Caprock Canyons: A Photo Essay

I've written a syndicated column about my time in Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, so as not to infringe on my writing obligations, I have made a photo essay of my time here. The photos were not taken in chronological order but are grouped based on subject and weather. Enjoy!

. . .

. . .

Canyonland, Caprock Canyons SP

. . .

. . .

Holmes Creek Canyon, Caprock Canyons SP

(Volunteer Dave Foley on left, Park Manager Donald Beard on right)

. . . . . .

Gypsum Strata, Caprock Canyons SP
. . .
. . .

Lone Juniper, Caprock Canyons SP
. . .
. . .

Zig-zag, Caprock Canyons SP
. . .
. . .

Red Mud Hiker, Caprock Canyons SP
(Dirty Hiker Karma Jones)
. . .
. . .

Los Lingos Bridge, Caprock Canyons Trailway
. . .
. . .

Buffalo and the Syrup Tub, Caprock Canyons SP

. . .

. . .

Singin' in the Snow?, Caprock Canyons SP

(Karma Jones)

. . .

. . .

Snow Camping, Caprock Canyons SP

. . .

. . .

Haynes Ridge in Snow, Caprock Canyons SP

. . .
. . .

Snowy Days, Caprock Canyons SP

. . .

. . .

Clarity from the End of the Tunnel, Caprock Canyons Trailway

. . .

. . .

Under a Natural Bridge on Eagle Point Trail, Caprock Canyons SP

. . .

. . .

Hiking Tools Presentation, Caprock Canyons SP

(I'm kneeling with guests Matt (with cap) and Michael;

photo by Karen Lanier, copyright 2010, used with permission)

. . .
. . .

Until next time...

Faces of Texas: Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway

. . .

. . .

"These are the kinds of hikes I like, the ones where you get off the beaten path."

.

- Donald Beard, Manager of Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway, commenting on the joys of bushwhacking. Donald, park host Dave Foley, and I meandered through the Holmes Creek Canyon for several hours, spying wild pigs, deer, and several birds. Not normally encouraged, the off-trail hike was considered official business.

.

Quitaque, Texas

. . .

. . .

"The open road."

.

- Dave Foley, Caprock Canyons State Park Host and Volunteer, on his upcoming plans. Dave's been hosting at the park for approximately 9 months now. When campers have immediate concerns, he's the go-to guy. He loves the hikes, the views, and the pure air, but he's been feeling the itch to hit the road. Dave doesn't know where he's going yet, but I believe he has a plan nonetheless. When he says "the open road," he almost bellows it, hitting his high on the word "open," coming down again on "road." He repeats it again when we hit a lull in our conversation. It's a three-word song that fills the silence.

.

Quitaque, Texas

. . .

. . .

"My dad's family had a trooper in Colonel Mackenzie's army in the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon, and my mom's family had a member in the village that was attacked."
.
- Rebecca Miller, Caprock Canyons State Park Ranger, on her family's history in the region. Before serving at Caprock Canyons, Rebecca put in a few years at Palo Duro but eventually left for this quieter setting. "We're more of a family here," she tells me of the staff, "because we have the time to be." In a land her distant relatives had once claimed as their own, Rebecca sees herself, until the end of her days.
.
Quitaque, Texas
. . .
. . .

"My mother is almost 99 years old. She still has a garden and works the yard. She still mows the lawn."

.

- Joyce Price, Caprock Canyons State Park Clerk, on her mother's health. Joyce moved back to the area to be close to her mother in her old age, but acknowledges that her mother has been living the same way her entire life. Joyce found the clerk job a few years ago, which was almost too good to be true, jobs being hard come to by in this part of the state, and prides herself that she beat out the competition at age 68. It appears that the work ethic didn't fall too far from the tree.

.

Quitaque, Texas

. . .
. . .

Days One Hundred Forty-Six through One Hundred Fifty-Nine

I'm changing things up a little bit here. Photos are coming first with journaling and thoughts, and the stats are at the end. I'll be updating the map soon, too.

.

I walked from Wichita Falls to Quitaque. Along the way, I met new friends, walked into an ice storm, and hiked along a state park trailway. Here's the trip in pictures and words:

. . .

Day 146: I left Wichita Falls in the afternoon after doing a ton of work on Katrina's computer. I only made it a few miles before I found a Mexican restaurant on the outskirts of town. I stopped without question, ordered big without hesitation, and spent my last hour in town chowing down.

.

Day 147: I met a library volunteer named Ardis Jensen who invited me over for the evening. I met her husband Roger, and all three of us spent the evening chatting away. They treated me to dinner, a night in a bed, and breakfast the next day. Ardis even baked some cookies for me right before I left!

. . .

Little House on the Prairie, Wichita County, Day 148

. . .

. . .

Final Resting Place, Wichita County, Day 148
. . .
. . .

Bragging Rights, Wichita County, Day 148
. . .

Day 148: I got mobbed on my way out of Electra. I was on my way out of a Subway/convenience store when I was recognized by some fellows in a truck. There was a little girl trying to sell them some tickets to a barbecue (I know this because I had given her a little money earlier), but when they saw me, they started talking to me. One of them had read the article in the Wichita Falls paper (I know this because at some point in what followed I heard, "Hey, I'm the one that actually read the article!"). I started to leave, but one asked if a photo would be okay. I said sure, and before I could say Wichita County I was surrounded by several men opening their cell phones, trading places, the giddiness and excitement filling the space. Even a guy who had no idea who I was came over and started opening up his cell phone to take a shot. Suddenly, the show was over as quickly as it had started. I walked away chuckling, the words of one fellow replaying in my mind: "All these people say they want to backpack around Europe, but you said to yourself, 'I'm gonna backpack around Texas!'"
. . .

Streak, Wichita County, Day 148

. . .
. . .

Bells and Whistles, Wilbarger County, Day 148

. . .
. . .

Idiot Box, Wilbarger County, Day 149

. . .

Day 149: Camping in the rain - more specifically breaking camp in the rain - tests the resolve of the traveler. You move quickly because every moment spent preparing your sleep set-up is one less moment inside of it. Things go wrong. You curse the weather, your powerlessness. But the sleep is sweet when you've fought for it.
. . .

Tarp Tent, Wilbarger County, Day 150

. . .

Day 150: This is my basic tarp set-up. I tie the center grommet to a tree on either side and stake down the corners. If I only have one tree or post, I wrap the string around a hiking pole and stake that to the ground in addition to the corners. It works great, but strong wind tends to tear the grommets out. The fresh air and weight makes the whole thing worth it to me (and there are even lighter tarps out there!).
. . .

Evening Sunset, Hardeman County, Day 151

. . .

Day 151: For several miles, there was no where to camp, and the only space between the road and private property was the shoulder plus another ten yards of grass and mud. I hadn't planned on hiking as much as I did (about 20 miles). However, since the sun was up and no great campsites presented themselves, I kept moving. When I finally found a place, I placed tumbleweeds around my area to make me invisible to passing vehicles.
. . .

Medicine Mounds, Hardeman County, Day 152

. . .

Day 152: Thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of Carol Whitmire of the Quanah Tribune-Chief, Bertha Woods and the Quanah Chamber of Commerce extended a welcome that will be hard to equal. A hotel, shirt, cap, museum pass. She also placed me in touch with the fine folks at K&R Kitchen who not only fed me the best steak dinner in Texas but offered to feed me breakfast the morning after!
. . .

Tribute to a Chief, Quanah, Hardeman County, Day 153

. . .
. . .

Quanah Depot Museum, Quanah, Hardeman County, Day 153

. . .

Day 153: Before leaving Quanah, I visited the local museum, an old train depot, and saw the handiwork of Scarlett Daugherty, Museum Curator. This was not the Smithsonian, but it's charm was irresistible nonetheless.
. . .

Icy Conditions, Childress County, Day 154

. . .

Day 155: Yesterday, I woke up to an ice storm and hiked into Childress. It was freezing rain, and even blades of grass were covered in an inch of ice making hiking on them near impossible. When I got to a hotel, I discovered sheets of ice on my jacket and pack. Thank goodness for hiker heat. The rain stopped during the night, and the walk into Estelline and the Caprock Canyon Trailway was smooth and enjoyable.
. . .

Turkey Hotel, Turkey, Hall County, Day 158

. . .

Day 158: I was heading back to the trailway when I struck up a short conversation with some people in front of the Turkey Hotel (built 1927). As I started to continue along my way, one of them suggested I stay at the hotel. I guess I had been more interested in it than I had known. The owner cut me a great deal, and for several hours, I was the only client in this huge two-story building. It was the warmest night I've had all winter.
. . .

Service Station, Turkey, Hall County, Day 158

. . .
. . .

Welcome, Quitaque, Briscoe County, Day 159

. . .

Day 159: I met my volunteer coordinator Karen Lanier, then hiked into Caprock Canyons State Park. The daylight was just leaving as I was setting up camp.

. . .
. . .

My stats are organized the same as always: where I hiked to followed by how far I walked. (Most of the short days are due to a late start or a generous invitation to stay the night.)
. . .

Day 146: Pleasant Valley, about 6 miles

Day 147: Iowa Park, about 5 miles

Day 148: Past Electra, about 20 miles

Day 149: Past Oklaunion, about 14 miles

Day 150: Past Vernon, about 8 miles

Day 151: Hwy 287 Reststop (between Chillicothe & Quanah), about 22 miles

Day 152: Quanah, about 6 miles

Day 153: Hwy 287, about 14 miles

Day 154: Childress, about 15 miles

Day 155: Estelline, 16 miles

Day 156: Parnell Station on the Caprock Canyons Trailway, about 10 miles

Day 157: Past Tampico Siding on the Caprock Canyons Trailway, about 15 miles

Day 158: Turkey via the Caprock Canyons Trailway, 7 miles

Day 159: Quitaque via the Caprock Canyons Trailway, 13 miles (to the state park added 3)

. . .

. . .

Until next time...

Faces of Texas

. . .

. . .

"One second. My whole life changed."

.

- Abdul Saleem, owner of a convenience store called The Panther Pit, talking about the death of his son. Abdul had had a successful wholesale business in Pakistan but left everything behind when a local doctor told him his son needed treatment outside of the country. He brought his son to the United States for medical treatment, but shortly after arriving his son died. With a few thousand dollars in pocket money, he remade his life here, refusing to return to a country and a life that would remind him of his son.

.

Saint Jo, Texas

. . .

. . .

"It's mainly just remembering to feed him and run him on the weekends."

.

- Twelve-year-old Austyn J., a Clay County Junior Livestock Show 2nd & 3rd place winner, on the secret of his success. I ran into Austyn in the animal corral section which was situated behind a large auditorium filled with people. He was in line to show his animal up front where locals and business owners would bid a premium on the animals, the proceeds of which went directly to the animal raiser.

.

Henrietta, Texas

. . .
. . .

"That's him! The guy on the front page of the paper!"

.
- Couchsurfing host Katrina Morgan pointing me out to other customers in a convenience store. Katrina and her roommate hosted me for two days, introducing me to friends and giving me much-appreciated access to a computer. When I learned that a local interview had been published, Katrina and I went to a nearby store to pick up a copy. Katrina's excitement at seeing the story on the front page rose to an unanticipated level.
.
Wichita Falls, Texas

. . .
. . .

"I came here as a little girl with my father. I remember thinking how much fun it would be to rollerskate on the second floor. For some reason he didn't think too much of my idea."
.

- Gayle Cleghorn, library assistant at the Tom Burnett Memorial Library in Iowa Park, on an early experience with the building. The library is a beautiful two-story renovated home in the center of an entire city block sharing the land with only two other buildings, all of which had belonged to Tom Burnett. The building was later donated to the city for the explicit purpose of being the library.
.

Iowa Park, Texas
. . .
. . .

"I had my husband dig out the barbecue pit from the snow and set it up in the laundry room, so I could make Christmas Eve supper."

.

- Ardis Jensen with husband Roger on how they handled the blizzard that hit North Texas around Christmas 2009. The snow came down so heavily it eventually led authorities to close down a stretch of the highway. Many travelers had to spend the night in their vehicles, arriving on or after Christmas to their destinations. Several inches came down and power went down in parts of the entire Wichita Falls and surrounding area. Undeterred, Ardis employed a very Texan solution to address the problem.

.

Iowa Park, Texas

. . .
. . .

"I thought it'd be real casual. Maybe a customer or two.

I'd make their food. We'd talk."

.

- Kerry Pruitt, owner of K&R Kitchen in Quanah, on his expectations before the business opened. Both he and his dad were laid off from the oil industry and decided to try their chances in food service. On the first day, there were so many people that the wait was upwards of an hour. Kerry and his family treated me to a steak dinner after they heard I was passing through town. It was the best steak I've ever had. The restaurant was busy, and I watched Kerry bouncing from table to table like the General Lee on the dirt roads of Hazzard. What's more, he still made time to talk.

.

Quanah, Texas

. . .
. . .

"Every town is 30 miles away. It's the distance a wagon could do in a day.

At least, that's what the old-timers say."

.

- William Reece Manuel, convenience store owner, on the layout of the land. When I first came in, he said, "It's our highway skier," a reference to my use of hiking sticks. Right off, Reece told me that he wasn't put off by my pack and that he knew I was out here hiking on purpose. This understanding gave way to a great conversation that ranged from the local economy to local history. We chatted for over an hour.

.

Estelline, Texas

. . .
. . .

"We're as local as you can get."

.

- Dale Redd, owner of the This "N" That convenience store, to me when I expressed an interest in shopping local. His store contained a wide variety of things from glass collectibles to hot Mexican candy. I bought graham crackers.

.

Turkey, Texas

. . .
. . .

"Here, everybody knows everybody, and they all look out for each other. That's why we stayed."

.

- Marsha Valdez, manager of the Turkey Hotel, on the advantages of small town life. I stayed at the hotel which was built in 1927 and hung out mainly with her father-in-law Albert who sent me on my way back to the Caprock Canyons Trailway with a sack lunch of biscuits, sausage, and bacon.

.

Turkey, Texas

. . .
. . .

"People have asked me about encounters with wolves and what it is really like, and I have answered honestly that it is an unique experience but the sort of thing that gets less surprising each time."

.

- Charles Goodnight on his experiences in the wild. Often referred to as the "father of the Texas Panhandle," he was a legend in his own time and the inspiration for Captain Call in Lonesome Dove. Goodnight managed the JA Ranch, part of which later became Caprock Canyons State Park.

.

Quitaque, Texas

. . .
. . .

In the News...

I got interviewed in Galveston quite a while ago and wasn't aware the interview was net-accessible until now. I have a couple of good quotes, but then there is a completely bizarre statement (See if you can find it!). Though I can't remember saying it, I can't deny that I said it either. I really hope it was just an error. Click here for the interview and a couple of pictures.



I submitted another article last week which papers have just been publishing. There's a picture of a collapsed tarp, too! Click here for the whole thing, published by The Lone Star Iconoclast.



And that's the news!



Until next time...

The Caprock Canyons Trailway

(The Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway's office is located at 850 Caprock Canyons State Park Road, Quitaque, TX 79255. Their number is 806-455-1492, and the current park manager is named Donald Beard. While I am a volunteer at Caprock Canyons, I do not speak for Caprock Canyons. The story below represents my thoughts, actions, opinions alone. Before planning a trip, please consult the park office for prices, instructions, and advice.)

. . .

When I first read the phrase "Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway," I naturally imagined that the trailway was within the park's boundaries. Not so.

.

There are in effect TWO state parks, both under the Caprock Canyons label. One of these parks is 15,000 acres in size and located three miles north of Quitaque (pronounced KID-UH-KWAY). The other is a 64-mile long rails-to-trails path extending from Estelline to South Plains, with several access points along the way. I used the latter to reach the main park.

.

As the trip to Caprock Canyons was a rather long detour away from the Texas perimeter, I was grateful for the 64-mile reprieve from the roads. While the trailway does run close to some roads and crosses several properties due to the path that the old train tracks took, I felt I was walking across the land in virtual privacy and away from the lights of civilization.

.

The Caprock Canyons Trailway is divided up into several doable segments, though hikers can do whatever mileage suits their abilities and temperament. I did the following schedule for no particular reason, though knowing what I do now about the location of landmarks, water availability, and the location of the state park, I would probably do things a little differently in the future.

.

Every trail segment has a name, and every access point has a name. To simplify matters, I'm omitting the trail segment names and using exclusively the access points as reference points, followed by how many miles I did that day.

.

Estelline Terminal: Camped near start (Day 155).

Parnell Station: Camped just before I got here, about 10 miles (Day 156).

Tampico Siding: Camped three miles beyond this point, about 15 miles (Day 157).

Turkey Depot: Stayed in Turkey at the Turkey Hotel, about 7 miles (Day 158).

Quitaque East: Camped at Caprock Canyons State Park, about 10 miles (Day 159).

Quitaque Depot, Monk's Crossing, South Plains Terminal: Got dropped off at QD and picked up at SPT, about 22 miles (Day 162).

.

These are the basics. Of course, I'd never leave you with just the basics.

.

At Estelline, I had a really nice conversation with the owner of one of the two stores there. He told me how to find the trailway (it's just north of town, outside the city limits), and we chatted about his workers, the changes in the economy, his girlfriend, my project, and life in general.

.

Then he tells me this: "You passed Kirkland back there, right? That's where the Texas Chainsaw Massacre took place." He didn't know much beyond that, and our conversation drifted back to more pleasant topics for the rest of the evening.

.

I stayed there for over an hour. I had arrived in Estelline at night (not my usual M.O., but that's what I did) and left the store around 9 pm. After a few minutes, I got to the northern end of the trailway at Estelline Terminal and looked around. There was a huge empty parking lot covered in snow. I was relieved not to see any other footprints across the parking lot, but then I got to thinking that I was leaving tracks everywhere, a nifty easy-to-follow trail for the weekend chainsaw enthusiast.

. . .

Estelline Terminal at Night, Day 155

. . .

I had been talking with Annie up until the entrance, but when we hung up, I realized how quiet everything was. So quiet. Maybe the occasional car off in the distance. Then quiet. Then the crunch of my steps. I look behind me. Still quiet. Then an imagined sound. I stop. More quiet. I crunch again, I stop. Only quiet.

.

(While the picture above may make it look like it wasn't so bad, the one below is much closer to what I was actually seeing.)

. . .

Estelline Terminal Kiosk, Day 155

. . .

I was freaked out. I started looking for a place to camp, hoping a little shut-eye might calm me down. When I found a latrine by the side of the trail, I didn't think twice about what to do: I went inside, locked the door, and broke camp right next to the crapper.

.

The next day, I woke up in one piece and never looked back.
. . .

Mile Marker 238, Day 156

. . .

My subsequent days on the trail held nothing of the self-created fear of that first night. I passed trees and brush covered in snow and ice, lots of critters who just wouldn't stay still for a photo (at least, not after I made a move for the camera), farm land, and of course, the canyons.

. . .

'W' is for 'Whistle!', Day 159
. . .
At first, I thought all the 'W' signs I saw were water spots (I didn't see this particular 'W' sign above until a few days later, but they were all over the trail). Water is not available along the trail during the winter time. Since the weather was freezing, I simply didn't pack any water. I drank back in Estelline and figured I'd muscle my way to Turkey or Quitaque for a refill. The idea itself wasn't terrible given the mildness of the winter sun, but I hadn't counted on the difficulty of hiking in the snow.
.
The first day out was really tiring. Though I had eaten a few snacks, I chalked the fatigue up to the lack of water. And every time I saw one of these 'W' signs, I swore at the summertime hikers who had it so easy. I later learned, however, that the 'W' signs were reminders to the train conductors that the train was approaching a public crossing and that they needed to blow the whistle as a warning.
. . .

Icicles, Day 156

. . .

During the next three days, I took to eating icicles. It takes a lot of icicles to make even a few ounces of water, but I would patiently pop them off plants or trees and crunch away. I'd think how easy it would have been to pack a little water and sleep with it in my sleeping bag to keep it from freezing. Then I'd pop some more icicles.

.

I saw wild pigs all throughout my first few days and saw where they had rooted up the earth even more. I thought they were nocturnal, but I saw them during the day wandering around in packs. These guys are everywhere.

.

What came as a real surprise was camping near a turkey roost. I heard all the turkeys going up into some nearby trees at night, then coming down the next morning. I camped about a quarter mile before Parnell Station. There were well over a hundred wild turkeys, and in the morning, they gobbled and swooped down just ten yards away from my spot.
. . .

Mile Markers 255, Day 157

. . .

I was eating peanuts and bread and icicles, and in spite of the snow and dreary sky, I really put some effort into the second day. These mile markers do wonders for the psyche, as they are posted every mile. The big signs are the old train signs; the smaller ones belong to the state park. I'd see one or the other the entire time and gauge my progress accordingly.
. . .

Canyons!, Day 157

. . .

The land had been mostly farmland with tree groves along the way. Then beautiful snow crusted canyons appeared from nowhere. The sight invigorated me. I had read about how the Comanches would escape into the canyons of the Texas Panhandle for decades and winter there to escape the winds. I tried to imagine the tepees clumped together on the canyon floor, wisps of smoke rising into the sky. I wish I could have been there. Though I was more than a century late, walking through the land made me feel that I had connected with that distant past just a little bit.
. . .

Farmland!, Day 157

. . .
While I would have preferred diving into the canyons, I knew the trailway continued along more farmland. With the snow, many of the fields took on a strange psychedelic look, whimsical even.

. . .

Redberry Juniper, Day 157

. . .

The small details as well as the large were stunning in all of the snow and ice. As Redberry Junipers (or Pinchot Junipers) started becoming more numerous, I noticed that the ice froze differently on them and tended to make large clumps instead of icicles because of the shape of their leaves. This affected me because, while pretty and different, I couldn't eat the ice as easily.

.

Luckily, I pulled into Turkey, Texas not long after. I sat down to a meal at the only open restaurant in town, Galvan's, and had a big Mexican platter with lots of water. Later, as I was leaving town, I got lured into the Turkey Hotel which is just a few blocks from the trailway. I got quoted a great price, breakfast included, and just went with it.
. . .

Wilddeath?, Day 159

. . .

As I was hiking into Quitaque, I stumbled upon this hog skull. This is no 'akunamatata' animal. While most of the live ones I saw ran away from me, a hungry hog is something to stay away from. The farmers and rangers out here are sick and tired of these guys. It's the same story all over Texas. They cause a ton of damage and are very hard to control.
. . .

The Plains, Day 162

. . .

I made it to Caprock and holed up for a few days. During that time, it rained and snowed and was generally cold. When the sun finally made a cameo, I dashed through the rest of the trailway, all twenty-two miles of it.
. . .

Los Lingos Bridge, Day 162

. . .
This is the longest bridge on the trailway. I was cruising and stopped only to take a quick picture.

. . .

An Ephemeral Trail, Day 162

. . .

. . .

Bat Tunnel, Day 162

. . .

During the summer, the Clarity Tunnel, shown above, attracts many visitors to see the exodus of a large group of Mexican Free-Tailed bats. The bats migrate during the winter, so I was left going through a 580 foot tunnel with the smell of guano in my nose. They say smell is directly associated with taste, but at that moment, I didn't want to think about it.
. . .

The Light at the End of the Tunnel, Day 162

. . .

The Clarity Tunnel is not that long, but it felt like I couldn't finish it fast enough. My eyes were dilating and adjusting, and I couldn't see if anything was along the sides of the tunnels. Someone could have been standing next to a wall, and I wouldn't have seen them.
. . .

Wide Open, Day 162

. . .
. . .

South Plains Terminal, Day 162

. . .

My Caprock Canyons supervisor Karen Lanier was nice enough to pick me up at the end of the trailway. She took this shot of my glorious finish.

.

The Caprock Canyons Trailway was a wonderful way to spend a few days. If you plan well, you can cruise through all 64 miles with relative ease. The grade never varies from 2% (because of the old train regulations), and the most difficulty I had hiking was from the snow and mud. It's a great trail for getting away from the hubbub of city life and allows for ample sight-seeing and learning.

.

(Don't make my same mistakes! You can get food and water in Estelline (at the store before 9pm), Turkey (convenience store, hotel, restaurant durign business hours), and Quitaque (in town or at the park). Hotel accomodations are available in Turkey (Turkey Hotel: 806/423-1733) which is the halfway point.)
. . .

Until next time, trail walkers...