After a couple of failed attempts — one year the Rio Grande ran too low to float a canoe, another year it moved too fast to be safe — we finally made it into Santa Elena Canyon by canoe in April 2017. The canyon sits inside Big Bend National Park, where the river has carved a passage between limestone walls that rise as high as 1,500 feet (457 m) straight out of the water.
For most of that day, our only soundtrack was the call of canyon wrens (Catherpes mexicanus) bouncing off the rock and the steady pull of current under our paddles. Every so often our little line of canoes would just stop and drift, taking in how enormous and how quiet it all was — a scale no photograph, mine included, has ever quite managed to capture.
Nine years later, reading about what’s happening now in this same stretch of desert, I keep coming back to those walls. According to CBP’s own figures, the Big Bend Sector recorded 3,096 apprehensions in fiscal year 2025 — roughly 1.3% of the 237,538 apprehensions along the entire US–Mexico border that year. Paddling through, it was obvious these cliffs have been doing the work of stopping foot traffic long before anyone proposed adding to them. That’s the same stretch of desert now facing a $1.7 billion vehicle-barrier and patrol-road project.
One row at a time, we spent that whole day soaking in one of the most remote and untouched corners of Texas. I hope whoever signs off on the bulldozers has floated through here at least once.
That is the story behind the shots. For more like this, enjoy these related stories: Big Bend NP, Landscapes, National Parks, One Step, Rio Grande, Santa Elena Canyon, and Texas. Until the next shoot, keep chasing the light and the wonders it reveals.
- Posted for Pepper’s One Step at a Time #23.
Sources:
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Illegal Border Crossings in Big Bend Sector Fall Significantly in FY 2025 — https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/illegal-border-crossings-big-bend-sector-fall-significantly-fy-2025
- Committee on Homeland Security, Border Brief: FY25 Southwest Border Apprehensions Hit Lowest Level in Half a Century — https://homeland.house.gov/2025/11/13/border-brief-fy25-southwest-border-apprehensions-hit-lowest-level-in-half-a-century-as-law-enforcement-faces-threats/
- Engineering News-Record, $1.7B Border Wall Project Work Begins in Big Bend National Park — https://www.enr.com/articles/63469-17b-border-wall-project-work-begins-in-big-bend-national-park
- National Park Service, Big Bend National Park — https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
Discover more from Through Brazilian Eyes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Pamela Zmija Photography
Your image of where we rested is so peaceful and tranquil!
Egidio Leitao
That is one instance of a photo transmitting the actual mood. It was very peaceful and tranquil. Thanks for writing.
Tranature - quiet moments in nature
Such a beautiful area to explore by canoe Egídio and I truly hope this pause on the project will be eternal 🙏
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for your support, Xenia.
Toonsarah
That ‘Where We Rested’ shot does do a great job of showing the scale of this canyon. I just read your comment to Anne and I’m hoping sense may yet prevail 🤞🏻
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Sarah. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a full stop of this project.
nesfelicio
‘Where We Rested’ is such a beautiful shot! I hope it stays that way.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Nes. I think that area should be fine and untouched.
Steve Schwartzman
Though on a smaller scale, this reminds me of John Wesley Powell’s “three-month river trip down the Green and Colorado rivers, including the first official U.S. government-sponsored passage through the Grand Canyon .”
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the note and your reaction to it. Our rafting trip only lasted about 8 hours.
Anne Sandler
So beautiful, Egidio, and so sad!
Egidio Leitao
Indeed, Anne. The CBP Commissioner arrived in Texas yesterday and put a pause to the project – just a pause. We’ll see if he stops this wall nonsense completely. Thanks for your note.