Sunday, March 20, 2011

Government Canyon State Natural Area

Now, I am NOT a hiker.  Hiking in the Pacific Northwest involved possible encounters with bears, cougars.....bears, cougars.  Nope, not for me.  Plus I felt claustrophobic in the middle of all those dang trees.
Now, Texas.....no bears and no cougars.  Some of you might say, "yes, but they have RATTLESNAKES!".  When was the last time you heard about someone being chased and half eaten by a rattlesnake?  There ya go.   Just don't go sticking your hands under rocks and keep your eyes open.

Kari and I decided we would hike a different spot every week.  We greatly underestimated our ability and didn't look at the map very closely.  It wasn't exactly what I expected, but I learned a lot.
This is me.  Do I look happy? No I don't.  This was the point were I realized we had a long way to go and I was hungry, tired and had to pee.   See that stick in my hand, it is for fending off the wild pigs and snakes.   The only wildlife I saw was a squirrel at the park entrance while still in the car.
This is Kari looking out for wild pigs.  Just kidding.  Was she having fun?  I think so, although she was hungry and had to pee too. 
Anyway the 2-hour hike turned into 4 1/2 hours of very rough terrain.  I am ready for next week though.  I got a good pack with the water bag/bladder thing in it, Fig Newtons, Granola grahams, Starbursts, peanut butter.    We were both at least smart enough to take a ton of water (well a couple litres each) and wear sunscreen.   Can't wait for next week.

3 comments:

  1. LOL...you sound like my kind of hiker. I live close to downtown SA, which is about 20 mi. away.
    I have a high energy Springer Spaniel. We usually rotate our 3 mile walks at different parks in the city, but will make our first visit to Govt Canyon next week. Thanks for posting your thoughts and pics!
    John

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  2. Have a good hike! Don't forget your walking stick for the wild animals.

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  3. Didn't think about the stick. Yes! I'll definitely take one. Thanks.

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