Kesher Talk

Happy Trails. I am going back to NYC tomorrow at the crack of dawn, and boy do I not want to. I spent three glorious hours on my favorite Barton Creek Greenbelt trail this afternoon, under clear skies and 85 degree weather (memo to self: always pack shorts and sandals when visiting Austin, no matter what time of year or what the weather forecast says). Tomorrow it's supposed to get into the 40s in Manhattan, if I'm lucky.

There is a particular fragrance and quality of the air in the Hill Country, when it's hot and dry and still on the trails (except for an occasional slacker mountain biker whizzing by) and recent rain has swelled the creek with robust waterfalls and viridian swimming holes. (Disappointingly, my return date is about two days in advance of bluebonnet season, although I spotted a clump of Indian paintbrush on the median of 360 between Mopac and Westbank.)

I haven't been motivated to go hiking from New York (although there are plenty of group day trips to lovely trails in Jersey and upstate), partly because my heart belongs to the Balcones Fault. I lived in Philadelphia for 10 years and hiked a lot in Fairmount Park and up into the Delaware Water Gap area. It's very pretty, and we don't have much in the way of fall foliage in Texas, but I spent three childhood summers at Echo Hill Ranch near Kerrville, and no other landscape feels like home.

I didn't get to Enchanted Rock this time around, but a friend and I scrambled all over Pedernales Falls yesterday, which was just as good except we had to leave too soon.

PS Not to mention meals with most of my friends and leading morning minyan at my old shul and seeing Howard Waldrop at Bruce Sterling's SXSW party and real salsa and chips... (memo to self: next time make room in the schedule for barbecue...)

posted by Judith @ 3/13/2003 09:32:52 PM