It’s amazing how you can live within an hour’s drive of something your whole life but never realize it’s there. The city of Lockhart – with its BBQ and State Park and who knows what else – is one such place for me.
I met my sister Jessica and mom on a Saturday afternoon to circle Lockhart State Park. None of us had ever been & the whole time we were kicking ourselves for missing out.
Lockhart State Park feels old and quaint. It’s near an old town. Most of its infrastructure was built by the Civilian Conservations Corps (CCC), funded by FDR. It also has the last remaining golf course run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
It was almost the complete opposite of my first hike to Friedrich Wilderness Park Loop though no less enjoyable. (In fact, it may have been more enjoyable!)
We parked near the back of the park and started our way counter-clockwise on Rattlesnake Run. All the trails pretty much make up a circle, so we decided to just do the whole thing.
It took us around two hours to go 3.5 miles. It was leisurely and peaceful. A great way to spend an afternoon.
It seemed every trail had a slightly different landscape. From woody and hilly, to flat and wide. Somehow the short Comanche Loop felt like the desert, while the Wild Rose Loop Trail could have been in any Southern state with its large oak trees.
We finished by climbing up the CCC Trail to Caddy Trail & ended by standing on what was once the highest golf tee box in Texas.
I have a lot of fears and insecurities – and each trail seems to test me at one point. I knew this would be the case, and it’s honestly part of the reason why I decided to go on this adventure, but that doesn’t make each encounter any less difficult.
At Lockhart State Park, I had to cross a dam in order to get onto Creekview Trail.
I stood in horror as first my sister and then my mom both carefully balanced on a couple of rocks and made their way across the creek without getting a drop of water on them.
I cautiously slipped down toward the river and made it to the first rock, before being paralyzed with fear. My mom offered me her hand. A kind woman waded into the creek to also help me out. And yet the fear kept me stuck in place without any physical way to move forward.
Finally, I did what I always do in this situation: I took my shoes off and just waded through the water, instead of trying to force myself over it. I’d rather get myself wet willingly than accidentally.
I made it across, turned around in triumph, and saw a bunch of kids literally running back and forth over the dam that I couldn’t even slowly crawl on.
But. I made it. I didn’t turn around. And for now, that’s enough.
After the hike, we went and got BBQ. Because that’s what you do in Lockhart.
The original Black’s had a line around the corner, so instead we made our way over to Kreuz Market and had a lovely socially distanced feast on the porch.
There’s nothing quite like ending a sweaty hike like sipping a cold Lone Star and eating brisket.