There is a ghost story about Enchanted Rock in the Texas Hill Country. A Native American brought his daughter to the summit and sacrificed her to win the favor of the gods. The sacrifice was unacceptable and as a punishment, that man was condemned to forever wander the surface of the rock. The divots on at the top of the rock are said to be his footprints.
Enchanted Rock has many stories and myths woven into its history: from the Native American legends to the daring escape of a Texas Ranger. No one knows exactly how Enchanted Rock got its namesake, but the most likely reason is how the rock looks at night: glowing in the dark as the moonlight reflects upon pools of water on the rock’s surface.
It’s also one hell of a climb. I visited for the first time today – an hour and a half drive outside of Austin to the state park. The summit trail is less than a mile up, but it is up. Climbing a rock surface in the open sun.
Breathing hard, it was a joy to reach the summit overlooking the Texas countryside. It was a clear day today, with just the right amount of wind and sun to bring your body to a perfect sweat-soaked ease. I traveled with two friends today, but at the top we wandered in our own directions, slowly circling and exploring the expansive rock surface. At one point I got comfortable and wrote in my notebook for a while until we were ready to carefully slide (and it was close to a slide at points) back down.
We explored more of the trails after our summit hike, slowing making our way completely around Enchanted Rock. There were fields of wildflowers – brilliant reds and yellows, with white and purple interspersed. There was the beating sun, that reminded my winter skin that it does, indeed, burn when left to bake for a few hours.
It reminds me that there is so much nature to explore within an arm’s reach of my home. I love my usual trails, but Enchanted Rock was so different than the Greenbelt in my backyard. More open and fantastic. And much more of a leg workout.
With Love,
Natalie