Guadalupe River State Park: why camp

The accumulation of daily life and it’s endless demands tightens around me like a python squeezing joy from my soul. This is the first day in a week long Texas State Park trip. After only a few hours of climbing, photography, and hiking, my smile quickly returns.

Standing before Guadalupe River, cool soft blue water meanders its way slowly though the high cliffs and gravel beach. The sound of water flowing around large boulders accompanied by a choir of birds and the occasional small splash of a fisherman’s lure are as instruments in a symphony.

High rock walls cut by the river stand as a testament to the power of water and time. Lined with Giant Cypress trees, rooted within the stone foundation of the river bed, my shutter closes, capturing an image I hope will display a since of immutability and tranquility.

Guadalupe River State Park offers an incredible educational program geared toward kids. More than just naming animals, they teach ecology and the “leave no trace” philosophy.  I love when picking up trash becomes “cooler” than throwing it on the ground. But better yet, when not making trash becomes “cooler” than throwing it in a waste bin and pretending it disappears.

A generation addicted to digital screens, creature comforts, and climate control rarely considers where their food comes from. But, that hamburger was once a cow and that sweet cereal was once grain in a field. Electricity doesn’t magically come from an outlet  no more than safe drinking water comes from a faucet. We have become detached and as such forgotten our place on this planet. If you’ve never slept on the ground, listened to the insects sing, gazed upon the stars, and warmed yourselves by a fire, you could easily be miss the realization of a lifetime.

I’m often asked why we photograph and share our trips. Short answer:  life experiences change who we are, and this world needs change. Sure this blog isn’t much, but it’s the best I can do. Nature is a beautiful balanced ecological masterpiece of art. As we begin to understand this, our planet becomes more than a hardware store from which to pull minerals and timbers.