‘Life is too short to be anything other than happy.’-Buddy Holly

After a VERY busy few months, I finally had a weekend day off to hit a trail. In West Texas, my season for hiking is very short. I am surrounded by a desert landscape so hiking much of the year within a 12 hour radius is impossible. I volunteer with the Special Olympics and we have practice on Saturdays. Gus had his two month doggy training class on Sundays, so no go then either. It’s also been very hot. Sunday was finally the day. I actually was going to go somewhere else but heavy rains were blowing through, like seriously, the odds! But a friend recommended hitting up Big Spring State Park, about an hour from where I live. So off Gus and I went!

When you arrive at Big Spring State Park, there is a checkin kiosk. I have my Texas State Parks annual pass so I ignored it but if you don’t, make sure you do. You then have two options: you can park at the parking lot across from the kiosk to do the 3 mile loop or drive the scenic trail. The 3 mile loop is the scenic trail, so be aware of cars. It is one way and the walking trail is marked. As I had not been there before and it was still a bit warm out, I did not walk the loop. I wanted to see what the deal was first before committing.

Gus and I drove up the scenic road and saw a pullout for the nature trail, so took that! I parked and got us ready. The trail is only about a mile round trip but it was still really nice. A lot of cacti and butterflies. While the landscape had started to change, I wouldn’t say an immersive fall experience but I’ll take what I can get. A note, there is fall in parts of Texas, more towards hill country, and while fall is late in the actual season, it does not work with my schedule. So while I plan to hit Lost Maple State Park over Thanksgiving, I’ll miss the leaves change by about a week or so.

Nature trail provided a perfect opportunity to take some photos of Gus and I. Part of the reason is my new outerwear! Kühl reached out a bit ago after stumbling across my blog and asked if they could send a pair of their hiking pants. I was so honored and said absolutely yes! I had the Accel Half Zip in pine (LOVE) and Kühl sent the Vantage Lined Jogger in Black, while I was looking forward to expanding out from my usual hiking leggings, not so far out to not get black lol. I followed the size chart, which was really accurate, and did a large. I was a bit worried about the length as I’m 5’11 but they fit perfectly! They are so comfortable and lightweight, perfect for the conditions I was in and, I expect, keep me warm on my winter road trip East in a few weeks. Who wasn’t great was Gus, trying to get a good photo of my four legged companion was a journey (I’ve included some bloopers lol).

After our jaunt, Gus and I drove to the ‘summit,’ which overlooks the surrounding area. It was pretty overcast and did start to rain as we are leaving, so while the view was great, I have been told you can see quite far on a clear day. It kind of reminded me of the top of Pilot Butte in Bend, Oregon but with a park on top and less mountains.

I had a really great morning and home by lunchtime! In addition to my new pants, I wore my new Hoka Speedgoat 5‘s for the first time. I love Danner and my trusty trail runners had reached the end but I didn’t love my color options, especially for the price. I have a pair of Hoka trainers and a friend hiked the Pacific Crest Trail with the Speedgoats. Plus they just revamped them so the Speedgoat 5 were on sale (I ordered from REI but they’re no longer available). A lot brighter than I am used to but growing on me and very comfortable. The have the same soles material as my old Danners and did well on the low terrain path. I’ll keep you updated.

Overall, Gus and I had a nice afternoon at a nearby park and I was home by lunch. We’ll definitely be back!