Nature Links and Resources

Here are a few links and resources to help you in your nature and hiking activities.

http://www.fun365days.com/hiking.php (hiking trails on Texas Gulf Coast)

http://www.lshtclub.com/Hikebackpackcamp.htm (Lone Star Hiking Trail Club)

http://www.harra.org/ (Houston Area Runners organization)

http://www.texasoutside.com/hikebike/houstonhikingtrails.htm (Houston hiking trails)

http://www.texasoutside.com/houston/outdoorclubs.htm (REI's Houston activities listings)

http://www.westurealestate.com/outdoors.htm (listing of Houston outdoor groups)

http://www.buffalobayou.org/parks.html (Buffalo Bayou organization website)

http://texas.sierraclub.org/houston/ (Sierra Club Houston)

http://www.texasoutside.com/hiking.htm (Texas hiking and biking groups listing)

http://www.texastrails.org/ (Texas Trails Network website)

http://walktexas.org/ (Texas Volkssport network)

http://www.houstonwilderness.org/default.asp?Mode=DirectoryDisplay&id=52# (Houston wilderness group)

http://lifesbetteroutside.tpwd.state.tx.us/ (Texas Parks and Wildlife)

http://houstonhappyhikers.org/

My personal favorite, http://texashiker.com seems to be gone from the Internet. But check back, it may reappear!

Nature's Revelry

I have been participating in an art journal project for the past year with Kay Kemp's Wild Heart Art group. There are 14 artists each with a journal and a theme. We each do a couple of pages in the other's journals around their theme. It has been an incredible experience. My theme was Nature's Revelry. Here's a poem I wrote for the journal project. Even though it's the first poem I've ever written, I am quite happy with it.

Nature’s Revelry

i am not separate from
a butterfly’s wings
shimmering, iridescent,
blue-hued beauty
gliding on the summer air

i am not separate from
the autumn leaves falling
glorious red and radiant gold
floating and flying then
flickering in the still, shallow pond

i am not separate from
the seashell’s whorls
patterned round and round
turning somersaults in the turquoise waves
settling in soft, wet sand

i am not separate from
the creek tumbling o’er the rocks
rushing, glimmering, splashing, playing,
speaking with musical laughter
as it flows ever onward home

i am not separate from
the ivory mistress moon
luminous, rising over the field
hovering, pocked with mystery
giving benedictions in shadows and light

i am not separate from
the masterful, majestic sun
reflecting diamonds and sapphires
off the life-giving oceans
dazzling the eyes, uplifting the soul

i am not separate from
nature’s revelry
the celebration of beauty and being
our frolicking, gaudy display
reminding us to be alive with joy.

All photos and text, Copyright © 2006 Mary Anne Fields, all rights reserved.

Tree Facts

I love trees. I love looking at them, planting and growing them, walking through them. I was discussing some of the incredible stories about trees from the book, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson with some friends last week. In that conversation, someone said they knew of trees more than 1000 feet tall. That seemed unbelievable to me so I did some research. Did you know?:

The tallest trees in the world (from Wikipedia):
Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens: 115.55 m (379.1 ft.), Redwood National Park, California

Coast Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii: 100.3 m (329.1 ft.), Brummit Creek, Coos County, Oregon

Australian Mountain-ash Eucalyptus regnans: 97.0 m (318.2 ft.), Styx Valley, Tasmania

Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis: 96.7 m (317.3 ft.), Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California

Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum: 94.9 m (307.1 ft.), Redwood Mountain Grove, Kings Canyon National Park, California

There used to be taller trees (some documented at 500 feet), but many have been lost to fire, natural disasters and man.

The largest girth in diameter, excluding baobabs (because they hold water and vary widely over time), are:

Montezuma Cypress Taxodium mucronatum: 11.42 m, Árbol del Tule, Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico

Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum: 8.85 m, General Grant tree, Grant Grove, California

Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens: 7.44 m, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California

And the largest in overall volume are:

Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum: 1489 m³, General Sherman
Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens: 1045 m³, Del Norte Titan tree

Western Redcedar Thuja plicata: 500 m³, Quinault Lake Redcedar

Kauri Agathis australis: 400 m³, Tane Mahuta tree (total volume, including branches, 516.7 m³)

Oldest trees are (and this blew my mind!!) are:

Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Pinus longaeva: 4844 years
Alerce Fitzroya cupressoides: 3622 years
Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum: 3266 years
Huon-pine Lagarostrobos franklinii: 2500 years
Rocky Mountains Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata: 2435 years

Here is a link to the largest trees in the Houston area: http://www.parkpeople.org/parkpeople/Tree_Registry.asp?SnID=2

Rice University Loop

Introduction: The Rice University near the medical center in Houston has a three mile loop around its campus which is popular with both joggers and walkers. Most of the loop is lined by large oak trees which offer shade in the summer. This loop is also right across the street from Hermann Park which has a one mile and a two mile loop which can be connected for a total of six miles. The metro train stops at Hermann Park as well making it an easy place to get to.

Location: Rice University is located at 6100 Main St. between Sunset and University. The walking loop is completely around the campus, on Main, Sunset, Rice, Greenbriar and University streets. Parking is on Rice at entrances 17, 18 and 20 in visitor parking. Maps can be found at http://futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Driving_Directions.asp and http://www.rice.edu/maps/maps.html. Or take the metro train which stops directly across from the loop.

Hours:24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Scoring: Walking = 3.5 Nature = 3
Walking: The path is fairly even and wide and consists of crushed granite and concrete walkways. It can be a little muddy after a heavy rain. There are street lights all along the loop, but they light the streets, and only partially light the walkways. There are two significant drawbacks to the loop: (1) noise because all parts are on busy city streets, and (2) some of the walk crosses busy parking lot driveways where you may have to stop and certainly have to be alert.

Nature: The trees are quite nice, large and provide shade. Some parts of the loop are landscaped nicely. It still is, though, in a busy area of the city.

Background:

Coolest Thing About Park: It can be connected to the trails at Hermann Park, it's near a metro station and you can also walk through the campus which is very pretty.

Trails: There is no way to get lost, just follow the sidewalk all the way around the campus. Occasionally, you have to turn, but it's pretty obvious where to go. If you're walking in front of residences, you went the wrong way. Pay attention to traffic. Bicycles, runner and walkers all share the path. Trail is flat and wide and easy to walk on.

Other things you'll want to know:

1. No water or restroom facilities are on the trail. Although if you're desperate you can always walk on campus and find one. (NOTE: I received a comment that there are two water fountains on the trail. I'll update again after I find them and note their locations. Keep your eyes open if you're walking the loop.)
2. Even though some people do walk there at night, I would not. It's not quite well enough lighted and is relatively close to some not so nice areas of town.
3. Take water, cell phone and ID whenever you walk anywhere.

Feel free to add any comments you think would be useful to others about this blog.

Photography by Mary Anne Fields.
All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006