00:18 Jun 13 2012
Times Read: 755
I had decided that I've spent too much time on my butt, so I went for a walk at the Dallas Nature Center Sunday morning. I hadn't been in several years and a lot of things have changed. They used to maintain 3 poorly marked trails; a 1 mile, a 2-1/2 mile, and a 4 mile trail. The trails used to switch back and forth and cross each other repeatedly. I'd usually get lost and wind up doing at least 7 miles before finding my way back out again (What? I'm back at the lake again? Dammit!)
Now the Conservation Center maintains no less than 7 distinctly marked trails ranging from a half mile to two and a half miles, and in varying degrees of difficulty. Most of the trails no longer cross each other, leaving little chance of taking a wrong turn anymore.
I hit the entrance of the 2-1/2 mile trail at 7:10 AM, with the sun just coming up over the ridge, just in time to catch a few of the earlier risers leaving. They all looked like Olympians, wearing light running attire, nary a drop of sweat among them. It was 76 degrees, with a relative humidity of about 90%; I was in cargo shorts, a cotton-blend shirt and hiking boots and I had worked up a sweat walking the 50 yards from the parking lot. They emerged from the woods on a run, checking their pulses against their watches, one of them announcing to no one in particular that they completed the path in 23 minutes.
That was the Difficult path. Two and a half miles of it. The average hiker does a Difficult path at an average speed of a mile in 40 minutes. They ran the whole thing in 23 total. My first thought was that the Conservation Center must have blazed some pretty tame trails.
I was sure that I wasn't going to be the first one on the path that morning. Probably not in the first couple dozen. You never want to be first one on a path in the morning.
The first person finds all the creatures from overnight, like the spider webs build across the path in the evening, and the snakes still sleeping on warm rocks. These were all long gone before I approached the trail, so I strode off in confidence, theme music from Raiders of the Lost Ark rolling through my head.
Once among the trees the slight breeze dropped to nothing and the humidity rose to nearly 100%.
The air was very thick as I hit the first hill almost immediately.
In some places the ground rose much steeper that a flight of stairs. If it wasn't for the tree roots providing natural steps, I would have been on my hands and knees here.
In other places the tree roots were a potential ankle-breaking nuisance.
Part of the 4-mile trail, no longer maintained. Somewhere back there used to be my favorite spot to pause and look around.
In the middle of a group of cedar trees is a set of concrete steps that used to go up the porch of a long-gone residence. There is no other evidence of a house being there; no foundation, no remnants, just the porch steps. The 50+ year old cedar trees grow right where the house should have been.
Some intrepid fools actually use this felled tree to cross this dry creek bed. I used the bridge another 50 yards up the trail to the left.
Hmmmmmm...do I take the left path, or the right?
I came to an area of about half an acre of dead cedars.
I have no idea what killed this stand of trees.
Somehow I did take a wrong turn (I didn't think that was possible).
The trail ended at a barbed-wire and log fence.
Path.
Path.
Um...path?
I know I'm at least three-quarters of the way through...how is it uphill both ways?
I completed the the 2-1/2 mile trail in just under 80 minutes, including stopping halfway through and eating breakfast: a banana-nut scone and half a bottle of water.
I'd like to be dedicated enough to do this at least once a week.
COMMENTS
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Isis101
06:33 Jun 30 2012
Oh my...keep up the workout, but tone it down a little! We want you here!
PandorasBx
17:25 Jun 30 2012
Working out some anger perhaps? Or..... ;)
Bloodythorn
17:44 Jun 30 2012
*tie's her boot laces* That's it I'm coming to kick your tush.
hehehe calm down on the work out hun.
xxEmaeraldxx
22:40 Jun 30 2012
Darn, that WAS tough going. I am up to 5 minutes boxing with an opponent per round now... But, I am opening to up that soon :)
DestroyingAngel
18:42 Jul 01 2012
Jeeeeeesus Christ Dude...I'm with Isis...TAKE IT EASY. Slow the hell down...we want/need ya here! Lol.
Calm down turbo lol! *hugs*
By the way...groovy songs lol.