We Need Rain

Jul 7

Last week, or at least I think it was last week (it has been a long July), I was able to spend some much-needed time outside hitting up some trails and doing a little bit of bushwhacking. The outing was not extremely long, lasting maybe two hours at most, but was none-the-less extremely refreshing. Well, in a recharging my batteries type of way, as even though the trek started in the morning, it was still blisteringly hot and humid. Yay for a record-breaking summertime heatwave in Texas. Staying out any longer would have wrecked the rest of my day, as I would have been way too exhausted and motivated to do anything else. The extreme heat, no matter how much time you spend in it, will always win out. Thankfully, most of the terrain that I covered was shaded, and thus much cooler than being out in the open.

One thing that was a bummer to see on the hike was just how much of an impact the heat and lack of rain has had on the hill country landscape. A section of one of the creeks that feeds into the Guadalupe River was reduced to just a few puddles, and even the Guadalupe itself was extremely low and slow flowing. I honestly cannot recall a time in my life that this particular area has had so many days where the temperature is above the century mark and has gone so long without measurable rain. The ground is literally turning into dust, and we have already experienced a brush fire that was extremely close to the house. I can only hope we receive some rain soon, though I fear that when we do, it’ll come in the form of a severe thunderstorm that’ll leave us with major flooding and damage.

Anyway, enough of me rambling, below are a handful of images from the outing.