Hiking the Big Brown Creek Trail

   Finding this morning  cold, clear and fairly dry, I decided to pick up my pack and head over to Fairfield State Park for a much needed , post holiday hike along the Big Brown Creek Trail, a six mile round trip along and across Big Brown Creek, a stream that feeds into Fairfield  Lake. It skirts the lake and uplands through some beautiful oak savannah forest of Water Oak, Post Oak, Juniper, Elm and the other common trees of the area , interspersed with nice glades filled with native grasses. The wildlife is abundant with deer and wild pigs being the most prevalent. I`ve encountered both many times on my various hikes here. I took along my camera so I could share the sights.

   A typical view along the trail.

  Numerous foot bridges make this and any trail more fun.

   Although the recent cold weather has put most of the plant life into dormancy, I did run across a healthy stand of Mullein,Verbascum thapsus .

 In the Big Brown bottom on both sides of the bridge is the largest stand of Inland Sea Oats I`ve ever seen.

At the far end of the trail, a good view of the lake and a hidden campsite is a good place to take a break before making the return trip.

A Cormorant drying it`s wings.

One of the glades I spoke of and a shot of split beard bluestem.

The trail was fairly wet from recent rains and it afforded many signs of other creatures using the trail. Here , Deer and Coyote tracks side by side.

One of two wild pig traps I saw on the trail today. The pigs cause significant damage to the area and are increasing. I keep a whistle around my neck to hopefully ward off any attacks.

It was a fun hike on a cold Texas morning and burning off a few calories and enjoying the peace of the forest is hard to beat. Here the trail beckons to see what`s around the next bend. Happy New Year !