Mc Kinney Falls State Park April 2023
Around 10 I decided I better quit reading and break camp so I could hike. Instead of going to a few stores I wanted to go to, I go slow and enjoy the woods. I took some photos around camp and packed up my cooking stuff.
After I got my paper from the ranger station saying I was allowed in the park, I went to the upper falls first because they were close to the trail and it was easy to walk to. There was only a ranger picking up litter and a couple people in the parking lot behind me so I got to see the falls without people. After viewing the falls from a cliff overlooking the area, I walked out to the top of the falls and stepped over the creek rivulets. Tippy waded through one then jumped the rest. I enjoyed watching the water run through the channels it had carved out of the rocks. It is amazing how constant the water flows.
After I enjoyed the falls for a bit I went to another trail head. The sign said it would take me to old baldy and a rock shelter. It warned me the trail was rough and steep. It wasn't kidding. The path around the picnic tables by Onion Creek was easy and stroller safe. When you went below the picnic area to the trail it got narrow, rooty, rocky, and hilly. Why does it always surprise me that Texas hill country is steep and rocky? It is pretty but it takes concentration to walk. I enjoyed hiking above the creek and looking at all the amazing formations the cypress tree branches took. I watched a cardinal and glimpsed some other birds. Tippy saw a few squirrels. We found Old Baldy in a dry creek bed with a boardwalk around it. Wow, it was big. I imagined what the 500-year-old tree saw and heard and all the storms and floods and beautiful days it experienced. Looking up at the branches at the top of the trunk against the blue sky was awe inspiring, but noticing the patterns in the bark up close was also beautiful.
We then continued on the trail and found the rock shelter. It was not what I expected. I expected a rock picnic pavilion built by the CCC. Nope. It was the side of a cliff carved out by erosion to be almost a cave. It was long, level and had a great view. I could picture people sheltering here in a storm. It would make a great haven. From the rock shelter we followed the trail back to the road and took the easy way back by walking the road to the truck. I really enjoyed my time at this park. There were lots of flowering bushes and trees and he sides of the roads and the bluebonnet field were full of bluebonnets. I am sure the park will be full this weekend with people enjoying being outdoors in the beautiful springtime.
