Georgetown Lake

Back to one of my frequent haunts! 

Kerry Watson, a friend from Church, picked up some backpacking gear over Christmas and has been trying to get me to take him out ever since.  He was finally able to pin me down a few weeks ago and this last weekend I made good on my promise to bring him out.  The longest contiguous trail that I know of around here is Georgetown Lake and so we headed that way along with another friend, Drew Lawton.

Our plan was to copy the route I have used for training hikes for Philmont and the Guadalupe Mountains.  We start at Russell Park (A), hike west on the north side of the lake for ~6 miles, camp at Tejas Camp (B) on the far west side of the lake where the North San Gabriel dumps into the lake, then wake up the next morning and hike ~11 miles east on the south side of the lake until we hit Cedar Breaks Park (C).  It ends up being less than 24 hours long and it is about the only way I know of to cover miles like that within 30 minutes of where I live.

Things went as planned except on Friday night a serious thunderstorm rolled in.  I was dry and enjoyed the show but I know Drew and Kerry both got a little cold and wet during the night. It didn't end up having a big impact on our trip though so that is good.  All in all, I had a great time with very good company. 

During a break along the way, I stopped to chat with another party.  One guy mentioned that the Austin Bike and Trail Club had completed the full loop around Georgetown Lake, making the trail a full 26 mile loop.  Of course, now I want to plan a trip to complete the loop. I will be back again in a few weeks with Patrick and Michel, a couple of guys I am hiking the Grand Canyon with. Maybe I will try for it then!