An Enchanting Morning Walk

Enchanted Rock, place of legend (and cardio workout).*

Life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim.

~Lord Byron

Life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim. Lord Byron
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/lordbyron150356.html?src=t_enchanted

Life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim. Lord Byron
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/enchanted.html

Life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim. Lord Byron
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/enchanted.html

We were up and breakfasted by 7:45. A gentleman from San Antonio sitting near us at breakfast asked how far it was to Enchanted Rock.** He must have recognized our hiking boots and serious demeanor.

Arriving before the staff we checked ourselves in, grabbed a map, and headed down the trail. Two whitetail does greeted us as we came in sight of the granite dome.

While a harder climb than years past (for me anyway) we managed with little difficulty. We were joined today by individual climbers, couples, families and at least one school.*** I only saw one person turn back and I do understand. It is a fast assent (425 feet in elevation in .6 miles) and challenging for people in poor physical condition or in the wrong hiking gear.

We took our time, photographing plants, wildlife, and landscapes before hiking down.**** While the trip (poor choice of words - let's say "walk" instead) down seemed easier I could tell I was taking two steps at least for every one step I took when heading up.

We saw no ghosts of Native Americans or Texas Rangers. We did not climb through the cave. We did not rappel down.

We did see one of the wonders of Texas on an almost perfect day - cool morning temperature, bright sun, and slight breeze. Recent rains have left their mark in bright green vegetation, abundant bird and insect life, streams (where usually there are none), huecos***** atop the rock, and wildflowers.

We noticed the taxidermy at yesterday, but examined it today. That is an albino raccoon.

Our destination. The boulders were glistening atop the granite dome.

The path and sign. No dogs, no bicycles (really?), and no alcohol. The bottle in my back pocket was water.

I think it was about here that we saw the does run along that tree line. There was a little stream flowing to the right and so they might have been down for their morning drink before the day heated up.

The sun was already so bright that it is hard to see this is actually a small intermittent stream that was flowing due to recent rains.

This is not what late September usually looks like in Texas.

We passed tumbles of boulders.

You can see we are starting to gain a little elevation.

Periodically I would turn around and take a photo of the countryside.

Seriously rugged.

There are some strange formations here and there.

There was still a good bit of surface to cover. See the tiny figure on top?

Every now and then I would stop to rest - a good excuse to turn around and look back...and look across the land below. [Remember this long "broken" boulder]

Okay. There's no dip here. Imagine that bit of incline attached to the other side of this photo. I'll get the hang of it. Pretty though.

Almost to the top. Really. DH waits patiently to the right.

There are so many things I haven't noticed before - at least I don't remember. This is what appears to be a seam of a different, softer stone in the granite dome.

The seam zigzags across the surface near the top (good excuse to catch my breath).

Not a bad view.

Look closely. The young man is carrying a camera and tripod. The young woman is carrying a baby.

Erosion in another seam appears almost like footprints (check out those legends, folks).

And for a little perspective...

The last little ridge before the top.

And we are at the very top. Proof.

I was so surprised to see the huecos all over the top. Some were tiny ponds. Some had little mini habitats.

Parts seemed a moonscape. DH called it "our Burren" - referring to a desolate part of Ireland. Though, among other differences,  theirs is flatter and limestone while ours elevated and granite.

Yucca!

Once we got "up there" we didn't want to leave.

Looking over at the neighboring dome.

Does anyone really pay any attention to the neighboring formations?

I stopped in a few places to observe evidence of creatures who visit.

A feather.

There's a bit of variety in these little islands.

The prickly pear tunas are much larger than most I've seen. Perhaps it is the variety. Perhaps it is due to the amount of rain they have had. I do not believe I will be studying cactus on top of Enchanted Rock. Also note the smiling face of the Dayflower.

And then the "bugs" came out. Yup, a true bug.

And another.

And a grasshopper.

And another bug!

I'm pretty confident it is a coreopsis. Golden-wave (Coreopsis basalis)?

Time to head down.

A last look around.

Past the seam in the rock.

I zigzagged again...perhaps a little different track than DH's descent plan.

A line of boulders.

Okay. Remember that large broken boulder? We approached from the top.

It's really big.

See.

There's a little view to be found through the cleft.

A tenacious tree.

I continue to be astounded at how plants survive in some places. This tree's roots show - gnarled as they seek purchase among the boulders.

We are almost down - a view to one side.

A friend we made on the way down. She was amazing. You can just "make-out" the shining faces of students on a field trip from Vanguard School in Waco.

The last bit of hike looks rougher than it is.

Ferns and such growing under the boulders.

Another Dayflower.

Over the last of rough terrain.

I wish you could hear the sound of the water flowing.

More plants and wildflowers along the way:

Ladyfinger cactus

It was a wonderful hike.


NOTES:

*https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lxe01

**http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/enchanted-rock

***One man carried his camera and tripod up while his wife carried the baby! Students from Vanguard School in Waco were heading up the dome as we were coming down (their teacher knew the rules - hikers coming down the trail have the right-of-way). We also met Judy from Colorado who made the summit in what she acknowledged was the wrong pair of shoes. She descended as we did - slowly using small switch-backs.

**** We did a very little Tai Chi at the top - twice. It took some time to prop the phone. DH and I also debated the location of the 1981 rappel. I cannot imagine it now, but I do have pictures.

***** Hueco is a Spanish word for a hole, a hollow. It came to my attention when researching pictographs and I found Hueco Tanks [http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/hueco-tanks] near El Paso where people sought out water pooling in hollows in the rocks. When we saw the pools of water atop Enchanted Rock I immediately recognized that these were huecos. Of course, if these is water in these huecos, there is likely water flowing in the myriad intermittent streams in the area (and the few rivers about).  But it was interesting to see the little habitat formed in some of these hollows - flowers, grass, cactus, insects, birds and the like.