07/15/2026
Pecos River 2026: July 9-13, led by Hoyt Moss. In this post are recaps from Days 0 and 1.
Well friends, we just returned from yet another epic adventure: 63ish miles of the lower Pecos River from Pandale to the boat ramp below Hwy 90. Incredible weather, the best people, less than desirable flow (44cfs).
Picked up Mike Dey in San Antonio on our way to Junction, then headed west. We got to the Co-op (Hoyt & Linda’s place) a bit earlier than the rest of the motley crew, so there was a feeling of steadily building joy as the reunion of long time friends and also recently made friends filled the 10,000 square foot building. After the safety briefing and distribution of this year’s custom shirts - with hoods! - we all supported the newest business in downtown Junction befitting of our tribe, Pour Decisions, where we took our “before” group photo (credit: Erich Schlegel). Like pre-Safari shots at Showdown in downtown San Marcos, this will be a new tradition! Then some of us hit the hay for a minute or two and met back at the Co-op at 2am for final loading and departure.
Before we could even get to Ozona, we lost a boat off the trailer and hit a deer, both freak accidents. Found the canoe off the edge of I-10 in a ravine (the photo of Erich Schlegel in the red canoe was taken by Veronica Sosa). We arrived at Pandale crossing a tad bit later than usual, but we hit the water just after sunrise.
Day 1 is the longest day of the trek, at 19.1 miles. We did more walking than any of us recall before, even through the cane chutes, AND we had very strong headwinds that we’re accustomed to later in the trip. Wendell and I were separated from the majority of the group for the bulk of the day trying to bridge the front pack and the back pack, so we missed out on most of the swim breaks, but we did crack our first b**r at 10:25am. There’s nothing like a Lone Star b**r in crystal clear water to cool you down. I got a bit loopy in the heat midafternoon and realized too late that Wendell and I were both deeply “in need of a snack” so Day 1 wasn’t our favorite day, but we kept our wits about us. Wendell and I stopped at a small spring (Goat Spring) a mile upriver from our campsite, excited to see healthy flows from that one and its neighbor, as well as the spring that flows from Everett Canyon, where we camp. (Day 2 preview: the flutes weren’t all that bad thanks to the higher than normal spring flow). We saw a growing herd of wild horses - three younguns this year - and they look healthy.
At camp, everyone’s spirits were high despite drained energy reserves from little to no sleep on Day 0 and a tough Day 1. The journal at the canyon was missing this year, but we had company come down in ATVs from the lease next to the canyon. Wendell and I enjoyed a low prep dinner of Mountain House spaghetti - my Scouts and Scott Morris know what’s real. Night 1 got a lil’ chilly, and some of our crew regretted not bringing more layers. I slept with a mosquito net on my head thanks to Val Verde County having a confirmed case of New World Screwworm, but to be honest, the wind whipping through the canyon was enough protection that night. My Garmin watch told me I had a sleep score in the high 80s - I’ll take it!
It was really nice to have my Garmin InReach 2 with us this trip. We were concerned about rain along the watershed causing flash flooding, and thanks to the Garmin, we had both the ability to get real time weather updates AND receive messages from my son at home who could see regional weather patterns and predictions with satellite connection. We shared the track with everyone on the trip too before we left, so that their loved ones could see our progress. Here’s the link: https://share.garmin.com/HeatherWendellAdventures
