Government Canyon State Natural Area
Mar. 7th, 2009 07:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dalthauserOh yes - good day!
The solitude was priceless and magic - just like it always is. I kept telling myself over and over - "why did you wait so long...." :-)
Unlike most Texas trails though - I did see several people hiking and many mountain bikers.
At the end of the hike I sat and talked with a couple of Army guys in uniform who were hiking way up by Canyon Overlook - next time I'll hike that area. They hike there every week for their training (good training - better than jogging along the road).
What I especially like about this facility is I don't have to take all the precautions I usually do (telling a friend where I'm going, how long I'll be gone, etc. etc.). When you sign in here you give them all your info - and your cell phone #. When the park closes they take inventory - if you're vehicle is still in the lot they go looking for you.
I changed my route a little because the Far Reaches trail was more like a flat path. Instead I went back on the parallel trail (Sendero Balcones). Not as many miles but way more challenging. Rocky, uneven, you go up.....you head down.....repeat multiple times.
Total hiking time 2 hours and 45 minutes. I could have done more, but it was starting to get dark.
Highlights of the hike:
I watched a giant bumblebee on some Texas Mountain Laurel blooms. He let me take a lot of pictures of him - then he politely escorted me out of his personal space.
I almost got run over by a butterfly the size of a small bat. I'm not kidding. He was too fast to get a picture of unfortunately.
I saw a huge swarm of hawks in the distance - had to have been 50 of them all flying over the same area like planes waiting for the control tower to give them permission to land.
There was a man who had to be 80 years old pass me on the trail like I was standing still, and he was wearing tennis shoes. He's either superhuman or he has cast iron feet.
Okay - here is the slideshow. Sorry - there are lots of pictures.
The solitude was priceless and magic - just like it always is. I kept telling myself over and over - "why did you wait so long...." :-)
Unlike most Texas trails though - I did see several people hiking and many mountain bikers.
At the end of the hike I sat and talked with a couple of Army guys in uniform who were hiking way up by Canyon Overlook - next time I'll hike that area. They hike there every week for their training (good training - better than jogging along the road).
What I especially like about this facility is I don't have to take all the precautions I usually do (telling a friend where I'm going, how long I'll be gone, etc. etc.). When you sign in here you give them all your info - and your cell phone #. When the park closes they take inventory - if you're vehicle is still in the lot they go looking for you.
I changed my route a little because the Far Reaches trail was more like a flat path. Instead I went back on the parallel trail (Sendero Balcones). Not as many miles but way more challenging. Rocky, uneven, you go up.....you head down.....repeat multiple times.
Total hiking time 2 hours and 45 minutes. I could have done more, but it was starting to get dark.
Highlights of the hike:
I watched a giant bumblebee on some Texas Mountain Laurel blooms. He let me take a lot of pictures of him - then he politely escorted me out of his personal space.
I almost got run over by a butterfly the size of a small bat. I'm not kidding. He was too fast to get a picture of unfortunately.
I saw a huge swarm of hawks in the distance - had to have been 50 of them all flying over the same area like planes waiting for the control tower to give them permission to land.
There was a man who had to be 80 years old pass me on the trail like I was standing still, and he was wearing tennis shoes. He's either superhuman or he has cast iron feet.
Okay - here is the slideshow. Sorry - there are lots of pictures.
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 05:46 am (UTC)Sounds like you had a very good day. I admire you for getting out and about on your own. I stayed inside and played on Facebook all day, and downloaded and deleted blog posts from FastCupid. But it looked beautiful outside. I'm such a slacker.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 06:08 am (UTC)I'm a slacker too - I just goofed off on the trails :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 07:29 am (UTC)I Think that's cool about the sign up sheet they have; unfortunate it's needed.
Giant bees!
Wonderful pictures, you're eye is good and it helps to have good material.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 07:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 01:44 pm (UTC)Great photos thanks for sharing your hike.