Best of 2018 Trails upon Trails

This year I hiked 50 new trails in 45 new places. I was doing the 52 Hike Challenge Explorer Series which is to hike 52 new places in 12 months. I did not get to 52 new trails but the 50 new trails were worth the travel. I found some local city parks and many state parks. I ventured into two other states besides Texas. I liked the hikes in Arkansas and Oklahoma and already have plans to return to both states. I also had some first in my trail running. I did my first 1/2 Marathon, 20K, 25K and 50K all on trails. 2018 was an awesome year to be outside.

Austin, TX

Tulsa, OK

Dallas, TX

Mount Magazine 20K

Wild Hare 50K

Mount Nebo, Arkansas

Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma

2018 was an incredible year and my plans for 2019 are even more adventurous.

 

 

Advertisement

Cooper Lake State Park

Cooper Lake State Park is located in Sulphur Springs, TX which is about an hour and fifteen minutes east of Dallas. I will do this blog as a trail run instead of a hike. The trail was set up to hold a trail run and it does every year. After hiking the trail, I got a message from a friend stating he runs a race there every year. I actually have already signed up to run the race. Back to the trail, it is a wide trail. Most hiking trails are single track trails, but this one was a wide trail like jeep trail. The trail was relatively flat and straight. It was a lollipop out and back. It was also very simple to navigate. The only bad thing is that it did not hold up well after the rain. It had not rained in a few days but it was still muddy most of the trail. There were some good views but nothing special and that is good when trail running. I am easily distracted and will stop and take pictures during a trail run. The best part of this hike was all of the wildlife. I saw over a dozen deer and they were even photogenic for once.

This was hike 49 of the 52 Hike Challenge Explorer Series. It was also supposed to be the last hike but I got one more in a fews days later. Completing the hike challenge was difficult due to injury and rain, lots of rain.

Next blog is the last hike then some fun lists blogs and an adventure of a different kind.

Lake Bob Sandlin State Park

Lake Bob Sandlin State Park was my home base for the east Texas trip. It is about two hours east of Dallas in Mount Pleasant, TX. This park had Christmas decorations at every turn and that made the easy hikes fun. The park had no difficult trails and I was there at an odd day and time so I had the park to myself. The hikes were very peaceful. The sunset was magnificent turning the sky blue and pink. I also got to hike around in the dark and see the Christmas displays lit up. This is what I expected all east Texas parks to look like but of course they all are different. The bonus was seeing dozens of deer and a mini waterfall.

This was hike 47 in my 52 Hike Challenge Explorer Series. I really enjoyed the peace and quiet and the Christmas decorations at this park.

Next day is the same park but different trails and a different point of view.

Dangerfield State Park

Dangerfield State Park is located in Dangerfield, TX which is about two and a half hours east of Dallas. I have been looking forward to this trip for three months. Of the three parks I am planning to visit while in east Texas this was the one I was most looking forward to hiking. My west Texas hiking trip much like this one was three parks in two days. My destination park in west Texas was not what I expected and the throw in park was spectacular. The moral of the story is that the Texas state parks are full of surprises and you never know what you will see until you get in the park. Since it is near Christmas time the park had Christmas decorations all around the park. They also had the name of the park all over the park. You will definitely know you are at this park. The elevation change was very nice. Mountain View Trail has three different paths to get to the top. I took two and passed on the third in which I went down. The path down was steep and long. Very technical and difficult due to the damp leaves covering the entire trail. The views while getting to the top were very nice. The highest point was 535 feet but the starting point was at slightly above sea level. The park does not advertise the small three tier waterfall in the middle of the park. The waterfall was a pleasant surprise. This was a great park to hike. I love seeing the loblolly trees and the other fauna that was labelled along the trail. 

This was hike 46 in the 52 Hike Challenge Explorer Series. I think this will go down of one of my favorites. It was not particularly long but it all the CCC elements around the trail and I am a huge fan of waterfalls and hilltop views.

Next up the continuation of the east Texas trip.

Red River Trail Run 10K

As part of my training for my 50K. I am doing some races to work on speed in between my endurance training during the week. It started with the 25K, then the Chupacabra and then Ragnar and now the Red River Trail Run. The race was held in Callisburg, TX on a private ranch which is about an hour north of Dallas. Unlike the previous races, this race was flatter with the ability to run hard most of the course. The trail was a bit muddy but overall the trail was in good condition. The rain has let up a few days earlier but most of the local trails are still closed. I have been training on the rode but I prefer trail running. My finishing time of 1:26:46 was not too bad considering the trail condition. I just seem to struggle more than most with wet and muddy courses. I was fourth in my age group and finished just outside the top half of the overall.

This was my first trail run at a North Texas Trail Runners event. It was well organized and very well marked. I run with this group monthly and have also volunteered at an event. I also found out my training race next week was cancelled due to the trail being four feet under water. The rain is still messing with my training.

My next blog will be the 50K result.

Rugged and Raw 10K

This my second year in a row running this race. It is located in Dallas at the Cedar Ridge Preserve. I signed up the week of the race after not knowing if I was going to run the weekend. I also volunteered to mark the course. I guess that should guarantee me not getting lost. The course was basically the same as last year so I was prepared for the extra hills on the course. My time was about where I thought it would be and it was a good first race back from the 25K disaster. It was good running with familiar faces on a course that I have run hundreds of times. 

It was a fun 10K with all the usual hills and heat and humidity. I also like that it is a three minute drive from the house. This also the first in the seven weekend races in a row that finishes with a 50K.

Rough Creek Trail Run 10K

The Rough Creek Trail Run is held in Glen Rose, TX which is about an hour and a half southwest of the DFW metroplex. I chose this particular race because I wanted a tough but short race before my 25K the next week. I am getting really use to running 10Ks now so this was the perfect distance. The tough part was the infamous Rusty Crown. The Rusty Crown consist of several 40+ degree gradient up and down hills ranging from 300 to 80 feet in length. If the uphill does not wear you out, the downhill will knock you down. I did not make the mistake I made last race but not eating enough. I was properly nutritioned and ready to run. The course had some rain on it from the previous days but held up well and the steepest parts were fine. Prior to the race it was great to see all the familiar faces from the different running clubs. The Waco Striders Running Club had members running the half marathon, North Texas Trail Runners and Dallas Dirt Runners had runners in all of the distances. The Rough Creek Ranch was absolutely beautiful and the morning sky was awesome. The sky was mostly cloudy and there was a heavy fog before the race. By the time the race started, the sky was clear and the fog has burned off. The Rusty Crown was everything I had heard about. It was a tough first climb and the first decent was the worse part of the entire Rusty Crown. The rest of the ups and downs were difficult but the first two were leg killers. On the way up many people had to stop and take breaks and some had to bear crawl up the incline. On the way down several people fell or just slid down on their bottoms. I had a strong run and felt good the entire time. I did not fall or need to use my hands to go up the inclines. My time of 1:27:41 was a good time for me. I took 4th in my age group and finished with four negative splits. I even passed five people in the last mile and a half.  

I had a good time at this race and feel really good about the race next week. Plus this was the race I did not get lost and also directed about a dozen other runners who missed a turn back on course.

Dinosaur Valley State Park

Dinosaur Valley State Park is located in Glen Rose, TX which is an hour south west of Dallas. I have been here five times before for hiking, camping and trail running. The park is so big that I have not hiked or been on the entire park’s trail system. I decided to hike the part of the park I have done a trail race on but never hiked in the area. The inclines were just as hard hiking as they were running. The park has many amazing views and some distinct rock formations. The park borders on the hill country part of Texas. It has many limestone ridges that rise over the Paluxy River. The elevation gains come early and often and are very steep. The dinosaur tracks are always nice to see but I am more interested in the other scenic views. I got to see some very cool rock formations that produce valleys in the middle of the park.

This was hike 37 in my 52 Hike Challenge Explorer Series. I really like this state park. This will definitely not be my last visit. I had a great 4 plus mile hike.

My next blog is back on trail running.

Lake Brownwood State Park

Lake Brownwood State Park is located in Brownwood, TX which is about three hours south west of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. I was looking forward to this park for no particular reason. It was good park to hike. The trails had a bunch of elevation change. There were some narrow trails surrounded high rock formations. The were some beach views but I did not do a lake trail hike. The views of the lake were interesting from the different angles and cliff edges. The day was hot and very sunny. I appreciate blue sky hikes. The contrasting blues coming together on the water and in the sky. I ended up getting close to three miles of good trail hiking. 

This was hike 36 of my 52 Hike Challenge Explorer Series. I had a good time on this hike. The people I met on this hike were great. The next hike was at a park that I have run more than hiked. I will finally hike the other part of the park.

Reflective Pictures

I should be ready to travel in two weeks. In the meantime here are some photos of all of my years of hiking.

Hawaii

Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado

Roosevelt National Forest

Gorman Falls, Colorado Bend State Park

Palo Duro Canyon

Elk Mountain, Wichita  Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Pinnacle Mountain, Arkansas

Little Niagara Falls, Chickasaw National Recreation Area

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas

Cedar Ridge Preserve, Dallas, Texas

Just a few pictures I have taken on my journeys. I am hoping to get thousands of more pictures of new and old places. I want to visit more states and parks. Plus discover more local hiking spots. The next blog should be one of those new places so hang on for another ride.