Lone Star Trail (Double Lake and the ghost)

Today I decided to knock out a motorcycle ride and hike in one morning. A good place to start a hike is at the Double Lake Recreation Area just outside of Cold Springs, TX. Just head out I-45 North, and once you pass Conroe start looking for the New Waverly Exit (Hwy 1375 East). In a few blocks you'll come to a junction and pick up 150 East towards Cold Springs. Follow the signs from there. The exit is closer to Houston than the more popular (and more crowded) Huntsville State Park; however, once you exit, it's still another 30 miles. The road is a nice rolling twisty one with little traffic.

So, if you're sitting around in the Houston, Texas area, and looking for a place to hike, here's one to consider: The Lone Star Trail! Located just an hour or so north of Houston, this is Texas' longest trail, at 130 miles. It goes from Richards, TX to Cleveland, TX. There are plenty of spots to access this trail, so you can hike as little or as much as you want. The trailhead mentions that you need to allow 30 minutes for every mile, (or 2MPH the average walk). Today I planned on going a little faster.

The inspiration for today's walk was a book by John Annerino, "Running Wild".
It's a book about coming back from a near amputation, trail running, with lots of historical, spiritual, Indian references. If you like outdoor adventure reading, it's a great read! Here's a link to the book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1560251751/qid=1124711966/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-7683515-7729669?v=glance&s=books




This is the swimming hole at Double Lake! If you do an out-and-back hike, bring your trunks and jump in to cool off when you're done. There are restrooms to change in. They also have a bike trail and campsites here. The entry for day-use is $5 per vehicle.

If you want more info on this trail, here's the official Trail Club Site. http://www.lshtclub.com/


I've been training for hikes for several months now, but for walking, not running. I figured I could run a few miles. After changing into my hiking boots and shorts, and noticing all the exposed roots, I decided to hike out till I found a good turn-around point, then attempt to jog all the way back.

The trail follows along beside "Big Creek", which is not much more than a trickle, as it begins just below the earth dam that creates Double Lake. I used to wade-fish Big Creek many years earlier, down around Shephard, TX. with my son. He caught his first "big mouth bass" there, with a rubber worm he rigged himself when he was about 4! It was a two pounder! I digress.

The trail is well covered and shaded in this area. Don't expect to see much sky. It's mostly flat, with only about a dozen or so bridges crossing gullies which go on to feed Big Creek. You don't really get much of a peek at Big Creek for about three miles.



This is a sign marking a campsite, about half a mile down the trail.




This is one of the larger footbridges. There are three large bridges which cross over gullies that are 8-10 feet deep. You wouldn't want to drink this water without purification.....



Here's a look at Big Creek, which is actually pretty clear. It gets it's brownish tint from tannin that leeches into it from all the pine needles it's filtered through. It's the typical East Texas stream.



So After 4 miles of walking east on the trail, you come to this marker. I decided to have lunch here, and then attempt to run back. It took an hour and a half to get here (3 MPH). My goal was to get back in an hour flat.

I have a lot more respect for trail runners now. I thought that it would be easier than street running, as the ground is softer. What happens is your legs are constantly adjusting for the different angles of terrain, and you work out muscles all around the knee that usually don't do much work. After a mile-and-a-half, I had to slow down to a fast walk. I should have brought more water.



After I regained my composure, I tried jogging uphill with small steps, then opening up my stride on downhills. I still ran out of breath after a half mile, and walked the next mile briskly. I didn't think I'd make it in an hour.... then a strange thing happened. I noticed another hiker on a bridge coming up. He was wearing a white cap and a white shirt, leaning on his hiking stick, only 20 yards ahead. I figured since I was jogging, I would have to continue to jog past him until out of sight, as not to appear like a lightweight.

Just as I should have been in front of him, I looked around, and - nothing. There was no hiker. No bridge. No kidding! I either just (a) saw a ghost, or (b) hallucinated. I decided to jog a little more.

I knew I was getting close, but it was only two minutes until my hour was up. I was sure I'd be about ten minutes late. Then, suddenly, with about ten seconds to spare, there was the lake in front of me. I'd made it!

If you ever decide to do this walk, watch out for snakes and ghosts. Email me if you happen to see the guy with the white cap.