Full Goodwater Loop

Yesterday I went back up to Lake Georgetown to tackle a full pass of the Goodwater Loop.  Although there are extended sections of the the trail with nice footing, much of it is jagged, rocky, and capable of turning your feet into hamburger.  Since the footing wasn't challenging enough, I decided to trip and fall at mile two.  And it wasn't fall.  I was able to target some small thorny vines that were hiding under the verdant foliage covering the ground.  I landed first on my leg and then rolled over to sufficiently cover the other side of my body.  The thorns on this particular plant were small enough that they were not visible to the eye or noticeable to the touch.  However, they felt like fire under my skin with every new footfall.

I briefly contemplated turning around and heading back to the car, but going home wasn't going to make the spines hurt any less.  A couple miles later, I approached the first creek crossing, so I was able to wash the mud off my hands and attempt to cool the burning sensation with the water, to no avail.

After three days of rain, I was expecting sloppier conditions.  Nevertheless, I found enough mud and water to splash through that it kept me happy.  I honestly went out of my way many times to trudge through the mud.  I made a quick stop at Crockett Gardens and Falls to take in the waterfall and snap a couple pictures.

I completed the south side of the trail and made my way over the dam, where I passed more people than I'd seen the entire day to that point.  Once I passed Overlook Park, I only saw one group of boy scouts that I'd previously encountered shortly after starting my run.  My energy levels were falling quickly as I finally made the jeep road on the north side.  There's little cover along this part of the trail, so the sun was sapping what little energy I had remaining.  I hobbled through the final 4 miles or so, alternating between a quick walk and a slow run, both of which were likely the same pace.

Almost twenty-four hours later, the crawling, burning sensation has finally subsided and given way to soreness.  I'll take the soreness over the pain from those tiny vines.  I have no idea what type of devil those vines grow from, but I'm pretty positive they contained poison of some sort.  Still, I completed the 26+ mile loop, so vines didn't defeat me.

Next time maybe I'll dive into prickly pear.