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Climbing E-Rock

Halfway between Fredericksburg and Llano, Texas – about 15 miles from either – rises the most amazing sight.  As you round one of the bends in Texas Ranch Road 965 from either direction, this great batholith takes your breath away.  Vocabulary lesson time – a batholith is a rock formation under the ground that has been unearthed by erosion.  Other famous batholiths include Stone Mountain near Atlanta, GA, and El Capitan and Half Dome in Yellowstone National Park.

Comprised of pink granite, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, or E-Rock as it is commonly known, is a great day trip from Fredericksburg or Austin, TX.  The Tonkawa Indians believed they could hear the spirits talking at night, thus, the source of the name.  Geologists tell us today that the creaking and moaning sounds come from the rock heating during the day, and cooling at night.  Still, a hike to the top of E-Rock is an “enchanting” experience for anyone.

There are two ways to see Enchanted Rock:  (1) Walk the 4-mile trail through the picturesque canyons around the base of the giant, looking up at the sheer cliffs and sides sliding toward you, or (2) walk straight up the side of E-Rock.  While there is a “path” of sorts, you pretty much walk up the side, all the while at a serious slant, until you get to the top.  With backpack in place and bottled water in hand, we tackled the rocky rise.

It was fall, and we were amazed to see the wildflowers literally growing from cracks in the great rock.  Reaching the top, the view for miles and miles around all sides defied description.  The total silence, broken only by the occasional voice of a fellow hiker or the screech of a buzzard flying below us, was intoxicating.  Sound a little dramatic?  There aren’t words to describe the peace that fell over us as we sat for a long time atop the granite dome, imagining the messages of the spirits who spoke to the Tonkawa in earlier days.

Hiking straight up E-Rock is for those in excellent physical condition.  Absolutely no knee, ankle, back, or heart problems should attempt the hike to the top.  The walk up is not nearly as challenging as the walk down!

Camping in the park is for tents only; reservations are a serious recommendation.  The park closes to day hikers, particularly on weekends, if too many people show up at once and the parking lot is filled.  You can buy some limited supplies when you check in at the Ranger Station.  Picnicking sites and restrooms are available.  Wilderness camping on the far side of E-Rock is also an option for wilderness lovers.

I have climbed Enchanted Rock twice, both times a blessing of spiritual and natural beauty.  Now, missing the ACL in one of my knees, I’ll enjoy it from the trails that wind around the base.

A Garden for All Seasons

Roses in the spring, summer and fall. Azaleas of all colors every spring. Tulips before the azaleas. Pansies in the fall and winter. And the list goes on and on. Hodges Gardens has been a treasure of the western Louisiana landscape for many years. Located near Florien,bout 20 miles north of Leesville, home of Ft. Polk Army Base, on LA Highway 171,  Hodges gardens has a colorful history.

Originally the site of a sandstone quarry (who would have thought – a stone quarry in Louisiana!), the sandstone for the jetties in Port Arthur, TX came from this site. Abandoned, the site caught the attention of oil & gas businessman A. J. Hodges, Sr. A conservationist, he and his wife acquired the property and envisioned building a beautiful garden, capitalizing on the large rock formations and sandstone cliffs left from the open pit mining operation. Formal rose gardens were planted, bridges and walkways were added, and a lake was dug to both add beauty to the locale, as well as provide irrigation for the extensive gardens.

Open to the public as a private garden for many years, the Hodges family donated the 4,700 acre property to the State of Louisiana in 2007. Now a state park (www.stateparks.com/la.html), you can stay overnight in one of 9 tent sites, or in the cabins; no RV sites are available right now. (For information, call 1-800-354-3523.) The five mile, paved road around the lake is challenging for the most physically fit, and bicycles are a must. The park service rents boats and canoes for lake use.

We met a couple in their 70’s the last time we camped here, who came once a year with their bicycles to ride the 5-mile route – just to prove, one more year, that they could still do it! Bordering on property owned by Ft. Polk, don’t be surprised if you hear the sounds of war games going on occasionally.

While Hodges Gardens is beautiful, the excellent hiking opportunities nearby make the Gardens a nice home base. Much of the land on both the Texas and Louisiana sides of nearby Toledo Bend Lake is owned by timber companies. They have made available some of the more scenic natural areas for public use. One such hiking trail is worth finding. Canyon Rim Woodlands Trail, owned by Champion International Corp., is located on TX Highway 87, 1.5 north of the intersection of Hwy 87 and R255. Used as a training area for soldiers from nearby Ft. Polk during WW II, the 1.6 mile trail follows the rim of a natural canyon, made by a sandy creek flowing through the area.

Naturally very hilly, we found a variety of walking sticks for our use at the beginning of the trail. It was obvious – use one, return it when you leave. We left the trail to get a closer look at the creek, and found a small treasure, that is, if you are a rockhound. Nice chunks of petrified wood littered the creek bed. What a find! For more information on this trail – www.newtontxnetwork.com/tour/parks/canyonrim.

Not far south of this area, you will find Wild Azalea Canyons. Not to be confused with several Wild Azalea Trails in Louisiana , this wilderness area is a little tricky to find, but absolutely worth the effort; good directions can be found at www.Toledo-Bend.com. Owned by Temple-Inland forest Products, this natural canyon hosts the largest known stand of wild azaleas in Texas. The azaleas only bloom for about two weeks around Easter; but for that two weeks, it is a spectacular sight. Even when the azaleas are not blooming, it is a scenic hike. The trail is very steep and slippery with pine straw. It is not for the physically challenged, and there is no water source or bathrooms. This is truly a wilderness hike! So, be prepared. But the cliffs and the canyon views, along with the creek that cut the canyon, make this a beautiful trek for those who are in fairly good condition.

Returning to Hodges Gardens State Park, you have little choice but to cross over Toledo Bend Dam. A pretty interesting sight, you can get more information about it at www.Toledo-Bend.com. If you camp-in-comfort in an RV, options close to this area include Texas state parks Village Creek in Lumberton, TX, and Martin Dies, Jr. State Park near Jasper. In Louisiana, South Toledo Bend State Park, not far from Toledo Bend Dam, offers both RV and cabin service.