March 31st, 2024
Distance: Hiking 2.90 miles in the main park and 3.1 miles in the Bauer unit. 6 miles total
Weather: Overcast, 70 degrees, humid
Although this little blog details my trail exploits, I am also a cyclist. For this particular weekend, I was scheduled to ride the entire Kerrville Easter Cycling Tour that takes place on Easter weekend, with a planned route from Friday through Sunday. But Sunday, I played hooky and went to Guadalupe River State Park instead.
It had been years since I last visited this park, and a new section had been added: the Bauer unit, which is located across the river and requires another car trip. After I visited the original park, I planned to tackle the Bauer unit next. The original park has approximately 5 miles of trails, and I’d describe them as easy, meandering, single-track trails. Since this was March, the wildflowers crowded the meadows and painted the landscape in shades of yellow and blue. It’s difficult to access the river from the trails. For river access, you need to drive to the picnic area. However, since I visited on Easter Sunday, the area was packed with families, but the trails were empty. I only passed three hikers the whole day.
Serious trail enthusiasts will enjoy the Bauer unit. You have to manually open the gate to the unit, swinging this large, metal contraption open. Then you drive your vehicle into the parking area and close the gate behind you. The gate reminded me of driving to my grandparents’ farm before they installed cattle guards.
In this section, there are more trails, access to the river, and fewer visitors. There are no quality flush toilets, but the solitude and quiet were worth it. I hiked a loop and visited the river on my route. A shabby house and an old windmill stood on the side of the trail with a fence around the perimeter. An informative sign indicated that the building had been preserved for historic reasons, and the wildlife department has plans for it. I’m guessing too many people asked that question, and they thought, “let’s just put up a sign.”
I finished earlier than my husband, so I sat in the car to wait for him. The breeze and overcast skies made the car’s interior comfortable, but in a few months, the car will feel like sitting in a pottery kiln. I was glad we chose to explore during the spring.
I confess. I was not in the best mood for this park. I was not running significant distances due to my injury, and even a hike bothered my hip. I had been stretching, strengthening, and rolling, but brutal aches/pains plagued me. A week after this hike, I ran three miles, and my hip tightened with every passing yard. I am not a happy person when I don’t run. Trail running is my Zen, and I crave it. My husband can crank out fifteen miles without thinking, and that just pisses me off. It’s no one’s fault. Not even mine because I don’t know what I did or what I need to do to fix it. I know I’m not the only one, a recreational athlete with a nagging injury who visits doctor after doctor in search of a remedy. All I end up with is a pile of medical bills and the suggestion to rest, and sometimes a young doctor who tells me I’m too old to be running anymore. Now THAT really pisses me off.
But until that time when I can no longer travel or hike, I’ll be out there. See you on the trails!