Marion Sansom Park

 On Sunday mornings, I try to be active. I had a late-night Saturday hanging out with friends and their families who had come into town for the Texas Tech and TCU football game. Nonetheless, I woke up with renewed energy, and it seemed like my dog did as well, jumping around the bed and prancing around my room. So, I decided to take her on a morning hike with me. I ended up at Marion Sansom Park, only twenty to twenty-five minutes away from campus, near Lake Worth. I could tell that Pepper was getting antsy. She kept doing circles in the backseat of the car and then tried climbing into the front on multiple occasions. Pepper is still at the age where if she sees someone new, she wants to run toward them at full speed and jump up on them to say hello. So, I was already mentally preparing myself to restrain her tightly by the leash before the walk, hoping the paths would be relatively empty. When we arrived in the parking lot, there were only a few cars which was a good sign. As Pepper and I descended the main path, she only wanted to bolt off in a different direction. Pepper is a sniffer, and once she gets fixated on a smell, there is not much else you can do until she is done. The first two pictures are just the main walking and biking path. It seems like a relatively new pavement, yet to be touched by many travelers. In these pictures, you can also distinguish the different types of trees lining the path. The trees are the ones I miss the most about New Jersey and where I grew up. Texas does have trees, but none are as vibrant and numerous as the ones from back home. As you can tell, the paths were virtually empty. A relief that my hike would not be hindered by constantly trying to keep Pepper from jumping on people.

As you continue along the main path, you’ll come across benches for visitors to sit at and various hiking paths that all diverge in different directions. The following image shows one of the hiking paths that Pepper and I took. It dips down at first and then levels out. The path is not paved but made of rocks, dirt, and other earthy sediments. The tree on the left of the image is marked with different symbols to denote the trail that you are on. Every path had its symbol and name.

This next image shows what the end of one of the trails was. These rocks stacked like this are unnatural, and a person or group did it. But one thing that is so interesting is how these rocks stay like this. I’m assuming it’s not something made earlier in the morning or the day before but something that has been there for quite some time now. Even after the multiple days of rain and winds last week, how are these rocks still stacked like this? These rocks are jagged of different sizes and shapes, yet they remain perfectly balanced. It is something I won’t understand. You can also see more of the symbols I mentioned above on the tree. There is a symbol of a hiker and above that is an arrow, denoting which direction they should head.

The next image is of Pepper, who keeps trying to get me to follow a different path. In the upper corner of the image, you can see the lake in the background. When I started my walk, I fully went into it, wanting to go down to the waterfall near the end of the trail, but as time passed, Pepper was getting tired and panting heavily, so I did not want to push it any farther. One thing that was very surprising on my walk was that I did not encounter anyone. There were cars in the parking lot when I first began, but not everyone belonged to those cars. One thing that worries me is the loss of natural capital or the loss of appreciation for our natural capital. Natural capital is what we see in nature, our natural resources, trees, animals, land, complex ecosystems, and air. We have all these designated areas for hiking, walking, or camping, yet when I travel to them, I run into a few people at best. Most of the time, I am all alone. It’s not like a bad weather day or the middle of the week. It has always been on the weekend with beautiful weather and early in the morning. Yet what I find is not the intended purpose of these designated lands. Maybe this is what Edward Abbey wanted, open land where only those who truly appreciate nature enjoy.

The last image is just an overview of the trees from a specific vantage point on the hill I was standing on. I liked this image because one thing that is often overlooked when we look at nature is trees. Without them, there would be no life on earth because there would be no air suitable for survival. Trees produce food, shelter, reduce pollutants, and improve soil quality. They are essential components of nature, and they are underappreciated. Developers and politicians would rather cut down trees to build housing and shopping centers than plant them. One provides luxury, while the other provides survival. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different species of trees. Some may have common ancestors, but each has a unique story. It is more interesting that they can communicate through their roots, fungi, and microbes. Nature is very complex, and there is still so much that we do not understand, but it can answer many problems we face today.