Travel Texas: Enchanted Rock
Texas is a big state. There's so much to do and so much to see. In fact, I didn't travel out of the state for so long because my family and I were always just exploring what Texas had to offer. I remember even as a kid that the Texas Hill Country was by far my favorite place to visit in Texas. For me, one of the highlights of visiting the Texas Hill Country is hiking Enchanted Rock. Last fall, John and I traveled to the hill country and hiked Enchanted Rock. 
Enchanted Rock is really just a big pink granite rock that sticks out of the Earth in a very large way. It's about 425 feet tall and covers 620 acres. It actually spans a much larger area than what is visible, because most of it is underground. Native American folklore describes the rock as having magical and spiritual powers. They heard creaks and "groans" coming from the rock in the evenings, which they believed to be spirits. The rock was a holy place to them. When I was a kid, my dad would tell me all sorts of stories while we climbed to the summit. It took my imagination back hundreds of years and I would imagine how the Cherokee, Apache, Tonkawa people utilized the rock. I could see how they regarded it as such a holy place. Just the feeling of being there is special. The natives' stories make for great campfire talk, but in actuality, the rock does creak and groan... but it's due to the expanding and contracting granite. Still, a pretty fun piece of history.
The rock is really steep, so proper footwear is vital. Littered all about are huge boulders of pink granite! They make great rest areas.There's even a small natural cave around the summit. We thought about climbing down into it, but the opening was pretty small and we didn't have flashlights. But next time, that cave is MINE! 
All around the summit, natural pools are found. In 1996, my parents snapped a photo of me next to one, so I had to recreate the photo 19 years later.
I loved visiting Enchanted Rock with John. It was so much fun to revisit a place that holds such great childhood memories. It was so special to introduce him to it!If you're ever in Texas, I encourage you to visit the Texas Hill Country and hike around Enchanted Rock Sate Park. The views are amazing and atmosphere is sweet.
Where are your favorite places to hike?