming thing to see.

I ended up getting back in the car because I didn’t want to disrupt them any further as it seemed they were stopped in the area for lunch. We headed a few miles down the road and finally approach the trail that leads to the canyon. We got out to walk and about half a mile into our hike we found a ton of necklaces, bracelets, and walking sticks that were hand made by the people of Mexico. They leave it there and ask that you pay them in an honor system set up. Very cool!

Honestly, seeing wild horses thrive independently was the coolest thing about my entire trip. Before this trip I honestly did not believe wild horses still existed in America. After about a mile and a half we finally reached Mexico. At the time we didn’t realize it was Mexico. We walked for several more miles chatting on our trail. We took several Instagram worthy photos and decided to call it a day. As we were walking back to the car, we saw a tiny sign that said ‘Welcome to the United States.’

I was so lost. How long had we been walking? I knew there was a border in the park; I was assuming there would be border patrol and it would be more official, but I was completely wrong. It is extremely easy once inside the park to cross over to Mexico and vice versa. Although we didn’t go far into Mexico it was awesome to know that we explored what we later found out was the town of Boquillas del Carmen.

The canyon hike was unlike any hike I had ever done before. The time seemed to slow down. In fact, now that I think about it time slows down once you enter the park. Big Bend is a wonderful get away for anyone looking to disconnect from the world as you know it and explore the rural beauty of the great outdoors.

Taylor Olivares is a traveling bridal stylist and wedding event designer and coordinator. She hosts photography events and editorials for wedding photographers to help them build and update their portfolio.

Follow Taylor on Instagram @traveling_weddings_with_taylor