Guadalupe River State park is small but has so much to do to keep you busy! Mountain biking, hiking, and water activities at your fingertips! We decided to spend one of our first days hiking one of the trails that takes you to the backcountry… an area you can only get to by foot and away from the beaten path!
We decided to drive to a parking area near the trailhead to shorten the distance a little instead of walking from our campsite and man was I glad we did because, like always, nothing went according to plan!
Our hike started off with crossing the Guadalupe River… it was COLD and refreshing. A little cold plunge before actually hitting the trails! We have learned from our many years of state and national park exploring that getting on the trails early is best!! You usually have the place to yourself or share it with only one or two others, can always find parking, and can enjoy the scenery in peace and quiet. That morning we started our river crossing with one other early bird hiker and his pup! He took off ahead of us and we quickly lost sight of him.
Once on the other side, we started to ascend the hillside and follow the trails!
We started out crossing an open field with the morning light shining sunbeams through the clouds!
We then walked through the canopies cover, following the well beaten path.
Birds singing all around us and game trails at every turn. One mile after another we traveled further and further from the river until we came to a cliffs edge with no view. YEP, it was an “OVERLOOK TRAIL” with no overlook… I really don’t know why I’m surprised… this is completely normal… “nothing to see here”!
The hike I picked, I estimated to be a 3.5 miles round trip… I hadn’t been hiking in a long minute and I’ve been struggling with severe plantar fasciitis so I didn’t want to get too far from home. Well, according to my alltrails map and my park map, I was not even close to hitting the point where the trails started to lead back to where I came from. I was feeling good, with minimal pain so we decided to forge on and keep following the “overlook” trail because eventually, it did say it comes back around to the starting point.
I did find the fresh green moss hanging from the trees fascinating on this trial though!! Where did it come from? Why was it green and not dead and crunch? These are my unanswered questions!
At some point, our river crossing friend and his dog crossed our path coming from the opposite direction. We stopped and chatted for a few seconds about the trail conditions and interest points to make sure to stop… He told us about this loop that we needed to make sure to take and that it was “the best part of any hike he had taken in the park so far”, “scenic as you walk along the rivers edge”. OK!! AWESOME!! Cause the “overlook” trail was… something… not an overlook!
We eventually made It back to our turn off that would lead us back to the river… we were at 4.5 miles now on my 3.5mile hike but this man really got us pumped for epic views! We decided to turn left and follow his recommendation and continue to add more miles to our hike. We followed this trail for 0.7 miles until it came back around to where we started… it was just a loop around a grass field!! ZERO VIEWS, ZERO RIVER WALK… OMG!! I was SOOO angry! I mean, it was a grassy field! It was nothing!! So NOTHING I didn’t even take a picture of the nothingness!! I didn’t even get to see a deer or bunny. I mean, it was NOTHING! I don’t know what this guy was talking about but he CRAZY and thinks grass is epic.
So, anyways… that was a waste! Time to turn left and head back to the river crossing. I was definitely ready to get home. We crossed the river, which felt WONDERFUL on my feet and legs after that hike, and made our way back to the truck. Along the way, this tree caused me to stop in my tracks. the movement and texture of its bark was mesmerizing and truly something beautiful!
Another day, another hike, nothing going as planned… 5+ miles later on my 3.5 mile hike, we made it back to the truck. I sit here typing this and just laugh out loud!! I can’t make this stuff up… It takes me back to my past hikes and past blogs… Just out here adding another adventure to my story.
We have a few more days here before we head home but our first trip after over a year of zero travel feels like we just picked up where we left off. It feels so easy and normal… even my hiking adventures haven’t changed! Nothing ever goes to plan and that makes for fun memories!
Keep following along as we are packing our year with multiple trips and making up for lost time!
Bring me the horizon!
