Cat's Musings

A Chilly Morning off the Pedernales River

The Hill Country is some of the best Texas has to offer.

Texas has been largely deprived of a winter this season. Christmas had a high of 80F and a low of 66F (26.6C - 18.9C), and today I actually broke a sweat gardening. However, last week we did have something like a winter day due to a snap cold front that gave us about 36 hours of wintry weather. So, that Monday, I decided to go on a day hike and take advantage of the low temperatures and went out to Milton Reimers Ranch Park.

Reimer Ranch Park is a nature park in the sphere of Austin, TX. Specifically, it is near the charming little town of Dripping Springs. I loosely based the setting of Deep In The Heart of Texas, the novel I am working on, on Dripping Springs, at least superficially: a west-of-Austin exurb on the edge of the Texas Hill Country.

Dripping Springs and Reimer Ranch Park both have Dark Sky Designations. Reimer Ranch also has an observatory, and I plan to go back to get a proper star filled camping experience before the season is done.

But, that chilly morning was the setting for a day hike. I arrived at the park around 9 am, to grey skies, cutting winds, and a 'feels like' temperature of 27. I felt a grin tug at my numb lips: this was going to be a good day.

Dry, gnarled trees overlook the sheer drop to the Pedernales river.

The trails have the multiple connecting paths off the trailhead creating a modular experience beyond the trailhead - a practice I love. I mostly stuck to the multi-use trail, and connected it up to the granite trail. When I am hiking alone, I like to choose trails where I have clear sight lines. I had no interest of going down to the sodden river bank, or braving the narrow stone steps from the Granite trail down to the river trail.

Dry grass, cacti, and juniper trees - feels like the hill country.

The picture above is representative of the multi-use trail: Wide, cloudy skies, scratchy brown grass, and rocky terrain. There were a number of people in the park, but they were going instead down to the rock climbing area. I saw no other hikers, but I did run into a couple riding horses with their dog, which is always a treat. The Granite trail ran parallel to the river trail. It was a paved path lined with trees and signs about local flora and fauna. We started to get a light rain in the last mile or so of yjr hike. Not enough to soak, but enough to make me notably colder and grateful to not tackle the muddy paths.

Overall, a wonderful little hike and well worth the drive. The park headquarters only accepts cash, but the day use fees are only five bucks. Go to the park, camp overnight under the stars, then spend the next day hitting a winery at Dripping Springs? Sounds like a great weekend.

#nature