Today the weather is gorgeous. Its Sunday, January 31, the sun is out and it is about 65 degrees. A great day for a
hike.
We decided to try the Valley Spring Creek Trail, mostly because it has a waterfall on it and I love waterfalls. It also passes the Devil's Swimming Hole which, during the summer, is one of the most popular places here at Inks Lake State Park. So the four of us set out around 11:30 ish with the intention of being back in time for the 2:00pm conference football game. Naturally I had my camera along and I was looking for that quintessential nature shot.
The trail is rated "easy" and stretches just over one mile. It winds its way through the typical Hill Country scrub - with some hilly spots that take some effort. It wasn't long before our jackets came off and were wrapped around our waists. We all had water but none of us had thought to bring a walking stick. Note to self - take a walking stick when hiking.
We found the Devil's Swimming Hole with no problems and pause to shoot pictures and wish it were July so we could jump in.
The rest of the group decided that that was far enough for them and so I pressed on to find the waterfall and they headed back to the campsites for snacks and libations. The trail continued to be relatively easy but mostly up hill for another quarter mile. I came to a spot where it bent close to the creek and so I wandered over and suddenly I could hear the falls. There had not been much rain lately, so the water flow was not spectacular, but the falls spilled a couple of feet into a basin and then another short fall into the creek. I wound my way down to the creek - would have tried crossing but the rocks across were precarious and I was alone - where I stood for a while shooting photos and enjoying the waterfall. Some other hikers came and went so I got shots with and without people.
Before too long it was time to boogey so I clambered back up the rocks to the trail and headed back to the campsites. It turned out that the football games were not nearly as much fun to watch as the hike had been.
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