Polly's Horse Camp

Down in the southern end of Pedernales Falls SP, on the western flank of Butler mountain, is Polly's Horse Camp. Given the location of the camp and history of this land, I would bet this used to be at least a semi permanently occupied camp, part of the ranch that this place used to be, during the 1800's and into the first half of the 1900's. Perhaps Polly used to have a small cabin tucked into the trees there with a well stocked, if basic, kitchen and a bottomless coffeepot.

Now days the camp is located near the end of the southeast leg of the 12+ mile Southern Loop Horse Trail (In my experience very few riders and virtually no hikers use the equestrian trails so they make for very good hiking when the more popular trails are seeing heavier usage.) and is only a quarter mile or so from the county road which gives easy access to stock trailers, assuming you've got a key to open the gate with.

Originally there was a wind-powered pump used to lift water up out of the well and into a concrete tank.

But now, when you're laying there in your bedroll at night, you have to imagine listening to the slow clackity creaking of water being lifted up out of the earth one or two cups at a time, because a new well has since been drilled and a silent solar powered pump and some electronics keeps the original concrete storage tank filled instead.

Adjacent to the tank is a water-trough for wildlife and livestock, though the park system absolves itself of all humanoid responsibility by posting a big 'Non-Potable Water Only' sign above the hydrant at the side of the tank.

The camp, conveniently located at roughly the halfway point of the loop trail, is in a nice open meadow with an inviting grove of oak and cedar in the center.

A rather new looking set of portable stalls stands ready for the next group of equine explorers,

and it's location on the flank of the "mountain" ensures a decent breeze moving up out of the Butler Creek watershed with distant views to the northwest (When it's not raining that is!) while the Twin Buttes loom across the valley to the west.

My pack looks pretty lonely parked over there on the table to the left, but I can just imagine people gathered in the evening around the fire, laughing and bullshitting telling stories, while dinner sizzles up on the grills; roast potatoes and corn on the cob on one, hamburgers and chicken on the other, with a pot of beans staying hot beside the fire.

Makes me want to go out and buy a horse just so I can join them! (I wonder if a plastic head with a yellow and purple yarn mane stuck on the end of a broomstick would count. . .)

Images from Pedernales (Part 3)

OK, final installment of the random images from a recent stay at Pedernales Falls SP, though this is not the last post to come from that trip. I've still got the horse camp, a couple off-the-map trails, a surprisingly good municipal nature trail, Blanco and the 2015 Wild Women of the West gathering to cover.

But for now:

Hey! Is that dude eying me for my snack-worthiness?!!!

No, this is not man-made. That's a natural stack topped by a nice big slab of limestone.

The spectacular but somewhat rare Texas Madrone tree. Yes, that's its natural color and it is alive and well.

We all got damped down a bit as showers periodically passed by.

I'm not a 'shroomer so I don't know if this is good to eat or not but that's OK because it's plenty luscious right were it's at!

As I was running through this series of photos one last time before posting them I realized that if you pay attention to my general composition of images you can tell I'm seriously left handed. . .

Images from Pedernales (Part 2)

Though it's difficult to tell from the photo above, for most of the week I recently spent in Pedernales Falls SP it was cloudy and the air was thick, often thick enough to leak on me,

which makes for challenging light and pretty much shuts down the long-range vistas, but on the up side, it's the perfect opportunity to slow down and notice the details, the little stuff, or park yourself under a tree as the shower goes by and wait for the birds to get used to you.

These things were so fragrant it was like trying to get past the lady at the perfume counter!

This guy was no bigger around than a quarter but I don't think he's as cuddly as he looks!

Images from Pedernales (Part 1)

You know how some days, no matter how hard you try, how much you want it, you just can't get a decent photo??

Well this was not one of those days.

It should have been. A few times there the clouds thinned out for a moment, but not for long, and once in a while a passing shower wet things down and made me tuck the camera inside my pack, but despite that it seemed like every time I turned around there was a photo worthy image just waiting to be digitally captured. (Of course that's pretty subjective, but at least in my own mind's eye they were worthy!)

Though spring is the theme, there's no particular narrative here so I will mostly just let the images stand on their own.

Because I ended up with quite a few of them, and you can have too much of a good thing, I decided to split them up over a couple posts.

I get the feeling this Roadrunner thinks I'm standing right were the good bugs are.

I don't remember what it was but there must have been something over there that interested the two of us

OK, head count! Do we have a quorum yet?

One reason I don't wear shorts when hiking around here!

Grumpy

Curious

 

How to jump-start your heart with nary a defibrillator in sight.

There I was, ambling along just minding my own business, almost at a juncture in the trail and pondering which way I wanted to go next, when a jet black feral hog stepped out onto the trail with me. And I mean stepped out up close and personal!

My first thought was ‘Uh oh, this could be bad!’. My first reaction was to go for the camera. (I know, I know, from a self-preservation standpoint there’s something just wrong about that!)

By the time I got the camera fired up and ready, held at waist level to minimize any movement on my part, another hog had joined the party; or was this an ambush?! Because if this was a party I never got an invitation! If I had I’m pretty sure I would have hung out way over there across the street with the other looky-loos instead of walking right through the front door like this! Open bar or not!

I was way up in the northwest corner of Pedernales Falls SP. An under-used corner of the park where the trails don’t even show on the map. (There’s a rumor that the new, more complete, maps will be out in October, but that same rumor has been floating around for several October’s now.) The winter has been especially kind and this spring everything is lush and the walking is quiet; clearly too quiet!

Following right along with the cornucopic nature of this day, first I’m blessed with the one hog, then a second joins the party, and to top it all off with yesterday’s half rotted cherry, the two of them start wandering up the trail right at me! Oh great! My cup just doth runneth all over my ass today!

I felt like I was waiting my turn at the deli counter, getting jostled and elbowed by the phone-yammering, tennis-skirted privileged. Clearly I must be invisible! (I knew that Mossy-Oak backpack was a bad idea!) Instead of a howdy-do or even a disdainful sneer, they (The hogs, though it could just as well have been the privileged since they do the same thing.) put their noses down and got busy doing piggy things as if I wasn’t even a gleam in Dad’s eye yet.  Poking and rooting and snuffling and occasionally snapping up some morsel, then moving on a couple steps and repeating.  And it’s painfully apparent that I have the good fortune to be standing right in the most desirable snuffling patch, because they just keep on coming!

Now there are lots of advantages to hiking alone. Coordinating schedules with my hiking partner is super easy. The only I told you so’s I have to listen to if I pick the wrong fork in the trail are my own. If I scare the bejeesus out of myself or just get tired, there’s no one there to judge when I turn around and tuck tail. The only intrusive and overly loud conversations breaking the peace of the trail trail are the voices in my own head, and after years of practice I’m pretty good at ignoring them. But one distinct disadvantage is there’s never anyone else there that I can outrun. (I don’t have to outrun the bear I only have to outrun you!)

But in the meantime – these hogs are getting pretty damn close! Close enough to smell now! Admittedly they are odoriferous little creatures (Of course they think the same of me I’m sure.) so their olfactory reach is significant, but that’s still close enough! Any closer and I’m going to be able to tap them on the nose with my hiking stick; and I’m pretty sure that would be a bad idea!

So I’m just working up to getting medieval on their asses and letting out the loudest, scariest roar they’ve ever heard. One that will shock them right out of their little pig-skin booties, (Assuming I could; roar that is. I once came in close proximity to a grizzly and my vocal cords clamped up so tight I couldn’t even manage a squeak.) but that’s about when the grey one finally lifts his head from the dinner table for a moment and lays his beady little eyes on me. (Reminds me of some people I’ve supped with.)

Contrary to what my wife keeps insisting, apparently I’m not all that easy on the eyes because in a flash the two of them shot off into the brush, tails high, squealing for mercy; or was it reinforcements?