Today I went on a hike to Bearwaller Gap. There seems to be some dissent about how long the trail is. The hike is a there-and-back, although if you park cars at both ends you can do a one-way. The local guidebook says it's 5.6 miles one-way; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says 6 miles. (It also says 10K, which would really be 6.2 miles.) Well, we started off by mistake on one of the mountain biking trails, which are not shown on any of the maps. This added an extra mile or two to the total.
The hike goes up and down, up and down. The endpoint is 400 feet higher than the beginning, at a scenic overlook (shown); we gained 1580 feet to get there. We stopped at the overlook for lunch. We also thought about whether we wanted to drive or hike back. No one wanted to be the one to wimp out, so we all headed back. The return trip was something of a slog, as we were all tired already. However, it took an hour less than the first leg - our detour had really added extra miles (and elevation gain).
The hike was rather pretty, especially compared to many other trails near dammed lakes. (It follows the north shore of Cordell Hull Lake.) It had several nice scenic overlooks. The weather was also cooperative, sunny but not hot. However, I am still really tired.
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