Start Where You Are

We rolled into Enchanted Rock State Natural Area at the beginning of February. And here we live now for a Texas springtime in the Hill Country. Jesse is working our park host volunteer hours, cleaning comfort stations, directing the huge weekend traffic (make a reservation, people!) and helping the rangers with various tasks to maintain accessibility to and health of the natural resources. Khara is working a part time gig in nearby Fredericksburg, at Becker Winery on Mainstreet.

Enchanted Rock SNA is an unusual sight on the Edwards Plateau, which mainly consists of limestone rock at the surface, with underground aquifers, rivers and creeks cutting across and plenty of live oak trees and ashe junipers. But “ERock” is composed of pink granite domes rising up from the earth and is really just the top of a massive batholith. I feel like I have a lisp when I say that. Some of the Native Americans who called this area home regarded this anomaly as a sacred space. When we open the blinds each morning to reveal the main dome, there is commonly a steady stream of people hiking the steep 425 feet to the top. And it does seem like a spiritual pilgrimage.

At the end of our first day out at the Rock, the stars at this International Dark Sky Park were incredible! We enjoyed a campfire, such darkness and quiet. We could even see a couple stars rising right over the edge of the main dome. When they started coming down the hill, we realized they were actually sneaky flashlight hikers (all sunset viewers should be headed down a half an hour after it sets). And yet more and more stars kept coming down. Those pilgrims sure found some kind of enlightenment up top to come down again as stars!