Bear Necessities

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Bear Necessities

Winter 2012

Journey of an Eagle Ride like the Wind

10Tips on Camping How to make a Hobo Pack

ADVENTURE IN THE ALPS A Scout’s adventure in Switzerland

Table Of Contents Features Be Prepared

9

Soaring Like an Eagle 14 Free Ridin’ 17

PAGE 9

Top Five’s

6

Oh the campsites you’ll go

20

Campcrafts

PAGE 17

Packin’ It Up 12

PAGE 14

PAGE PAGE ##12 2 BEAR NECESSITIES December

2012

This is a bench that is part of Nathan Ploeger’s eagle project at his synagogue, Temple Beth Israel.

Photographers: Ally Martin and Kevin Hadley

Top 5 outdoor activities

CONTRIBUTORS Ally Martin

In her spare time, 14-year-old Ally Martin loves playing soccer and petting her two cats, who are very fluffy and cute. She also enjoys looking a pictures of sunbears with their tongues hanging out.

During the summer, her favorite summer camp is John Knox Ranch, which is in Fischer, TX. There, she canoes, hikes, and makes hobo packs. She has been to Denmark and Sweden, which is so much cooler than Switzerland and Canada. She doesn’t go camping a lot, but she enjoys it when she gets the chance. Her favorite part of camping is sitting around the campfire and roasting marshmallows for s’mores.

Kathleen Hudson

When she is done with an important initiative, Kathleen Hudson’s number one thing she’ll go immediately do is sign up for her next year of going to Adventure Unlimited (A.U.), a summer camp in Colorado. Her favorite activity she loves to do at A.U. is go rafting on the Arkansas River with her friends and learn how to confidently guide and read the river by her counselors. She also loves the three-day overnight camping trips that occur because the skills of general camping can be learned when being surrounded by the outdoors.

Alec Hunter

Alec Hunter, the coolest Ginger ever, loves to do Boy Scouts, Choir and Theater, and goes on camping trips at least once a month. He has been backpacking in Switzerland, and he will be going to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico in Summer, 2013. He watches survival shows such as Man vs. Wild, and reads survival books when he has a chance. He has been going camping since he was six and knows the “Do’s and Don’ts” of camping. He is also the finest tent-pitcher on the planet.

03 BEAR NECESSITIES December 2012

Letter From the Editors

Dear Readers,

Sincerely, Ally Martin, Kathleen Hudson, and Alec Hunter

4 BEAR NECESSITIES December 2012

Photographer: Isabel Saralegui

The authors of Bear Necessities magazine designed this magazine to give you a better sense of camping. We also give you true stories from people just like you about their good and bad camping experiences. We know what it’s like to not be prepared for campouts, and by reading this magazine, hopefully you won’t have to! In this winter 2012 issue, you can read about an adventure in Switzerland, riding freely on horses, the journey of becoming an eagle scout, and so much more! We hope you learn a few things about camping that you may or may not already know. Enjoy!

Does this take your breath away?

Go find your view.

Top 5 Favorite Ou I

t’s your first time that you are planning a family vacation to the great outdoors. You are looking for an activity that everyone will enjoy to where everyone wants to do it again and again over the years. Through a survey, most people said what they recommend to others looking for a great activity they love to do in the outdoors. Below are the top five:

5. Rafting/Kayaking

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4. Lake

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Want to hit the waves, but don’t want to hit the coastlines where the big oceans are? Well, a perfect way to enjoy the ‘waves’ can also be on the wild and flowing rivers. Mostly, people prefer rafting. Whether you are with family, or your friends, it provides a way of leadership, and closeness with one another when you are in the boat going through an intense rapid. Now if you are willing to take it to the next level and show how brave you are by yourself, then kayaking is the way to go.

Maybe you’re not so much of a person who doesn’t want to not yet take a challenge and just float in the still waters of a peaceful lake. Being in the lake can be fun too; there are activities like canoeing around, flipping the canoe so you land in the water. Or there is the peaceful kayaking if you want to explore without the intensity of a rapid coming it’s way.

6 BEAR NECESSITIES December 2012

utdoor Activities 3. Rock Climbing

Perhaps you want to be like a little bug and

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2. Mountain Biking

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1. Hiking

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just climb a wall. Well, if you like climbing trees and not afraid of how high off the ground you are, then you have met your match with the outdoor activity of Rock Climbing. Climbing a rock wall builds self confidence and strength in believing you can do anything.

Are you bored just biking in circles around your neighborhood? Do you want to hit the trails with a bumpy ride to it? Well, mountain biking is the best match for you. You can do tricks, jump over logs and mostly fly with your bike when you go over things. When it’s time to hit those steep hills, it’s time to be brave and CHARGE! Be sure you have a tight grip to your handle bars and always make absolute sure you have your helmet on. (And watch out for the trees! )

Hiking... there is nothing that can go wrong with how simple it is to just take a nature hike with your buddies or just by yourself. Whether you’re with a group of people, for sure there is someone who wants to hang around with you as you’re making a memorable adventure. If you just want to get out with nature and have some time alone with your thoughts, then hiking is also a way to just walk and listen.

Visit National Park Spring 2013

“Be Prepared”

By Alec Hunter

T

he sun is shining, the temperature is just over 70 degrees, where it is chilly in the shade, but warm in the sun, and every tent doesn’t even have a wrinkle. Sam Hagood, a 17-year-old Boyscout from Troop 410, and 2 of his friends are sitting on a log sharing camping stories, and the adults have just placed a pot of grub on the fire. Everyone has even remembered to bring their sleeping bag and flashlight. What troop wouldn’t want to be like this? However, the only way for a troop to get to this point is to follow the boy scout motto and “Be Prepared”. Hagood knows that if the troop doesn’t come prepared, then there are many things that can and most likely will go wrong.

“Through camping, I’ve definitely learned skills that I need for the rest of my life,” Hagood said.

Take, for example, Hagood and Pat Hill, an Assistant Scoutmaster, who have both been involved with the Boy Scouts in Austin since age 9. That means they have been on many campouts like these. Whether its a high adventure camp out (the most challenging of boy scout outings), or just weekend car-camping, these men both agree, that as in life, planning and preparation is the difference between an outstanding experience and pure misery.

Through the confidence he has gained from scouting, Hagood has decided to take a year off backpacking around the world before he pursues his dream of attending a college in Canada, and majoring in his intended career of doing cartoon and commercial voiceovers. “I have endured many different types of outdoor conditions and met many different types of people through scouting and specifically through the different campouts I have done,” Hagood said.

For Hill, scouting campouts were such memorable experiences that he wanted to make sure that his sons, Trey and Harper, were involved in scouting also. “I wanted my kids to be involved in scouting [because] I like the values that it teaches,” Hill said. These values include being prepared, as well as knowing what not to bring, so that one doesn’t overpack.

While scouting campouts may teach various “values”, they also give a scout the skills to enjoy camping as a lifelong hobby. Hill and Hagood think that their skills continue to improve over time. In addition to being the current senior patrol leader for his Austin, Texas based troop and the leader of his troops monthly campouts, Hagood is going camping this November with a group of friends “for no reason other than we wanted to.”

Like all experienced campers, Hagood and Hill have experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly. As Hill will attest, even experienced campers are not perfect.

He relates his experience one year at Camporee, an annual scouting event for troops in Travis County The temperature unexpectedly dropped to a record low of 14 degrees. “Water bottles froze inside peoples’ tents, and the propane bottles got so cold they couldn’t burn without first being warmed,” Hill remembers. Hagood, also at the event, did not come prepared, and didn’t even have a sleeping bag to keep him warm when he slept. The point being, the camping trip did not have the outcome the troop wanted because nobody knew how cold it would get. Looking back on it, both recognize that the best thing they could’ve done to prepare for that experience would have been to consider the season and the unpredictable Texas weather and to have brought adequate cold weather gear. Especially in the event of cold weather it is best to embrace the Boy Scout motto and prepare for the worst.

However, with the right planning and preparation, camping can be just what one wants it to be. For Hagood, the best camping experience has been Troop 410’s 2012 12-day summer trip to the Alps in Switzerland. The troop split up into two separate crews, one going East, the other going West, across Switzerland. Both crews started out in Kandersteg International Scout Base, and were there for the first and last 2 days of the trip. On the second day, one crew started off from Kandersteg and headed East, while Hagood’s crew took a series of trains to the starting point of their epic 5-day hiking adventure in Grindelwald.

They started out at Alpiglen Hutte, which was one out of a series of huts in the Alps that can accommodate hikers from all around. From there they went to Rotstockhutte, Gspaltenhorn Hutte, Blumlisalphutte, and then ended up back in Kandersteg. While at each hut, they met people from all around the world, including Ireland, Germany, and even Britain. “It was a oncein-a-lifetime experience that I definitely learned from and had a great time on,” Hagood said.

Additionally, the trip allowed Hagood to learn how to embark on a higher level of preparedness in order to enjoy and survive an extreme canyoning adventure. After donning wetsuits, Hagood and his crew took a van up as far as the road went up into the Alps. When they got to where the van let them out, they still had to hike for about a mile until they got to the entrance to the canyon. The water in the canyon was below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. For four hours, Hagood jumped off five waterfalls, went down two natural water slides, and did

“Through camping, I’ve definitely learned skills that I need for the rest of my life,” Hagood says

10 BEAR NECESSITIES December 2012

a frontflip off of a ledge into water. For 200-pound Hagood, this was way outside his comfort zone. However he enjoyed the adrenaline rushes, and made it through the canyoning adventure, without a scratch. “I had everything I needed, I was physically capable, and everyone enjoyed each other,” Hagood said.

Closer to home, Hill’s best camping experience was a weekend backpacking trip to Horseshoe Bend.

“There were springs, waterfalls, and beautiful scenery,” Hill says. On the trip, he hiked 10-15 miles and enjoyed crystal-clear running water, bubbling brooks, and flowers of bright, bursting pinks, yellows, and purples. When Hill is in the woods, he feels like he is “more away from things.” He thought he and his crew had such a pleasurable experience because “we brought the right gear and were prepared.” However, Hill has many times seen young Scouts who have overpacked for camping trips and have slowed down the whole group. This goes back to one of

the values Hill says boy scouts offer, knowing what not to bring.

Pat Hill and Sam Hagood have both had varied camping experiences, but they will both use their skills to have more adventures in camping and in life in the future. They also both acknowledge that even with their experience, they still have to diligently prepare to avoid mistakes in the future. “Most of the tips come down to being prepared,” Hagood said. However to them it is worth it. As Hill says, “being outdoors is a change of pace from everyday life. You get to see things you don’t normally get to see, and listen to things you normally don’t get to hear.” So remember, one has a chance to follow in the footsteps of many campers before and regret a weekend camping trip by being unprepared, or to be one of the many others campers who have found enjoyment by camping prepared, like Sam Hagood and Pat Hill.

“I had everything I needed, I was physically

capable,

and

everyone

enjoyed each other,” Hagood said

Photographs: Sam Hagood

Hagood and his crew, Hagood on the far left

UP!

If you’re tired of eating Meals Ready to Eat for every camping dinner, learning how to create your very own hobo pack may benefit you! “Hobo packs are great for camping because they’re really delicious and easy to make,” LASA freshman Lynnsey Martin said. You can make this hot meal with only a few steps, and since hobo packs can be varied, you can make a hobo pack for every camping meal!

1.

Build a campfire. Make sure it is hot enough to cook food throughout, because nobody likes finding a cold spot in their meal!

2.

Gather all the ingredients you want to have in your meal. It is best if they are frozen, so that if you are making your hobo pack before your camping trip, you can put your pre-made hobo pack in a cooler so it won’t spoil.

Such ingredients could include: frozen peas, frozen corn, frozen bell peppers, frozen hash browns, frozen potstickers, and any other frozen foods. “I like using chicken and potatoes and corn and then I put Italian dressing on it. It’s delicious!” LASA freshman Katherine Jones said.

Photographer: Ally Martin

3.

Tear off a sheet of foil, and make it big enough to fold into a “burrito” once all the ingredients are piled up in the center of the foil sheet.

12 BEAR NECESSITIES December 2012

4.

Add some flavors to your hobo pack with spices such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, or any other spices or seasoning you can find! Other flavors could come from sauces, such as soy sauce, barbecue sauce, salad dressing, teriyaki sauce, or hot sauce.

TIP:

LOAD ON THE LIQUIDS! Make sure you add sauces when making your hobo pack! When it cooks over a fire, many liquids are evaporated from the food, so without sauces, your meal could turn out very dry! “I’ve had my fair share of bad hobo packs, and a lot of them could’ve been better with more sauces,” LASA freshman Eliza Cain said.

If you are wondering about whether or not the sauces will interfere with the taste of your wonderfully crafted hobo pack, worry no more!

As you read earlier, many of the liquids will be evaporated away, so you can use a watery sauce, like soy sauce, so that it won’t leave a strong taste.

5.

6.

Now you’re ready to cook your hobo pack! Just put it on a grate over your fire (or in the oven, if you are at home). Don’t put it directly on top of the fire, or else it could burn very quickly. Leave the hobo pack on the fire until your food is hot enough, probably after about 15 minutes.

Once you’re done creating your hobo pack, fold the foil over the top and bottom. Then, roll up the extra length of foil on the sides to form a “burrito”.

Free Ridin’

By Kathleen Hudson

W

here, where, where would Cassidy OrthMoore be? Wait, she said that she can be found barefoot, writing in her journal, and under the sun when she’s not doing anything under her definition of exciting. But if she’s not sitting down with her pen and paper, then she is said that the other place to find her will most likely be riding horses and teaching it to young kids. Yes, there are some other activities she can be found doing, but not as much as she loves being seen on her horse to what skills she has.

“Riding horses is the most familiar and comfortable activity for me. But I also love to go rock climbing, and I love being on the river (no rapids, please!) and I love to simply soak up the sun and appreciate nature.

When I’m not on a horse or in the river or doing hard-core hiking, you can usually find me barefoot and writing in my journal,” OrthMoore said.

Since she was three years old, Cassidy’s biggest remembrance of that time period was seeing and being introduced to the outdoors and what it can offer. Activities that she loves to do include things like the intense rock climbing, to hitting the trails with her horse, to floating and rafting in the river. Out of those main interests, Orth-Moore’s

number 1 activity she really enjoys most of her time to be with is to go horseback riding. To expand her skills and talents of riding, Orth-Moore, for 13 years as a camper, has been going to Adventure Unlimited (A/U for short); a summer camp near the rocky mountains of Colorado to learn and expand her passion of riding and learn new thoughts about nature.

Now to flash forward to these past two years of summer again at A/U as an active working counselor, she transitions from learning to actually teaching her experiences and skills to other campers who also also want to learn and grow with their riding skills.

“Everyday as a counselor comes with special moments when I feel like I’ve made a difference and taught someone something... I love making a difference in peoples’ lives and seeing it in various ways. I love teaching people life lessons, [and] practical lessons about the outdoors,” Orth Moore said.

Of her years going to A/U, Orth-Moore’s role as acamper have been learning experiences to earn the potential of being a counselor. That is what she always aims for as her goal of the day; to realize that she has made a big contribute to another adventurous day to to herself, and her fellow campers.

“I think the best part of being a camp counselor is being

“Everyday as a counselor comes with special moments when I feel like I’ve made a difference and taught someone something.” Orth-Moore said.

your true self... I love loving people and showing them that they will always have someone to care about them, no matter what happens in their lives, or what they do.”

Orth-Moore said. “Counselors are like ducks. They let things roll off their backs... and they look like they’re floating along smoothly, without a bump, when really their legs are paddling a hundred kicks per second under the water,” Well, as much as she would love to go on forever about her life being around the outdoors and her love of nature, Cassidy does quote that her discoveries and adventures with nature and the outdoors is not quite done. “I think of nature as home...My time [with nature] isn’t quite done; I plan to be there a lot longer.

That is where I belong and it will never change.” OrthMoore says.

Soaring Like an Eagle

By Ally Martin

I

The details of this bench cause Ploeger trouble during his project.

project I worked 200 hours on just the writing section.”

Ploeger had to complete three major writing sections. The criteria of one of the writing sections required Ploeger to write a very scrupulous proposal of what he wanted to build for his eagle project. He included every detail of his eagle project, such as how much each nail cost, and other small details that many people would not think of as important.

“Since I built a whole bunch of benches, I had to tell exactly where to put the screws and how to lay out the boards,” Ploeger said.

Once Ploeger finished writing his proposal, he got Ron Luke, a construction consultant, to review it. Luckily, Luke approved Ploeger’s proposal the first time.

“The hardest part is getting your proposal approved because if you don’t get that approved, then you pretty much just wasted 100 hours of working on nothing,” Ploeger said.

For the second part of the writing section, Ploeger took notes while he worked on his project. He also took pictures of every step in the project. In his notes, he wrote about what went well each day that he worked and also the challenges he faced while working on his project. For example, Ploeger’s project

“I just decided to do one that I’ll remember forever,” Ploeger said.

18 BEAR NECESSITIES December 2012

Photographs: Ally Martin

n 2011, only about 5 percent of all Boy Scouts became an Eagle Scout. Most Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts at around age 17, usually because it takes a lot of effort to earn the Eagle Scout rank, and a lot of Boy Scouts are challenged by having to complete their Eagle Projects on time. But Nathan Ploeger, 14, earned the Eagle Scout rank when he was only 13 years old. Along with receiving the honorable Eagle Scout title, he also received duties that he must perform as a highly ranked Boy Scout.

“Once you’re an eagle scout, you have the responsibilities of adults in scouting,” Ploeger said.

One responsibility of an Eagle Scout is teaching Tenderfoots, a lower rank of Boy Scouts, about certain camping techniques such as where to find food in the wilderness, how to handle knives, how to cook outdoors, and other basic wilderness survival tips. But in order to earn that responsibility, Ploeger had to complete an eagle project, which needed to benefit the community in some way.

When Ploeger came up with ideas for his eagle project, he decided that he wanted to do his project for his Synagogue, Temple Beth Israel. When he asked the executive director of the Synagogue what he could do for them, he was given some choices. The two that he considered were to build a few picnic benches, or to construct an outdoor classroom. He decided to go with the more challenging option: making an outdoor classroom.

Ploeger wanted to do the more difficult task because he knew that he could only get one chance to do an eagle project, so he wanted to make sure that he made the right choice.

“I just decided to do one that I’ll remember forever,” Ploeger said.

However, Ploeger could not have built his project by himself. A total of 22 of his friends, family members, and fellow Boy Scouts volunteered to help him. And with that much help, Ploeger managed to finish his project in 2 days.

The final product of Ploeger’s hard work consists of nine wooden benches arranged into a pyramid shape with four curved rows. All nine benches sit in a gravel area near the synagogue.

Each seat on each bench has a smooth brown finish, and Ploeger and his helpers carved the legs of the benches with an intricate and curvy design. The outdoor classroom benefits organizations such as CDC, the ACE Academy, and the Hebrew school that Ploeger’s synagogue offers. “[The outdoor classroom] gave the children a place to go that would be outside and they’re still learning,” Ploeger said.

But before Ploeger could even begin building his outdoor classroom, he had to do a lot of written work.

“Everybody thinks Eagle Scouts is all about building, it’s really all the [behind-the-scenes] work [that is hard], and then the fun part is building,” Ploeger said. “I think total on my

originally called for 10 benches in the outdoor classroom. But Ploeger ran into some trouble while he was building the outdoor classroom, and he had to change his plans.

“We lost 12 feet of wood s o m e w h e r e ,” Ploeger said. “I was planning on doing 10 benches, but I only got to do nine. But that was okay, because that made [the outdoor classroom] symmetrical.”

When he finished building his outdoor classroom, Ploeger did a final write up, which reviewed every detail of the project, what went wrong, and what he had to change in his project, such as having to omit a bench. Ploeger also included a picture of the final result.

“My picture was me sitting in the outdoor classroom,” Ploeger said.

Although his journey to become an Eagle Scout might have seemed tedious, being able to tell other people that he achieved the eagle scout rank pleased Ploeger.

“Once you’re an eagle scout, people look up to you instead of you looking up to them,” Ploeger said. “[Being an eagle scout] tells everybody that [you’re] dedicated, responsible, and [you’ve] helped out the community.

But before Ploeger even had the chance to become an Eagle Scout, he participated in Cub Scouts, which first introduced him to camping techniques and skills. Boy Scouts had the same concepts of Cub Scouts, but Ploeger experienced campouts in a different way than he did in Cub Scouts.

“Cub Scouts is parent-led, and parent go on campouts

with you, and the parents doing everything for you and you just watch. Boy Scouts is actually when the parents sit back and watch,” Ploeger said.

When Ploeger transitioned from Boy Scouts to Eagle Scouts, Ploeger learned a different skill set than just camping.

“Being an Eagle Scout had taught me about leadership and being able to talk to other people more comfortably,” Ploeger said.

Although Ploeger achieved the Eagle Scout rank when he was only 13 years old, he is undoubtedly no less of an Eagle Scout than any average 17-year-old. He has gone through the same process, done the same hard work, learned the same ideals, and has achieved the same honorable ranking that all Eagle Scouts have achieved. By building an outdoor classroom, Ploeger has soared as an Eagle Scout.

“Being an Eagle Scout had taught me about leadership and being able to talk to other people more comfortably,” Ploeger said.

A plaque displays Ploeger’s accomplishment at Temple Beth Israel.

Ploeger and his team of volunteers built each bench out of wood and plastic. There is a total of nine benches in the outdoor classroom.

Oh, the Campsites You’ll Go

5

PLACES IN TEXAS TO HAVE TEXAS-SIZED FUN, VIEW WILDLIFE IN ITS PRIME, AND GET AWAY FROM IT ALL

1

Bastrop State Park

A beautiful state park established in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Bastrop State Park is a historic hill country reminder of the beauty of Texas. Wild Texas, a company who organizes maps for state parks, said on their website, “5,926-acre Bastrop State Park [is] an isolated stand of loblolly pines separated from the vast East Texas piney woods by more than one hundred miles”. The park has several attractions, such as biking on one of its many trails, taking a quiet drive through the country side, or even teeing up for some afternoon golf on its 6,152 yard-long golf course. The park offers equipment rentals for bikes, canoes, and even barbeque pits. One of its most famous attractions is Lake Bastrop, a crystalclear lake that offers 900 acres of surface water for boats, jetskiis, and water skiis. Bastrop also offers a museum with the history of the park dating back to the 1930s when it was established. This vast plot of rolling hills, towering cedars, and old-fashioned dirt roads is the best Entrance to Bastrop State Park place in Texas to stop and have a fun camping adventure.

20 BEAR NECESSITIES December 2012

2

Balmohrea State Park

This park was also established in the 1930ss by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Its main attraction is its 1.75-acre pool. It is the largest spring-fed pool in the world and 28 million gallons of water flow through it from the San Solomon Springs per year. Scuba divers love it because of its clarity and 25-foot depths. And for the wildlife lover, Balmohrea also offers several species of endangered fish and birds such as the barn swallow, javelina, and even roadrunners, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Balmohrea has a $7 admitions fee for adults, and children under 12 are free.

Balmorhea State Park

Big Bend is the largest state park in Texas, with over 300,000 acres of the Chihuahuan Desert. It follows the Rio Grande river and encompasses two mountain ranges. Big Bend has also been a path of human crossroads for over 11,000 years. Big Bend offers miles of criss-crossing trails to hike or bike on, and is as close to remote as you can get in Texas.

Horseback riding is also available and is one of the big attractions at Big Bend. The park has access to the Rio Grande, and some boat/canoe rentals are available. This state park has been embedded into Texas history, and will not be forgotten if you choose to camp here.

Big Bend State Park

Rio Grande River in Big Bend

Photographers:Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

3

Big Bend Ranch State National Area

4

Brazos Bend State Park

Brazos Bend State Park is a vast park with six lakes where you can get wet, make memories and have fun. The George Observatory is also open on some nights for all you stargazers out there. And according to the George Observatory website, depending on the time of the month and the season of the year, visitors are able to observe a variety of phenomena such as Saturn’s rings, cloud belts on Jupiter, a partial or total eclipse of the Moon, a bright meteor or fireball that lights up the ground, the Milky Way, or a close pairing of two planets. There is also a 1/2 mile-long trail that runs through a huge area of wetlands that has aligators, fish, and turtles, oh my! With equipment rentals for binoculars, boats, and horses, this park has a lot to offer for the nature-loving community.

Brazos Bend State Park

5

Horshoe Lake, Brazos Bend State Park

Caprock Canyons State Park Caprock Canyon State Park offers over 90 miles of hiking trails, and 25 miles of trails with cliffs and dropoffs. It offers hiking, biking, and even horseback riding. It has several lakes (although they are no-wake) with views of endless miles of red rocks and canyons. There are also several ranger-guided tours of the park that go through the history of the park and the formation of the canyons over time. And in 2011, buffalo were herded through the area, and these animals can still be seen today grazing on the land.

Pictures of Caprock Canyons State Park 22 BEAR NECESSITIES December 2012

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