By Brandt Mannchen
Being a Houston Sierra Club outings leader can be adventurous and surprising. Recently, I set up an outing to hike the trails of Big Creek Scenic Area (BCSA) in Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF). This amazing slice of the “Big Thicket” has been available for people to enjoy for 64 years.
Fourteen people signed up for this outing but by Saturday morning the number had dropped to 7. Still a good number, in fact great for walking and discovering the secrets and beauty of these forested trails.
I arrived at 8:45 am for the outing, which was to begin at 9 am. Usually there is someone there already, but not this day. I put on my brace, got my daypack ready, walked around and admired the trees, and waited. Nine a.m. came, and no one was in the parking areas. I waited until 9:15 am and still no one had arrived. This was perplexing, an outing without other participants!
I had two choices. Call it a day and drive back to Houston or stay and enjoy solitude, quiet, and beauty on my own. I took advantage of the peace I know is in BCSA and started hiking by myself. The weather was warm, in the mid-80s, but this morning it was cooler with a nice breeze rustling through the trees.
I’d been to BCSA in March when things were greening out. Now that our early May summer had come everything was green and shimmering. I’ve always appreciated the diverse vegetation in BCSA and along Big Creek. I proceeded to enjoy it again.
Some of the trees that I saw included White Oak, Water Oak, American Beech, Loblolly Pine, American Holly, American Elm, Southern Magnolia, Black Gum, Chinquapin, Swamp Chestnut Oak, American Hornbeam, Laurel Oak, Cherry Laurel, Sweetgum, Red Mulberry, Red Maple, Winged Elm, Sweetbay Magnolia, Red Bay, American Basswood, Fringe Tree, Parsley Hawthorn, Eastern Hop Hornbeam, Dwarf Pawpaw, Shortleaf Pine, Eastern Red Cedar, Black Hickory, Sweetleaf, Two-winged Silverbell, Devil’s Walking Stick, Yaupon Holly, Witch Hazel, and others.
It was nice to see so many green old friends. There are many seeps and seepage creeks in BCSA and its reassuring to see or hear in these areas frogs calling, blue and green damselflies flitting in the shadows, crawfish chimneys in damp areas, fungi recycling, craneflies shuddering, Christmas Ferns, Jack-in-the pulpits, whirligig beetles, smartweed, Strawberry Bush, Canadian Black Snakeroot, Walter’s Violets, blueberry shrubs, greenbrier patches, American Elderberries blooming, Arrowwood Viburnums, Switchcane, Cinnamon, Royal, Lady, and Netted Chain Ferns, Sabastian Bush, sedges, Lizard’s-tail, distant calling of Pileated Woodpeckers and Mourning Doves, and unknown birds singing in tree canopies.
An occasional Trillium still stood on the forest floor as in defiance of the hot summer that was coming and would lead to its disappearance. Blooming Coral Beans could be seen on the road to BCSA along with Black-eyed Susans, American Beautyberries, Dayflowers, and other wildflowers. A lazy Green Anole rested on a wooden bridge timber waiting for motivation to find lunch.
It was all consoling, comfortable, and fit together like it should in Nature. Like ecosystems do when they are in good health, safe, and protected. It was just what I needed and the way it should be.
After about two hours of strolling very slowly I was finished and ready to head to Houston. Another successful outing, or not? It was successful for what I needed – Nature revealed its work and it was good.