Park #7
February 3rd, 2024
Distance: 2.74 miles of hiking/ 0.96 miles of trail running (12 minutes total, I’m coming back from an injury)
Weather: Sunny, Windy, and mid-60s
On a chilly morning, my husband and I meandered to Palmetto State Park. We planned to explore during the warmest part of the day. I was not looking forward to heading south again, driving through Lockhart, TX, for a third time. Nothing against Lockhart, but the scenery was getting old.
Palmetto SP is another small park in the collection, so small that we missed the entrance. A tiny but cute headquarters at the front had limited parking spaces and no bathroom. We had to drive further to reach the facilities. The early morning already made me grumpy, so the lack of easy-to-access bathroom facilities made me especially irritable. Not the best start to my day.
The hubby planned to run the north trails, cross over the stream, and meet me in the lower trails, but we found out the low-water crossing over the stream was closed. Instead, we parked at the refectory, an old building built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Most of the trailheads were located there, and parking was plentiful.
I walked along the road to reach the Palmetto Interpretive Nature Trail, a one-third-mile path wandering through clustered groves of dwarf palmetto trees. I was impressed, and the placards educated me on the geological features that allowed the swamp and palmettos to exist in the area. This park marks the farthest west these plants are seen in North America.
After the educational portion of my visit, I hiked to the San Marcos River Trail and started a brief run. Then it got muddy, really muddy. Puddles spanned the entire trail, and getting my feet wet was inevitable. I don’t know if you have ever hiked with wet feet, but it isn’t pleasant. I ran on those wet feet for twelve minutes because I had recently recovered from an injury.
After I finished this pathetic twelve-minute run, I hiked the rest of the trails that led me to the outskirts of the park. In the north section of the park, the oxbow lake is known for fishing. I encountered several visitors heading to the lake with fishing rods in their hands.
A friend later reported that when she visited, she encountered so many snakes that she refused to go back. It was wintertime when I visited, so I didn’t see any, and I’m not going to complain about that. I enjoy snake-free hikes and runs.
I want to take a break from the state park story and commiserate with my fellow recreational athletes. I, and so many of my buddies, fight injuries frequently because we want to be active. These injuries aren’t acute, like breaking a leg or pulling a muscle. These are the insidious nagging niggles that distract you from enjoying your active time. They lie in wait until you are done for the day, lying in your bed at night, and torture your muscles with aches, swelling, and cramps. I usually run to a doctor to get a diagnosis and ‘fix’ it immediately. But my faith that a medical professional can pinpoint the correct diagnosis is wavering.
Previously, a chiropractor confidently diagnosed me with “weak glutes” for a vague hip pain, and I was sent home with a list of glute-strengthening exercises to perform daily. I was dutiful in doing these exercises every day for months. Well, this hip pain resurfaced over a year later. Are my glutes still weak? I can crack a pecan between my butt cheeks now, so I question the original diagnosis. I have visited enough professionals for these chronic pains to know that many times the treatment is the same: rest, ice, strengthen, cross train, and slowly start back. So, if I follow the treatment, even with the wrong diagnosis, won’t my body heal anyway? So then what is the point in chasing the diagnosis? I apologize that this side track is more of a frustrating rant at my ageing body rather than a ‘discussion’, but I am certain other recreational athletes have similar experiences. I suppose I should be grateful for the opportunity to visit these places, but at times I need to let my inner child out to whine and fuss. Let that little girl cry it out, then I can regroup and get back to enjoying the adventure.
Take care of yourselves and see you on the trails! (injured or not)
