It’s Hot, Go For A Hike

Kate at Sunset by Petesie Lee

To say it’s hot may be a bit of an understatement. However, it is August, and we live in Texas. Despite the heat, this is still a great time to discover local natural areas at dawn and dusk. Explore a trail at a new time of day and see new things, meet new people, and enjoy the natural world!

The other day, my class let out early. I called my husband who suggested that I join him and my kids on the trail at Purgatory Creek Natural Area (PCNA). As I started to hang up, I heard my daughter yell, “We’re lost!” Oh great, I thought.

It turned out that they weren’t really lost, just roaming around the trails in PCNA. I walked along Dante’s trail until I met them. (I promise that the trail maps are coming soon!) It was about 8 pm and finally a bit tolerable outside.

About 1/4 mile from the Wonder World trail head, I passed a two hikers. One, a girl about 8-years old, asked her companion, a woman, about a small light flickering in the brush. The woman responded, “It’s a firefly!” The girl excitedly replied “I’ve never seen a firefly before!” What a wonderful way to end a day and an exciting new adventure for the young girl.

So, get up a bit early and enjoy a dawn hike with the sun rising. Or take a dusk hike with the fireflies and sun setting, and perhaps you too will see something new along the way.


– Maggie Hutchins-Wagner, SMGA President