Walking with the Trekker
Cooper Lake State Park Walk
Sulphur Springs, Texas, September 19, 1999
By Darwin White
Saturday I ended up missing all the available walks, succumbing to a severe case of apathy and fatigue. But the rest did wonders for my attitude, and with a little prompting from the kids, I had to make the Irving Star Trekkers walk at Cooper Lake Park. So, Sunday found us on the road and ready for some quality walking.
We weren't disappointed. The startpoint was situated inside the state park at the equestrian camping facility, with ample parking and a very nice restroom facility nearby. We checked in with Jan Wahrer and Mary Kelcher and were directed across the road to a chaparral style entry, the start of the Buggy Whip Equestrian Trailway.
This turned out to be a narrow lane with lots of smaller trails flowing into it. These gradually tapered off and the trail led under a canopy of oak and mixed hardwoods. We were on a sandy surface, well packed by the hooves of passing horses, not so loose as to make difficult going.
We were fortunate enough to be walking with Bruce & Claudia Fitch. Bryan was setting a good, steady pace and we chatted as the trail wound in and out of the groves heading towards the shores of Cooper Lake. We had a slight breeze, but it wasn't uncomfortable yet, even with the midmorning start. It was very nice under the trees, listening to Bruce and the kids, dodging 'hoss puckey' underfoot and watching for wildlife.
We found a checkpoint at a joining of trails, manned by a fellow named Mike and a lady whose name escapes me. Since it was starting to heat up and I didn't want to wear the kids out, we stopped for a good break. I chatted with the checkpoint workers while the kids ate powerbars and tanked up on cold water. Bruce & Claudia left us here, moving on so they could get in the YRE before it got too hot.
After the checkpoint the trail became a little more rugged, narrowing up some and taking more up and down passages, including one steep section that made us glad for having brought our walking sticks. Chatted briefly with Ken King and his wife here. At the bottom of this was a gapped bridge, passable by horses or hikers, but not by bicycle riders.
A little further on we came to a split in the trail. We got held up a little here, first by Randy & Marilyn Tarin who were coming in from the walk, and then by two different sets of horsemen. The first couple wanted to know whose kids were up the trail and then told me what sweet kids Bryan and Delise were. They had passed them a few yards around a bend and were surprised when my kids got off the trail and waited quietly while the horses passed, without being asked. Makes a parent proud to hear good things from strangers.
The second set of horses was a foursome and we waited patiently as they tried coaxing a newly broken horse into stepping down into a dry stream bed. This was the horse's first go at a trail and it was very nervous. It took them a good bit of maneuvering to get the horse to step off that little drop.
Once the horses were past we bid the Tarins good day and began the outer loop of the trail. By now the sun was really cooking us and we were passing through long stretches of unshaded trail. We were hot, tiring and, to make matters worse, plagued with lots of thorny bits of briar, dried thistle plants and other poking things on the now narrow trail.
We stopped frequently, wherever we could find shade and I made sure the kids drank plenty of water. At the furthest reach of the trail we found an unmanned checkpoint. By now our water packs were nearly empty, so we refilled and then headed off across a utility easement into a thickly wooded area.
It wasn't too long before we knew we were heading back to the trail junction where we had met the horses. It was easier going here and trudged along enjoying the time together. We also got a good chuckle at Brandon's startled yelp when he rounded a cedar tree and saw a roll of coyote poop rolling up the trail towards him. Closer inspection revealed a dung beetle pushing his load up the hill. I had to take a picture of that.
We had nearly made it back to the first checkpoint when we ran into Mike, Guni, and Ingrid walking the trail backwards. They told us that we didn't have much further to the checkpoint. So we waved bye and headed on.
From the checkpoint there was a sign indicating that the trail was only a half mile back to the start/finish area. This led through the equestrian camping area and we finished the walk watching folks tending their horses and breaking camp.
At the finish we treated ourselves to some wonderful Bratwurst and cokes, sitting in the shade and talking with the dozen or so folks hanging around the finish table. I was disappointed to find that only 40 or so people had shown up to do this walk. Walkers that didn't really missed out. This had been a really good walking trail with nice footing, good scenery and excellent support. The Star Trekkers had done a great job and it is a pity that they weren't better rewarded for their efforts. Hopefully they will do this trail again.
Trail Happy,
Darwin L. White
The Dallas Trekkers Walking Club
"I want to learn the ways of Eyeveevee and become a volkssporter like my father." Luke Skywalker(Mark Hamill) to Obi-wan Kenobi in 'Star Wars'(1977)
Area Walking and More Information
Texas Volkssport Association walking clubs and events
Upcoming walking events in Texas
Volksmarch and Walking Index Web page
Texas for Visitors
About.com Downtown Dallas
Southwest US for Visitors
More Walking With the Trekker and the Walrus:
Kensington, Maryland April 12, 1997
St. Michaels, Maryland April 26, 1997
Rockville, Maryland, Gunston Hall Plantation, Virginia, May 3-4
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, May 10
Guy Mason Park, DC, May 24
Flower Valley/Rockville MD, May 31
Washington DC National Trail Day Walk, June 7
New Freedom, PA, June 15
Ft. Belvoir, VA July 4
Seneca Creek State Park, Gaithersburg, MD Sept. 13
Bolling Air Force Base GLOBAL Walk Sept. 21
West Laurel, MD Oct. 4
Baltimore Oktoberfest, MD Oct. 11
Annapolis Oktoberfest, MD Oct. 12
Louise F. Cosca Regional Park, Clinton, MD Nov. 2
Westminster, MD Nov. 9
Washington, DC Veterans Day Nov. 11 and Seneca Creek Park
Black Hills Regional Park, MD, Nov 22-23, 1997
Hershey Holiday Walkfest, PA, Nov 29, 1997
Alexandria Scottish Walk, VA, Dec. 7, 1997
Union Station Walk, DC, Dec. 20, 1997
Carderock, MD, Dec. 27 1997
Rockville, MD Jan. 10, 1998
Fairfax, VA Jan. 31, 1998
Rockville, MD Feb. 7, 1998
Washington, DC Feb. 22 and Thurmont Maryland Feb. 21, 1998
College Park, MD, March 7, 1998
George Mason University, Fairfax Virginia and Olney Maryland, March 14-15, 1998
Emmitsburg, Maryland, March 22, 1998
Jug Bay, Maryland, March 28, 1998
Roosevelt Island, Maryland, April 5, 1998
Roanoke, Virginia, April 11, 1998
Cedarville State Forest Maryland, April 26, 1998
Butlers Orchard Farm Market, Maryland, May 3, 1998
Union Mills Homestead, Westminster, MD June 15, 1998
Hagerstown, MD August 15, 1998.
Baltimore, MD 10/12/98
Patapsco State Park, MD 10/31/98
Seneca Creek State Park, MD 11/7/98
Kentlands and Gaithersburg, MD 1/9/99
Darnestown, MD 1/9/99
Calverton, MD 1/13/99
Kenwood (Bethesda) MD 4/10/99
C and O Canal Paw Paw Tunnel 4/17/99
Franklin Farm, Herndon, Virginia 4/24/99
