A Nature Hike in Austin

This spring break I went on a little nature hike with a few friends.  We went to Mayfield Park in Austin Texas.  The two girls with me were Elspeth and Shannan. 

The three of us started our little trek through a small garden at the entrance to the park.  The area was filled with beautiful flowers of all kinds.  There were many structures preserved there from the days of the Spanish Colonialism period.  Some were sort of small and half way dilapidated like knee high walls of old buildings.  Others were still standing in all their splendor like the pigeon roost.  

The grove was full of trees which created giant arbors over the entire garden.  The shadows that they cast were enchanting to see.  The shade also was well appreciated in the afternoon Texas sun.

Large and beautifully plumed peacocks patrolled the area for the tiniest pests that might make the tragic mistake of invading their flower beds.  Some of the peacocks would fly up to the branches of the arbors which could only remind me of great phoenixes from fairytales.

After Eliegh, Shannan and I had had our fill of the tailored beauty that was the gardens, we descended into the lower arroyo.  There, the natural beauty of the park enveloped us.  Before we had gone more than 50 paces off the normal path, we found ourselves surrounded by trees older than this country.  

We moved through the brush until we reached one of the streams that ran through the area.  The water was narrow and there were no man-made bridges where we were.  We stopped to take in the sounds as well as the sights of stream.  Small rocks and large limbs had created, over time, miniature waterfalls; some were about knee height.

After some time had gone by and lots of pictures had been taken, we went back to the cars to head to the other side of the park, where the highest point in Travis County stands, Mt. Bonnell.

It was time for the spiritual aspect of our trek.

Shannan is Eleigh’s spiritual pupil.  Shannan was going to be given a test of self confidence.  She had to climb up the steps of the mountain with a blindfold.  The only hope she would receive would be Eleigh and I keeping her from running into people on her way up.  

Slowly but surely we made our way up slopes.  Surprisingly Shannan made very few deviations from the best path up the mountain.  When we reached the top, she could remove the blindfold and take in the city of Austin from the highest place she could without a plane.  We all stood there in awe of the unique beauty of the city.  

Homes and tall buildings seem to be placed inside the groves of huge trees in a sort of harmony between the nature and the human society.  I’ve been to many environmentally active cities, but I’d have to say Austin is the only place I’ve seen buildings and trees existing so close to each other and in such numbers.

We moved back down the hill as thunder clouds headed our way.  We stopped one last time at the base to have a moment of reverence for the earth we live in.