When I first arrived in Texas, many people suggested that I go
check out Enchanted Rock. When I asked
what it was and where it was, the response was “It’s a single big rock you can
walk up, and it’s a few hours to the west.”
Ignoring the fact that I could’ve looked up information online about
this, I just simply took it on faith what I was told. As my time in this state was drawing to a
close, and I remembered I’d never checked it out, I made it a point to see if I
could visit it before I departed. Thanks
to trusty Google Maps, it wasn’t very far at all. From Austin, you have to shoot up to Liberty
Hill, go west to Llano, and then south to the area. Alternatively you go out past Johnson City to
Fredericksburg and then go north. The
distances were about the same.
Google Maps showed me that it was, but never mentioned it was an
actual park. Dumb ass me didn’t research
it completely. I’d brought enough energy
drink and snacks for a short walk, and I discovered it was a huge place with
miles of trails. And it was about 40
minutes from either Llano or Fredericksburg, so not very convenient to run and
get lunch and scoot back.
I started up the actual monolith which this place was named after,
and the easy climb became harder as it got steeper and steeper. One person who was going up at the same time
I did suggested going in a zig-zag pattern to take the stress off your
legs. I didn’t notice much difference,
as I know how to lean way forward to keep my center of gravity low. There were few rocky outcroppings one could sit
against and take a breather, and the steepness was taxing. There was no defined trail, no hand-holds, or
anything like that, so if you lost your balance and started to tumble that
would be it for you. I got
three-quarters of the way to the top before my “healthy respect for heights”
kicked in, and I carefully worked my way back down to more level ground.
It wasn’t too hot, but it was enough that you had to be wary of
your water. I decided to do the Loop
Trail which circled around the entire park area. This was something with better planning I
could’ve spent the whole day here with resupplies of water and food in a cooler
tucked away in the vehicle. As the
elevation changes on many of the trails, I stuck with the pretty flat one so I
could get the most distance by expending the least-amount of energy. Along the way I took whatever interesting
pictures I could of the formations in the brown barren Texas landscape.
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