Texas Is Not Flat

            I can count on one hand the number of times I have gone on a hike before going to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge. On March 27^th, our class went on their first hike at the Nature Center. The Nature Center offers over twenty miles of hiking trails, which is split between twelve diverse trails across various terrains and levels of difficulties. Today, we completed part of the Canyon Ridge, “a 3.25 mile trail follows limestone and sandstone outcroppings and offers stunning views of Lake Worth interspersed with descents into shallow canyons. This is the park’s most difficult trail,” according to the Nature Center’s website. As a person who does not hike, this was quite a hike. The elevation changes along the trail were steep inclines and declines with frequent bends that gave us uniquely beautiful views of the Nature Center. The Canyon Ridge trail also took us through a few of the several different landscapes the Nature Center has to offer from mesas to canyons to dense vegetation. As a native Texan, who has traveled across this exceptionally large state many times, I know Texas offers a lot of diverse landscapes and ecosystems, but I did not realize how many diverse landscapes border each other within the property lines of the Nature Center. So many of my college friends from other states complain about how flat and boring Texas landscape is, and our hike made me realize just how wrong they are about the Texas wilderness. I personally already knew there were hiking trails around Texas with the big elevation increases people enjoy, but I thought they were all in Austin or the hill country. I never thought there were hiking trails like that near Fort Worth, and I definitely did not think I would enjoy hiking them. Another cool thing about this trail was some of the historic architecture we saw along our hike. According to the trail guide, “Rock structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s perch atop two of the highest ridges.” These structures framed the views from the hike so well, and it was interesting to learn about the rich history of the Nature Center while looking over it. Overall, I think this trail made me realize I actually really enjoy hiking!