The Saga of the Lone Star Hiking Trail: Part II
By John S. Copenhaver, LSHT Club Past President, 2007-2016
Ultra-Endurance: Hilda Zellers was one of the first hikers I met. She enlightened me to a technique for ultra-endurance. Her motto was “time on your feet”. Every two weeks we expanded our hiking distance by four miles. We shared thousands of miles. One of my favorite birds is the pileated woodpecker, more commonly heard than seen. One day on the trail with Hilda, we heard a “low rpm” woodpecker. We followed the sound up a 75’ tall, 20” diameter, pine tree where the pileated woodpecker was hidden in the top branches “drumming” away. We both placed our hands on the trunk and could feel the "low rpm" hatchet vibrations from the tree crown. Hilda led group hikes for many years and served as an officer and board member of the club. She recently retired. We all miss her but stay in touch as she and Thomas travel the states.
The trail had few signs in the early 2000’s. Darrell Matula made it a personal endeavor to erect signage throughout the trail to eliminate any possible confusion at intersections and mark all our “trail friends” (mileage trees and signs).
Hilda Zellers with one of Darrell’s Famous Signs
Trail Maintenance: When trail conditions limited hiking, I became involved in trail maintenance from 2005-2015. I’ll never forget all the miles and hours spent with David Wade removing trees and undergrowth from the trail. During this time I realized animals will stop using the trail if it is not maintained for one year. Also, we realized that when you couldn’t see your feet for undergrowth, the trail was less safe and slowed travel. "Feet on the trail" is the 2nd best form of trail maintenance, next to a brush mower and chainsaw.
The author with his bush mower on the Big Woods Section
This year, for the few weeks of trail closure, we added several interesting hikes outside the Sam Houston National Forest to our hiking repertoire. Group organized trips in different states and trails (such as Mt. Rushmore and the Centennial Trail) were tremendous fun. All the hikers have shared hiking experiences from nearly all the continents.
There are so many people who have contributed extra time and work to the club enabling all of us to enjoy the camaraderie of the trail. I must mention one more very important person. Cathy Murphy has been so important to the club. She has consistently taken leadership positions, organized hikes and has put a large part of her life into maintaining the non-profit requirements of the club, communicating via the LSHT Club website and Facebook and ensuring the growth of the club.
Volunteers Needed: Now, several people are retiring from the club. It is important that hikers with just a little extra time volunteer to help keep this group alive and prospering as it has for over three decades. I was President from 2007-2016. I am currently serving as a hike leader for the club. There are many opportunities to serve involving small units of time but with such rewarding opportunities: Board Members, Corporate Officers, Hike Leaders, Forest Service Liaison and Trail Maintenance. The storms of 2024 devastated the trail. We are grateful to the Forest Service for removing scores of large trees from the trail but there is still much trail maintenance work to be done.
Every hiker is a champion having taken an “extra step” outside. Saturday morning hikes are a way to “recharge one’s batteries”, cultivate friendships and enrich one’s experience of life.
Happy Trails.
Respectfully,
John S. Copenhaver