Climbing Enchanted Rock
By JimSilver
@JimSilver (8)
United States
January 23, 2007 9:04pm CST
Has anyone here ever gone to Enchanted Rock State Park, located just outside Fredericksburg, Texas?
I have been there just twice in my life. Enchanted Rock itself is truly a spectacular sight. The "rock" actually consists of three domes of granite, the tallest of which towers well over four hundred feet above the surrounding terrain.
To my knowledge, this is one of the tallest solid granite formations in the United States. But it is more than that. It seems that in the past, the Tonkawa and other Native Americans believed that the great mounds of stone were sacred, and were inhabited by spirits. There is even legend that a Spaniard, being pursued by Indians, was able to escape in the rocks, where the Indians feared to tread. The Tonkawa legend tells of the rocks swollowing this Conquistedor, who was later reborn as an Indian.
I felt some sense of accomplishment after successfully reaching the top of Enchanted Rock. The "top" is always over another rise, until the climber feels he might never get there. It is a moderately difficult climb even for someone in good shape. And I had long lost my athletic abilities; I was over forty the time I made the climb.
But there is another side of the Enchanted Rock experience, if one takes the time to feel it. It is the sense that there is something sacred about this great landmark. Maybe the Native Americans were right. Could it be that spirits inhabit the upper reaches of the gigantic dome? I have almost felt their presence. Those great rocks have stood silent witness to the slow passage of time, and to the great pageant of the Texas experience which was played out before them. Ghosts? Who knows? To me, whatever else there might be, there is a great awe and wonder when standing before the Enchanted Rock, and when ascending to its peak, where one can see for the surrounding country for miles and miles.
Have you ever been there? If you have, I am almost certain that you feel a subtle, or not so subtle, attraction - a desire to return and again absorb the wonder and beauty that is Enchanted Rock.
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