A Discovery!

Today I found a new running trail!

My plan was to run to the recreation center, do a mile on the indoor track, then run home, for a total of about three miles. But as I was running past a hill where some trees had been planted a few weeks ago, I noticed the backs of signs on top of the hill. And a bench. I also noticed that the top of the hill looked suspiciously level.

So I did what any curious runner would do, and climbed the hill.

A trail! It was beautiful, nicely leveled and made of quick-draining dirt and gravel. It wound around the perimeter of a sunken soccer field where two students kicked a ball back and forth in the grass and clover. The trail had signs and workout stations at various points along the way, and a nice new water fountain exactly like the ones along the Buffalo Bayou trails where I used to run before I moved.

I could tell the trail was still being worked on, because where some parts had lights installed for evening runners, other areas only had bare conduit poking out of the ground. There were sidewalks leading to the trail from the rec center and outdoor pool, but they were blocked by construction workers' fences.

So for now, the only way to the trail was to climb the hill. I was above the street level, above the soccer players, with a great view of the trains on one side and the downtown skyline on the other. On such a pretty, golden afternoon with fine clear skies, green grass, a cool breeze, and a secret trail of my very own, I felt very fortunate, indeed!