Kickin' it in SA: Enchanted Rock

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Since we're getting ready to move, we spent last weekend checking things off of our bucket list.  One of those items we wanted to check off was hiking Enchanted Rock.  Enchanted Rock is a giant batholith  (which is essentially the top part of a giant rock, the rest of which is buried in the earth) that is located north of Fredericksburg, about an hour and a half from San Antonio.  We'd heard great things about Enchanted Rock since we moved here, but between Peter's residency and being pregnant, having a newborn, etc., we hadn't had a chance to get out there to hike it until this last weekend.  But I'm definitely glad we made the time to do so before we left!  It's a fairly short hike; the Summit Trail, which goes straight up the to the top is .6 miles.  This is the easiest of the trails and very doable for kids.  However, don't be fooled!  It's still quite steep and will get your heart pumping!  Will, my 4 year old, though, is apparently in stellar condition and he pretty much ran straight up to the top.  He kept telling me I was walking too slow :)  Clara (2 years old) probably would've been able to make it, but we put her in a hiking backpack which I'm sure saved us about an hour of time that we would've spent waiting for her and chasing her from taking off down the side of the rock.  Plus, it can get a little slippery walking back down the steep slopes, so she was much better off being carried.  And then, little Benny was of course happily strapped in the Baby Bjorn.

The top of the rock is incredible.  The views are beautiful, there are unique plants growing out of the rock, and there's plenty of room for kids to run around and explore.  There were also a bunch of small craters in the surface of the rock that were full of water.  Clara and Will had a heyday jumping over these puddles everywhere.  There are also some caves on the backside that are supposedly really cool, but we didn't have time to go down and explore them.  All in all, if you're in the area, make sure you take a day to drive up and hike Enchanted Rock!