The old bridge has been
removed and a new crossing added. I have modified the route
to include the new crossing and the tee with the "old"
trail.
This cache could also be called These Boots are Made for Hiking -
Part LAST because this would be the hardest hike of that
series.
Milliways is the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. It will
only seem like the End of the Universe if you finally reached this
cache. Please note that the kitchen closed years ago so you will
need to bring your own beverages and snacks. Both highly
recommended due to the length of the hike.
WARNING:
The challenge is two-fold. 1. find the
cache and 2. Stay on the original 20 to 30 foot wide trail as much
as possible except where the river has erroded several small
sections. While the trail is usually not difficult to find, the
round trip of this cache is 7.5 miles, there are NO SHORTCUTS,
and requires some bushwacking along the river. It will take 3 to
4 hours to complete this round trip. Bicycles are not
recommended as at least 3/4 of the trail has not been maintained in
the last several years and is frequently blocked by downed
trees.
CAUTION: This
hike is NOT recommended for children and probably should not be
done alone. Adequate water and insect repellent are
mandatory.
If you think you
are up to the challenge read on.
PLEASE stay on the trail as much as
possible. FOLLOW THE TRAIL to the BRIDGE, even if your GPS says go
right. For those of you who can't keep their eyes off the GPS,
there is a route to follow listed below.
The cache is located in the City of Lake Jackson's 400 acre
Wilderness Park. MedTexPlacer will be familiar with a small portion
of this park as he has visited several times. The park was
established in the 1980's. The original trail was approximately 20
to 30 feet wide and extended 4 miles into a prime example of the
Columbia Bottomlands Forest and ended with a spectacular view of
the Brazos River.
Several years ago the bridge at the 1 mile + point collapsed
making it impossible to get maintenance equipment to a significant
portion of the trail. While the majority of the trail is still in
good shape and easy to walk, there are a significant number of
trees that have fallen into the trail that require minor
bushwhacking. In addition, the Brazos River has reclaimed some of
the original trail. Bushwhacking through the forest is required in
several of these places.
The heavily wooded portions of southern Brazoria and Matagorda
counties are commonly referred to as the Columbia Bottomlands
region. Bottomland hardwood forests are one of the most threatened
habitats in the Eastern United States. This large park has not been
developed other than the single 8 mile hiking loop primarily to
help preserve this excellent example of this habitat.
The woodlands community includes mature live oaks, some of which
are over 100 years old, and other tree species such as hackberry,
green ash, cedar elm, and cottonwoods. These forests support an
abundance of wildlife and are important habitat for neo-tropical
birds. The larger the tract, the better able to support a diversity
of wildlife.
I hope you enjoy the beauty of the hike as much as I do and will
have fond memories of completing this hiking challenge!!! There
will be a "unique" item for the first to find!
Route: For those who can't take their eyes of the GPS and
just follow the trail (Use the route function on your GPS and put
these in.)
Parking: N 29°
02.911 W 095° 28.661
WP 1.0: N 29° 02.107 W 095° 28.410
Bridge: N 29° 02.001 W 095° 28.641(Now removed - Do Not Cross
Here!)
New Crossing: N 29° 02.186 W 095° 28.921
Tee with Trail: N 29° 02.025 W 095°
28.826
WP2.25: N 29° 01.951 W 095° 29.383
WP3.25: N 29° 02.071 W 095° 30.083
Cache: Coordinates above
If you would like some company on
this hike, email me and I would be happy to come along if
available. Please give me a couple of days notice. I WILL NOT give
out any hints or helps on the trail!!!
Congratulations to MedTexPlacer for
FTF!!!
You met and exceeded the challenge!!