The two fears we face sleeping outside.

I first experienced camping at a very young age. I was also one of those kids who was sent away to sleep away camp for a week or so in the summer. As a result it is hard for me to remember my very first camping experience because the memories are all mixed together. One of the oldest memories I have is waking up at night to tiptoe off to the bathroom and being confronted with the darkest darkness that only the wilderness can provide. Living in the city, I was not aware that night time could be so dark. It felt suffocating and frightening almost as if you were going blind. I remember being frozen on the steps of the cabin trying to force my mind to make a decision, to step forward or go back into safety. That early experience with darkness in a way removed my fear of the dark. Any further experiences really paled in comparison. This fear of the dark can be seen at any campsite or group camping experience. People have the impression that if they can’t see then something has the possibility to sneak up on them or attack them in the night. Hundreds of horror movies have helped this belief grow, and in a way are one reason that I shy away from them. This fear ties in nicely to the second fear experienced while camping and that is silence.

We live in a noisy busy world. Take a moment to listen to the sounds around you, refrigerator, cars, air conditioner, maybe a cat or a dog.  We listen to these sounds so much that we no longer hear them, however, we do hear an absence of sound. The first night in the woods can seem like landing on another planet. The first thing you notice is how much noise isn’t present. Depending on the season there might be insect sounds but in the fall or winter you may be faced with total and complete silence. Any noise that you do hear suddenly becomes incredibly loud and instantly dangerous. You enter a constant state of fight or flight and have trouble simply relaxing or sleeping.

It is for these two reasons that people tend to dislike camping in general. Having experienced many friendships both making and breaking on these trips, camping tends to expose fears we weren’t aware we had. It can be vulnerable and embarrassing to express these fears around people whose opinion you care about. Instead of facing these fears or abandoning camping all together, people have begun to shape their campsite to dispel their discomfort. People bring large bright lights to shine into the sky pushing back the darkness. They turn up the stereo to their favorite song, to avoid hearing a possible approaching monster. All the while pushing away an experience they could grow and learn from. The stars are not visible from your campsite under a 100 watt bulb and you can’t hear owls call to each other behind a stereo.

The photo on the far right is the moon, while the two left photos are RV lights. 

The good thing is, you can absolutely have both. You can listen to music, hangout under a light and experience nature, just not at the same time. Most campsites have a 10pm curfew which calls for lights and sounds to be out past that time. A good camp host can also help you ease nicely into enjoying the wilderness. The host will drive around introducing themselves setting to bed some fears that we are completely alone out here.  The best thing to do is take a deep breath, face your fear, and turn out that light.

How do hummingbirds survive the Texas summer?

On a few of my recent hikes I have experienced a few fly byes from some resident hummingbirds. (cue Top Gun music and sunset scene) I decided to install a feeder on my patio and have been pleasantly surprised with the traffic. However, the more I think about it the more I become increasingly anxious for these little guys. What on earth are they doing here in the dry Texas summer? With no obvious flowering plants around, I can’t seem to figure out what they are eating in midsummer. Insert photo disclaimer-Since I am not a professional national geographic wildlife photographer with a $3000 camera I will be using photos that are available for use from open sources online. 

My photoshop skills are unmatched, hummingbird photo from naturespicsonline.com liscensed for open use. 

The most common hummingbirds you will probably see in Texas are the buff bellied hummingbird. The males sport a beautiful green collar and the females are characteristically brown and grey. This species is a native breeder but becomes less common in the winter as they head for fairer weather. Another common visitor is a Mexican native that heads north, the Broad Billed hummingbird. The males are really beautiful and I have had at least one come visit my feeder so far.

Hummingbirds migrate to or through Texas in spring and summer. They time their flight path to coincide with blooming of their favorite flowers. While most birders out there know that south Texas and the Texas gulf coast are hot spots for migration, you can see numerous species in central Texas all summer. Their migration is really a feat of endurance and biological evolution. A fully active hummingbird will have to feed every 10 minutes to sustain their metabolism. Surprisingly hummingbirds also eat tiny insects to gain fat and protein in their diet.

What flowers are available to the hummers in June- July? According to an event hosted by TPWD, the Texas humming bird roundup, flowers in the genus Salvia top the list as the most popular food item. With numerous species to choose from, these plants are well adapted to the heat and will produce blooms at various times of the year. So if you are thinking to attract some more tiny winged visitors, throw up a feeder and plant your favorite Salvia.

Salvia from wikimedia commons

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Salvia_farinacea_0.2_R.jpg/512px-Salvia_farinacea_0.2_R.jpg

Sources from this post

Johnson, Sybelle, Hummingbirds found in Texas, https://www.beautyofbirds.com/hummingbirdstexas.html

Hummingbirds, https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/nonpwdpubs/introducing_birds/hummingbirds/

Simnacher, Betsy “Looking to attract hummingbirds to your garden?” https://www.dallasnews.com/life/life/2013/08/14/looking-to-attract-hummingbirds-to-your-garden-try-planting-these-five-flowers

By the way how F****d up is it that TPWD doesn't give the author credit for writing their terrible hummingbird article? I mean it was really bad, maybe they didn't want to put their name on it. 

Stephenson Nature Preserve

Located in South Austin, one side of the preserve borders William Cannon just east of Brodie. If you are attempting to enter from William Cannon you will rapidly find out that there is no easy way to get into the nature preserve. The main entrance is inside Longview Neighborhood Park (to the south of William Cannon) and therefore that side of the preserve gets considerably more traffic.

If you enter the preserve through the north side (as I did) you might possibly be the only person there. There is a lot of obvious animal activity in the area. A woodpecker made an appearance and two humming birds rushed by in a hurry. Cardinals were most present on my visit and each turn I took in the woods there seemed to be one fluttering by to get a look at me. There is evidence of deer in the area, and it is not uncommon for one to be seen either in the preserve or dead on the road. The meadows have appeared to recover from motorcycle traffic but it is obvious that there was some recent flooding.

Previously the preserve was open to both mountain biking and motorcycling which caused excessive erosion of the trails. Makeshift jumps were created in the meadows and at one time all resemblance of grass and wildflowers were nowhere to be seen. Currently the preserve is closed to all wheeled traffic and has since recovered remarkably in just a couple of years. Your opinion on the preserve however, may be determined by which side of it you live on.

Residents on the south side have easy access to the trails, all of which seem to be well managed. This side is also home to some local artists who have decorated the trails with metal and wood sculptures. Residents in this neighborhood undertook a daunting task this year of protecting the preserve from re-zoning. Code-Next is underway in the city of Austin and the preserve was due to be rezoned as PUD (planned unit development) instead of a city park. This means that there was a teeny tiny loophole that some administration in the future could build public housing, a school or recreation area on the land. It would have been up to the residents to constantly be vigilant to fight any future developments. Luckily they won their battle and it will be re-zoned as a park instead.

If you live on the north side of the preserve your view is starkly different. The very busy William Cannon has no crosswalks. Residents who live on the opposite side of the street must walk a huge distance to the nearest light to safely cross, or jaywalk over 4 lanes of rush hour traffic. Once you make it to the other side, you may be greeted with turned over shopping carts, trash, and overgrown grass. There is no sign to let you know that the land is open to the public, and no trail markers for entry. The easiest entrance is at the front of Jubilee church, but it is not visible from the street.

The land just adjacent to the Jubilee church on William Cannon is due to be sold.   After contacting the realtor, the land is about 9 acres and is going for around 2.5 million dollars. It is still on the market but there are a few interested buyers. At the moment she did not know what the planned development will be but that it would be "low intensity" due to its location near the park. Part of me is excited that if housing is built, more residents on the north side will see the value of the land and use it. Part of me is skeptical that more residents is really what a preserve needs. The future designation of a park instead of a nature preserve means that (hopefully) more funds will be available for maintenance and repair. 

Whichever side you choose to enter the preserve you will find a relaxing and enjoyable hike. Many thanks to the neighbors who helped keep this preserve protected. As development moves forward on the north side of the preserve lets hope that park use will be one of the major factors in its design. 

Sources for this post

Neely, Christopher "The fate of Stephenson Nature Preserve", 2017, Community Impact, https://bit.ly/2JIgrAK : Accessed Jun 16 2018
Funari, Keely "Stephenson Nature Preserve is here to stay", 2017, Medium, https://bit.ly/2lbMA53 : Accessed Jun 15 2018
Austin Explorer, trail guide, https://bit.ly/2yeAtNO
Code Next, https://www.austintexas.gov/codenext

Davy Crockett National Forest

I am honestly having trouble putting into words my experience at the national forest. This was my first time visiting and I also went alone. When I told people I was going alone I got mixed responses but most were in the range of “that’s dangerous”. Even my husband was skeptical as to why I needed or wanted to go alone. He responded “why don’t you wait for a weekend so I can go with you”. Going by myself was a big step for me as this would be my first solo hike. I wouldn’t be spending the night, but I would be driving and hiking alone.

The first thing you notice when you turn into the national forest is that the number of people dramatically drops to near zero. I did go on a weekday which was probably responsible for the low turnout, but during my entire visit to the 251 square mile forest I saw only 2 other people. The forest is very old and tall, the trees tower over you in a way that only old growth can. I instantly felt the urge to roll down my windows as I drove on the park road, and I was rewarded with a rich woody humid smell. As I parked and turned off my car the silence hit me. A deafening crowding silence. No cars, electrical hums, machinery, nothing. This complete silence was hard to take in and for the first 30 minutes of my visit my heart rate and blood pressure felt abnormally high. I felt the need to return to the safety of my car. Full disclosure, I did bring my dog along, but at that moment she did not bring me any real comfort.

I entered the trail at Ratcliff park which, based on information at the empty visitors center, was a tourist destination for summer. As I began to walk I started thinking about all of the things that could kill me. Every horror movie, camping disaster, and CSI episode began racing through my head. “Hiker dies in woods and isn’t found for days”, they would say “why did she hike alone, so irresponsible”.  The fear was very real and made my progress on the first mile very slow. To make matters worse I scared quite a few napping deer who found the brush near the trail a nice place to rest for the mid morning. I would turn a corner and be met face to face with a leaping frightened deer as it bucks and jumps away from me into the woods. Needless to say I was on edge.

Two miles into the trail I began to calm down, the silence was replaced with a quiet buzz of animal activity, and the forest began to feel familiar. I was able to begin to appreciate the nature around me and take it in. I started feeling excitement and enjoyment of looking, listening and smelling. There was almost too much to look at and I needed to see all of it. At the halfway point I pitched my hammock and ate lunch. I took a moment to close my eyes and be still, to feel the soft breeze and hear the sounds of the forest. It almost seems to be breathing in and out with each passing gust of wind. In-between each breath you hear birds, insects and small animals going about their day.

The return trip always feels quicker than the initial one. I was no longer walking with fear but a slight confidence that I knew not only where I was but I was happy to be there. I was almost disappointed to arrive back at my car so soon and I began to look for excuses to stay just 10 more minutes. I am incredibly happy I challenged myself to solo hike. Maybe it was the fact that I was alone which made it more impactful, the lack of conversation and distraction allowed me to see more than I normally would have. Either way I left with a new found experience and love for nature.