2/19-21/05: Bustamante Cave Trail, Mexico

February 19-21, 2005
Bustamante Cave Trail, Mexico - by Philip Russell

Bustamante is a charming little Mexican town, founded in the 1600s, just 90 miles south of Laredo. It's pinning its future on ecotourism. The centerpiece of its ecotourism is a magnificent cave on a steep mountain slope. To facilitate access to the cave, a seven-person CTTT crew worked on the trail to the cave over President's Day Weekend.

This was the fifth trip to Bustamante to survey and then re-route the trail up a steep, rocky slope. Working there is a challenge due to the steep slope, many rocks and little dirt, and the thorns on the desert plants. The crew replaced a steep scramble over bare rocks with two switchbacks. The two switchbacks connect to the much longer stretch of trail that had already been rerouted. The Trail Tamer effort was part of a much larger project to enhance the cave. This effort was coordinated by the Texas Speleological Society, which arranged a hike in a mountain canyon as well as a banquet for the 121 participants in the patio of the hotel where we stayed. As with most trail projects, there is still work to be done. These projects are an annual event, so if you like rocks and would enjoy a visit to a charming little town, come on down with us next year.