Hiking and Camping in the Beautiful Fall

Written by Rocky Xu Cheng

Publish Date: October 8, 2023

The weather at our October event at Stephen F. Austin was completely different than any of our prior events: the relentless rain that spaced the week before had ushered in a calm cool throughout the park, and the sun was hidden by clouds for most of the hike. This great weather made it so that even though the group was larger than all our previous events at Stephen F. Austin State Park - larger than even our trip to see the fireflies in May, the atmosphere was much lighter, and the crowd was much more dispersed.

Although our weather problem was gone, we were soon faced with another issue shortly after arriving at the park - the scarcity of parking spaces. After finding our campsite, we made our way slowly to the group picnic area, apprehensively navigating the vehicles and children that filled the road. Probably because it was Columbus Day weekend, the park was packed full of visitors, and the majority of the parking spaces around the picnic area were filled. After a painstaking wait, we managed to claim one of the few empty tables after another group of visitors had left.

The volunteers and families of the special children arrived in droves, and with each new arriving car, the place became a lot busier. The food had all been set up, and the smell of the fresh pizza was wafted into everyone’s noses by the cool autumn wind. We had encouraged everyone to bring some of their favorite foods, and the greater variety of meats and greens made the picnic table pop with color and flavor. After everyone had arrived and finished enjoying the delicious food, we separated into groups and began the hike.

Because we had started from the picnic area, we had to take a short hike to the beginning of the trailhead. We crossed several bridges along the way and even saw three deer galloping through the woods. The trees were all shedding their leaves, and the green, hard fruits of the Osage trees littered the sides of the trail. Some volunteers used them like soccer balls and began playing with the children.

After we arrived at the trailhead, we grouped up at the amphitheater to rest. By then, it seemed like the clouds in the sky had congregated even more, and the weather became even more pleasant. After we began our descent into the basin, the environment darkened even more as the trees’ canopies blocked out the remaining light. As we trekked onward, we had a slight period of brightness after entering a small clearing, but we quickly returned to the forest, and it became even darker.

Shortly after nightfall, we returned to the trailhead, and, to expedite the time back to the picnic area, we took the main road rather than the winding trail. It seemed like the hike had worked up everyone’s appetite; even though it was 7:40 and the light was rapidly disappearing, many people stayed behind to enjoy some more of the picnic food.

After most people had left, we began prepping the campsites for the seven volunteer families and the five special families for the chilly night. Although the tents had already been set up, we still needed to pump up the air mattresses and set up the camping lights. The temperature was rapidly dropping, and by the time everything was ready to sleep, we were shivering in the cold. Thankfully, it was warm enough inside our tents, and we managed to pass the night without any large issues.

The next morning, we all, including three little children with special needs, woke up early to see the sunrise over the Brazos River. After gathering everyone together, we traveled to

the same trailhead as the event the past day and began the journey toward the river. In the small clearing a short distance away from the start of the trail, we were blessed with a beautiful sight - a majestic stag grazing on the white-flower-filled meadow. Taken aback by the view, we froze for a solid minute to fully appreciate the view.

After the stag disappeared back into the forest from which it had emerged, we continued the trek deeper into the forest towards the lakeside. The path turned rough: what had been a gravel road turned into a dirt path, and then the dirt path transformed into a primitive trail covered by vegetation. At last, the path took a steep turn down, revealing a mud staircase leading to a willow tree. Using the trunk of the will for support, we carefully made our way to a small outcrop that stretched into the river.

Having been so preoccupied with the precarious journey there, we had missed the sight presented to us by the river: hovering above the pristine waters was a small layer of fog - fog so light it was you could see the individual clouds of vapor with which it was formed. It was truly the perfect timing: the sun was peeking its eyes over the distant treetops, causing the water below to glimmer with bright sparks of light. We enjoyed the view for quite a long time.

As a perfect end to our trip, we heard a knocking on the tree trunk above us. Turning our heads, we saw the silhouette of a woodpecker - its colors were hidden by the bright light of the rising sun - pounding away at a branch, no doubt trying to feast on a worm it had found. As we turned back onto the muddy staircase, we took a final look back; our look was rewarded by an even more enchanting sight - the fog, after contacting the light of the sun, was evaporating, disappearing into the bright blue sky devoid of any clouds.

Every meal tastes better around the campfire, but cooking full, filling campsite meals often feels out of reach, especially when the camping site is practicing a burn ban. Thankfully, we brought a portable propane stove. We replenished our energy after a healthy breakfast with eggs, bread, cookies, milk, nuts, and fruits!

Before leaving the Stephen F. Austin State Park, the nine-year-old Maxwell asked his parents:

“Can we come back to camp next weekend?”

“Sure!”

That is the biggest reward of this beautiful hiking and camping event!

Big thanks to the fifteen families with special needs attending the event. The event can only be successful with your trust.

Special thanks to seventeen volunteers: Elena Alsup, Emily Alsup, Stephanie Xinyue Dong, Sherry Dong, Michael Eze, Hamza Farhan, Evan Fang, Owen Ge, Catherine He, Jinhwa Jung, Melody Liu, Samantha Luo, Tristan Lin, Subramanian Seenivasan, Yifan Wu, Keen Zhou, Winnie Sim for volunteering at the event and making the experience for every participant even better.