I have 3 more hikes to post from my Christmas Break hiking trip to Houston, TX, but the turning of the calendar says it is time for my annual summary and reflection post. This is the one time each year I post something personal rather than a trail review/description.
2019 brought 56 new hikes for 173.7 miles. Neither of those numbers are records, but the 23 states covered this year tops the previous record of 19 states in 2017. Those 23 states included 2 new states: Iowa and New Jersey. There are only 5 more states to go until all 50 states are represented in this blog. Overall, 2019 had some great times on the trail with God's creation in its natural state.
Looking ahead to 2020, I have the usual array of hiking trips planned. The plans include trips to eastern North Carolina, the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri, northern Tennessee, and a long summer trip to Colorado. Also, my career hiking mileage as represented by summing the trail distances in this blog now stands at 2127.75 miles. So I only have 64.25 miles to go to reach 2192 career miles, which is the length of the Appalachian Trail as currently reported by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. That number will probably be reached in the first half of 2020, so I need to come up with a way to mark that milestone. We should reach 800 hikes in the first half of 2020 as well.
Finally, 2020 will mark a transition year on three fronts:
1) the extension of this project from a text and photo blog to a Youtube vlog,
2) a refocus to parks (and other outdoor recreation activities) in addition to hikes, and
3) as the end of my math professing career likely comes in sight, a rebranding of my online presence from "Math Prof Hiker" to something to be revealed later, i.e. this blog won't be called the Mathprofhiker's Trail Journal much longer.
Take care, Lord bless, and see you on the trail in 2020!
David Prager, aka Math Prof Hiker
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Monday, December 30, 2019
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center: Outer Loop (Blog Hike #782)
Trail: Outer Loop
Hike Video:
Hike Location: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
Geographic Location: west side of Houston, TX (29.76465, -95.45433)
Length: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: December 2019
Overview: A nearly flat hike featuring forest, bayou,
prairie, and savanna habitats.
Center Information: https://houstonarboretum.org/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=777217
Photo Highlight:
Directions to the trailhead: The main parking area
for the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is accessed from the northbound
I-610 Service Road on the west side of Houston between Post Oak Boulevard and
Woodway Drive. A secondary parking area
is located on Woodway Dr. just east of I-610.
You will have to pay an hourly rate for parking unless you come on a
Thursday, when parking is free as of my visit.
The hike: Located
on the west side of Houston just inside the I-610 loop, Houston Arboretum and
Nature Center protects 155 acres at the west end of Houston’s massive and famous
Memorial Park. Before it became
parkland, what would become Memorial Park was the location of Camp Logan, a
World War I Army training camp that operated between 1917 and 1923. In 1924, the land was deeded to the City of
Houston to establish a park that would honor soldiers who lost their lives in
World War I. Considering the lack of World
War I memorials in this country, I found this park’s origins illuminating and
admirable.
The arboretum dates to 1951, when
local ecologist and educator Robert A. Vines persuaded Houston’s City Council
to set aside 265 acres in the west end of Memorial Park for an arboretum. Highway construction whittled the allotment
down to the 155 acres we enjoy today. The
arboretum features a Nature Center building devoted to education; the building
was under renovation when I came here.
Over 5 miles of trails wind through the arboretum, and these trails are
open 7am to dusk daily. This hike
features the Outer Loop, which as its name suggests takes you around the
perimeter of the arboretum, thus giving a good sample of all the arboretum has
to offer.
 |
| Outer Loop Trail departing I-610 Parking Loop |
From the I-610 Parking Loop, the
signed Outer Loop heads south on first a mulch and then a dirt/gravel treadway. At the first intersection, you need to turn
right to stay on the Outer Loop; the Buttonbush Trail goes straight and left
here. Although the Outer Loop is
unblazed, all intersections at Houston Arboretum and Nature Center are
well-signed, so staying on course is quite easy.
Ignore side trails that exit right
and lead to a bike trail along the I-610 Service Road. At 0.2 miles, you reach the Woodland Field
Station, the first of several interpretive shelters on this hike. Made of dead wood recovered from the area,
the Woodland Field Station overlooks a mixed pine and deciduous forest, and its
numerous interpretive signs tell you about the fauna and flora of the
woodlands.
 |
| Hiking the Outer Loop |
The wide dirt/gravel trail continues
southeast, and 0.9 miles into the hike you reach the Outer Loop’s southernmost
point where the Couch Birding Trail exits right. The Couch Birding Trail is a short spur trail
that leads to a wooden overlook of Buffalo Bayou, one of the main waterways
through metro Houston. While I saw no
unusual birds on this trail, muddy Buffalo Bayou makes a nice change of
scenery. Also, interpretive signs
explain that the natural dirt bayou channel you see today is preferable to the
concrete-walled channels that were common several decades ago because they
slowly release floodwater into the bayou rather than pouring it in all at once.
 |
| Buffalo Bayou overlook |
Back on the Outer Loop, the trail
embarks on a northward course with a railroad track across the arboretum’s east
boundary to your right. Even though the
arboretum is an attractive natural area, signs of civilization such as this
railroad track and persistent highway noise from nearby I-610 remind you of its
location in metro Houston. Next you pass
through the arboretum’s tallgrass prairie, which contrasts with the forest that
has surrounded you thus far. The
arboretum’s Prairie Field Station sits 0.1 miles down the North Meadow Trail to
the left, and it is worth a quick detour if you want to visit all four field
stations.
 |
| Hiking along the prairie |
After another stint in the woods,
you reach the arboretum’s savanna and Savanna Field Station at 1.7 miles. Numerous interpretive signs describe the
sunny savanna, which is dotted with tall pine trees. Next you curve left through the northeast
corner of the arboretum to reach the Donor Boardwalk. Leave the Outer Loop to walk across the
interesting and winding Donor Boardwalk, which takes you across a shallow pond
that contained several frogs on my visit.
|
| Donor Boardwalk |
At the other side of the Donor
Boardwalk, you reach an intersection with the Wildflower Trail. The Wildflower Trail forms a 0.3 mile loop,
so you can go either way here. The
shortest route to the Nature Center is the option going left, and the I-610
Parking Loop that contains your car is right beside the Nature Center. Be sure to check out the educational exhibits
in the Nature Center before you leave.
Friday, December 27, 2019
Brazos Bend State Park: Prairie/Elm Lake/Big Creek Loop (Blog Hike #781)
Trails: Prairie, Live Oak, Pilant Slough, Elm Lake,
Horseshoe Lake, Big Creek, Spillway, and 40 Acre Lake Trails
Hike Video:
Hike Location: Brazos Bend State Park
Geographic Location: south of Sugar Land, TX (29.37032, -95.62741)
Length: 8.9 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: December 2019
Overview: A nearly flat hike past many aquatic areas that
offer good bird viewing.
Park Information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/brazos-bend
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=777166
Photo Highlight:
Directions to the trailhead: Southwest of Houston,
take I-69 to SR 99. Exit, but instead of
turning north onto SR 99, turn south onto Farm-to-Market Road 2759. FM 2759 magically becomes FM 762 in 2.2
miles. Keep following FM 762 as it makes
several sharp turns. After driving a
total of 16.5 miles from I-69, you reach an intersection with Park Road and the
entrance to Brazos Bend State Park. Turn
left to enter the park, pay the park entrance fee, and park in the parking lot
for 40 Acre Lake, which is the first parking lot on the left after you enter
the park.
The hike: Opened
only in 1984, Brazos Bend State Park sprawls for roughly 5000 acres on the west
bank of its namesake river. Before it
became a park, the land was used as a hunting ranch. Cattle grazed here, and pecans were grown
here; remnants of that time can still be seen on the park’s trails today.
Brazos Bend State Park is the
biggest and best outdoor recreation destination in greater Houston. On point, the park offers a 71-site developed
campground, several picnic areas, three fishing lakes, a playground, an interpretive
center, and 17 trails that stretch for nearly 30 miles. The trails in the eastern part of the park
are open to horses in addition to hikers, so I chose to focus on the hiker-only
trails in the western part of the park.
The route described here explores every point of interest in the western
part of the park, and it passes many wetland areas that offer great bird
watching in the winter. Also, several
shorter options are presented should this hike’s distance seem too great.
 |
| Start of Prairie Trail |
From the parking lot for 40 Acre
Lake, pick up the gravel Prairie Trail as it heads south across the main park
road at a marked crosswalk. True to its
name, the Prairie Trail traces the edge of a large tallgrass prairie, and a
wooden observation platform gives a slightly elevated view of the prairie. Although parts of the prairie are quite wet,
the well-constructed trail stays dry except after a heavy rain.
 |
| Brazos Bend's tallgrass prairie |
The Prairie Trail traces three sides
of the prairie, and on the third (east) side it comes close to Jungman Road on
the right. Just past 1 mile, the trail
angles left to briefly follow an asphalt maintenance road before angling right
to continue its northward course. At
1.25 miles, you reach the end of the Prairie Trail at an intersection with the
Live Oak Trail. If you want a short
hike, you could turn left here and return directly to the 40 Acre Lake parking
area in another 0.4 miles. To continue
this hike, turn right to begin the Live Oak Trail, which heads east past an
information board and a bench.
 |
| Large live oak on Live Oak Trail |
The gravel Live Oak Trail is the
park’s newest trail, and for the next mile it traces a nearly straight line
flush against the park’s south boundary.
True to its name, several large live oak trees grow beside this
trail. Traffic on the main park road
some 200 feet to the left prevents much solitude, but the wooded wetland areas
along this trail comprise the first of several excellent bird viewing opportunities. When I walked through here on a cool morning
in mid-December, I saw a green heron, a great blue heron, and several ibises in
addition to common songbirds such as cardinals, chickadees, and sparrows.
 |
| Great blue heron |
Just shy of 2.5 miles, the trail briefly
follows a power line before curving left to cross the main park road. At 2.8 miles, you reach the east end of the
Live Oak Trail at a junction with the Pilant Slough Trail, which goes right and
left. This hike’s next birding destination
is Elm Lake, and the shortest route there is to turn left on the Pilant Slough
Trail. To also visit the park’s
Interpretive Center, this hike turns right on the Pilant Slough Trail and takes
a longer route to Elm Lake.
 |
| Pilant Slough |
The Pilant Slough Trail heads
northeast with its namesake watercourse in a steep but shallow ravine to your
left. A bench overlooks the slough,
which was very still and quiet on my visit.
3.3 miles into the hike, you reach the Interpretive Center. The Interpretive Center has some interesting
exhibits on the birds, amphibians, and reptiles that inhabit the park’s
wetlands. Restrooms are also available
here.
After touring the Interpretive
Center, continue north to a trail intersection beside an asphalt park road,
then turn left to begin the Elm Lake Trail.
The Elm Lake Trail parallels the park road for 0.4 miles before
splitting to form a loop around its namesake lake. Stay right to hike along the north side of
Elm Lake with a large picnic area to your right.
|
| Elm Lake |
Shallow and grassy Elm Lake
represents the second excellent bird viewing opportunity on this hike. A wooden pier takes you out over the water,
but I saw flocks of ducks and coots just by walking along the shore. At 4.2 miles, you reach the northwest corner
of Elm Lake and a trail intersection with many benches. We will eventually turn left to continue around
Elm Lake, but for now angle right twice to begin a counterclockwise trip around
the Horseshoe Lake Loop.
There are actually two bodies of water
beside this trail known as Horseshoe Lake: Old Horseshoe Lake to your left and
New Horseshoe Lake to your right. Both
lakes are former channels of nearby Big Creek, but grassy and shallow Old
Horseshoe Lake is quickly being filled with sediment. Thus, New Horseshoe Lake offers better
wildlife viewing opportunities, and I saw several egrets and some turtles while
walking here.
 |
| Egret in New Horseshoe Lake |
The trail curves left, passes a
wooden observation platform that overlooks Old Horseshoe Lake, and arrives at
the signed start of the Big Creek Trail at 5.6 miles. If you are getting tired or have less than 2
hours of daylight remaining, then you should skip the Big Creek Trail and
continue around the Horseshoe Lake Loop.
If time and energy allow, turn right to begin the Big Creek Trail.
The Big Creek Trail forms a lollipop
loop through the park’s remote northwest corner, and its dirt surface contrasts
with the gravel surface on most of the park’s other trails to give this trail a
more primitive feel. Big Creek’s ravine
soon comes into view on the right, and 6 miles into the hike you reach a bench
that gives a clear view into the ravine.
The ravine is surprisingly steep and deep considering the flatness of
this hike.
 |
| Big Creek in its ravine |
Shortly the Big Creek Trail splits
to form its loop; I chose to continue straight and hike the loop
counterclockwise. The long but skinny
loop passes through open savannah, so this loop would be hot and buggy in the
summer and muddy after a good rain. The
fence that marks the park’s north boundary comes into view just before the
trail curves left for the second half of the loop. After closing the Big Creek Loop, turn right
to get back to the Horseshoe Lake Loop, then turn right again to finish the
Horseshoe Lake Loop.
At 7.4 miles, you return to the
intersection at the northwest corner of Elm Lake. Turn right to hike along the west bank of Elm
Lake. A dike with several concrete water
control structures forms this side of Elm Lake.
At 7.8 miles, you reach the southwest corner of Elm Lake and another
trail intersection. To begin the final
segment back to your car, turn right to leave the Elm Lake area and begin the
Spillway Trail.
 |
| Hiking the Spillway Trail |
The Spillway Trail heads due west
atop a dike that separates two periodically inundated areas. Trees draped in Spanish moss line the
trail. At 8.2 miles, a wooden bridge
takes you across the concrete spillway that gives this trail its name. 0.2 miles later, you reach the northeast
corner of 40 Acre Lake and a wooden observation tower. Five sets of steps lift you to the top of the
tower, which provides excellent views of 40 Acre Lake to the southwest and
smaller Pilant Lake to the north. Winds
buffeted the top of the tower on my visit, but I still took several minutes to
see what I could see.
 |
| Birds in 40 Acre Lake |
Continue west on the wide gravel 40
Acre Lake Trail as it heads counterclockwise around its namesake lake. More excellent bird viewing can be had in
this area, and I saw the only alligator on this hike in the waters of 40 Acre
Lake. Where the Hoot’s Hollow Trail
exits right, angle left and make a brief ascent to return to the parking lot
that contains your car, thus completing the hike.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Sam Houston Jones State Park: Longleaf Pine Trail (Blog Hike #780)
Trail: Longleaf Pine Trail
Hike Video:
Hike Location: Sam Houston Jones State Park
Geographic Location: north of Lake Charles, LA (30.29871, -93.26779)
Length: 3.9 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: December 2019
Overview: A gently rolling loop partly along the banks of
the Calcasieu River.
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=777135
Photo Highlight:
Directions to the trailhead: Near Lake Charles, take
I-10 to SR 378 (exit 27). Exit and go north on SR 378. Drive SR 378 north 5 miles to SR 378-Spur and
turn left on SR 378-Spur. Drive SR
378-Spur west 0.9 miles to Sutherland Road and turn left on Sutherland Rd. The park entrance is 0.4 miles ahead on the
right. Turn right to enter the park, pay
the park entrance fee, and follow signs to the parking area for the Kids Trail,
which is also the starting point for this hike.
The hike: Occupying
1087 acres on the east bank of the Calcasieu River, Sam Houston Jones State
Park is widely regarded as the best state park in southwest Louisiana. The park opened in 1944, and it was
originally named after the Texas folk hero who traveled extensively in the
area. The park was renamed for Samuel
Houston Jones, Louisiana’s governor from 1940 through 1944 who was instrumental
in establishing the park.
The park features many nice
amenities, including a cozy 35-site developed campground, 8 cabins, a group
lodge, some picnic areas, a disc golf course, and 5 hiking trails totaling
nearly 8 miles. Many good hikes can be
had here, but this blog entry describes the park’s longest trail: the 3.9 mile
Longleaf Pine Trail. The Longleaf Pine
Trail explores both the riverside and upland forest areas, and therefore it
gives a nice sample of all the park has to offer.
 |
| Longleaf Pine Trail's trailhead |
To reach this park’s main trailhead,
walk west on the paved park road past both signed ends of the Kids Trail. Some wooden signs and a wooden stile mark the
main trailhead, and some Christmas decorations were located here on the chilly
mid-December afternoon of my visit. The
gravel trail embarks on a westward course that appears to be a continuation of
the paved park road. The Longleaf Pine
Trail is wide and easy to follow, but it is also well-marked with plenty of
blue rectangular paint blazes. Lots of
palmettos and ferns dominate the understory, and the forest is a mix of pine
and deciduous trees that includes some nice beech trees.
The yellow-blazed 0.75 mile Old
Stagecoach Trail soon exits left, and at 0.3 miles the Longleaf Pine Trail
splits at a signed intersection with all trails marked in blue. The left option leads to the Old Stagecoach
Trail and quickly returns to the trailhead, so you want to turn right to hike
the full Longleaf Pine Trail. As you
hike around the loop, 5 primitive backpack camp sites are reached by spur trails. These first-come first-served sites make nice
places to spend the night for people wanting an easy walk-in camping
experience.
 |
| Bridge in shallow ravine |
After winding through a shallow
ravine, you cross a pipeline clearing and approach the Calcasieu River at 0.9
miles. The Longleaf Pine Trail is divided
into 5 numbered and signed “quads,” which are traversed in increasing order
going in this direction. The pipeline
marks your exit from Quad 1 and entrance into Quad 2. Also, distance markers appear every 0.5
miles.
 |
| Calcasieu River |
The next 1000 feet follow the east
bank of the Calcasieu River. Some nice
cypress trees grow along the water’s edge, and only some houses on private
property across the river mar the view. After
the trail curves away from the river, it winds east near the park’s north
boundary through a low area with dense grassy groundcover.
At 1.8 miles, you cross a dirt
maintenance road and enter Quad 3. Next
you come to a spur trail marked as “Scenic Area” that exits left. The short spur trail leads to a picnic table
and benches that overlook a wetland area featuring a large number of
palmettos. Built in 2019 by Ethan
Honeycutt as an Eagle Scout project, this area makes a nice place to sit and
rest near the midpoint of this hike.
|
| Scenic Area |
2.3 miles into the hike, the trail
re-crosses the pipeline clearing and enters Quad 4. Two options, marked Upper Blue and Lower Blue
respectively, exit from here. Unless it
has rained recently, angle left to choose the Lower Blue option, which is the
main trail. As the names suggest, the
Lower Blue Trail enters a low area that features numerous wooden
boardwalks. The bridges on the Longleaf
Pine Trail are numbered from 1 to 19, and you cross them in increasing order
while hiking in this direction.
At 3.3 miles, the Longleaf Pine
Extension exits left. The Extension is
also labeled as Quad 5, but it leads out to the park entrance station and
therefore is not part of the main loop.
Continuing straight on the blue-blazed trail brings you out to the park
loop road at 3.5 miles. Turn right and
walk 0.4 miles along the road to return to your car and complete the hike. While you are here, consider a trip to the
riverside picnic area or a hike along the park’s 1.6 mile Riverwalk Trail. The area along the river provides the park’s
best wildlife viewing, and I saw several deer and an egret when I visited that
area after my hike.
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