[Moriah] Hamilton Pool

Yesterday, we decided to take an adventure to a place we've never been before. It was a gorgeous day, mostly sunny with temperatures in the low 80s and a nice breeze. A little after noon, we started off toward our destination: Hamilton Pool, a natural spring pool in the middle of a wildlife and nature preserve west of Austin. Unfortunately, because it's a preserve, no pets are allowed. So we had to leave Bear at home, which he wasn't too happy about.



We began with a beautiful drive on R.R. 620. West of Austin, it wraps around the edge of Lake Travis, which is breathtaking as you drive along the "cliffs" and look down at the blue water. The houses overlooking Lake Travis looked like mansions! Some of them were very unique and interesting to see. Also, it was such a nice day, there were several people out on the water in their boats and jet skis.



After we got off R.R. 620, we took another few roads to get to the preserve. We arrived just after 1:00. It costs $8.00 per car to get in, so after paying our fee and getting our sticker we headed in to find a parking spot. They only allow 75 cars in the preserve at a time due to the small parking lot but, because it was still fairly early in the day, we were able to find a spot easily.



Following the trail to the pool, we trekked through the woods with our water and apple juice bottles, camera and brochure in hand. We headed downhill along the trail until it came to a fork. You could either turn left to go to the Pedernales River, or you could turn right to go to the pool. We decided to start with the pool, so we turned right. It was only a quarter mile hike to it, so we got there quickly. It was so beautiful! I couldn't believe it. It looked much better in person than the pictures of it we saw online before the trip. Pictures don't do it justice. All the details in the rocks, the color of the water, the sound of the waterfall...so gorgeous!



There were already lots of people there, swimming, sunbathing and having picnics on the rocks and beach. Sometimes, because it's a natural spring, the bacteria level in the pool is too high to allow for safe swimming, so the park office puts the pool off limits. But the levels were low on Saturday, so almost everyone was enjoying the cold, blueish-green water. Since I was extra warm (being pregnant can do that to you!) I decided to cool off my feet. I took off my shoes and socks and stepped into the pool. It was as cold as Lake Michigan! I don't know how all those people were freely swimming in it. Most of them didn't seem to mind, though. I'm sure it'll be nicer to swim in in summer when it's over 100 degrees. We plan to go back again, so maybe I'll take a dip in it then. We spent a good amount of time by the pool, looking at the rock formations, the water and taking lots of pictures. After about an hour, we wanted to go see the river so we headed out toward the trail again.



The preserve reminded me a lot of Rib Mountain, with all the trees, rocks, plants and animals. But there was also a pretty stream that ran along the trail from the pool toward the river. As we walked the trail, we saw catfish and some other fish in the stream! We got pictures of them and even took a short movie of a catfish lazily swimming through the still water. It was fun to watch. We also saw a turtle sunning itself on a log sticking out of the water, so we got a picture of that too.



The trail to the river is supposedly only 0.6 miles, but with all the climbing and descending it took us a long time to get there. We took several more pictures along the way of interesting rocks and things, but none of the pictures do the real thing justice. Anyway, by the time we reached the river, we were pretty worn out. I was more breathless than usual because I have been so sick with morning sickness lately and haven't been exercising much, so I had to sit down a few times on the way. But the river was very pretty when we did reach it. There were people swimming in it too, though not as many as at the pool.



We didn't stay at the river long. We went down to the water, which was warmer than the pool, took some pictures, took in the scenery for a few minutes and then headed back. We were both very warm, tired, and hungry, and we had what felt like a long trek ahead of us to get back to the parking lot.



On the way back, I saw a small snake cross the trail right between my feet! It was only 6 to 8 inches long, so it wasn't large, but it scared me because I didn't see it until I nearly stepped on it! I would have felt just terrible if I had, but luckily I jumped out of the way in time. We would have gotten a picture of it, but it slithered into the leaves on the other side of the trail before we could even get the camera out.



We finally reached the parking lot again at 3:15, tired but very happy that we went there. It was definitely worth the $8.00! We can't wait to go again, especially if we have visitors to take along with us. Hint, nudge to our family and friends. :) We posted all the pictures we took in our photo gallery, so feel free to check them out. But, like I said, the pictures don't really do it justice. It's much better in person!