As I have stated previously, Austin is a place where you will not be content to stay indoors. I took advantage of the fact that the coming school week is (a bit) more relaxed to take a quick trip up to Georgetown, Texas to hike part of the San Gabriel River Trail. In total, the trail is 28 miles around Lake Georgetown, and I completed a more reasonable 2.5 mile hike on the Cedar Breaks Trailhead to Crocket Gardens and Falls. When the lake is at a higher level (which I have never seen), the falls will empty into the water. For now, the water runs off into a dry ravine, however the view is still worth the trek.

The views of Lake Georgetown are pretty fantastic as well. After spending most of my time sitting indoors studying the past few weeks, this was much needed time spent soaking up the sun and clearing the mind.

It is also weekend option that is easy on the wallet. Admission to the park is $4.00 per car (and up to six people) for the day. The grad student budget life is real y’all.

The Austin area has a lot to offer in terms of outdoor recreation that I cannot wait to explore.  On my list currently is a quick trip to Mount Bonnell, a day trip to Longhorn Cavern State Park and another visit to Enchanted Rock. We are having close to record high temperatures in Austin this fall, so I am hopeful the weather will hold out for a few weekend trips in November as October is pretty overwhelming with school and recruitment.

My quick morning hike was a great reminder to take breaks from the stress of the program and enjoy the unique opportunities presented by the Austin area.