The Friday Video: Flight over Sunset Trails of FMSP

The video above was shot by Derek Spear. It is a flight over the Scenic Overlook and Sunset Trails at the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park. Check out and subscribe to Adventure Drone on YouTube. Look at his other terrific videos.

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North Loop of the New Lower Sunset Trail

Click image to enlarge.

Judy Ackerman led a small group of hikers along the north loop of the new Lower Sunset Trail yesterday. The trail is one of many great hikes at the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park.

Judy reported: "We hiked the north loop of the new Lower Sunset trail today.  I am constantly impressed with all the improvements in FMSP.  Wasn’t it less than 2 years ago that trail did not exist?  It is a beautiful trail and would be appropriate for beginners."

Here is her data:

Distance:  2.8 miles

Time:  2.5 hrs – very slowly with lunch break

Elevation Change:   447 ft.

WayPoint	Lat Lon	Elevation
7	N31 56.272 W106 31.653	4584 ft
42	N31 56.351 W106 31.342	4633 ft
Intersect1	N31 56.337 W106 31.527	4554 ft
Lunch	N31 56.038 W106 31.522	4738 ft
Start	N31 55.858 W106 30.784	4959 ft
Turn	N31 55.943 W106 31.050	4880 ft

Click image to enlarge.

Park Superintendent, Cesar Mendez, Ph.D., said: "It was about 2 years ago when the trail did not exist. This new section has been in place for a little more than a year. With the shortcut to the group picnic site, this new section of the trail creates a number of options for park users."

Mendez also said that "the new trail over Hitt and Sotol Canyons is almost finished. It should be completed before the end of this month. Then we will be working on other improvements re-routes and brand new trails."

The Park can always use volunteers to help build and maintain trails. Call 915-566-6441 if you are interested.

Update on Arroyo 41A and the Lower Sunset Trail

Arroyo 41A from Picnic Area 39

Last week the Franklin Mountains Park Superintendent, Mr. Cesar Mendez, took me and several other people on a hike on those portions of the new Lower Sunset Trail that are now completed.

Our hike began at Picnic Area 39 in the Tom Mays Unit. That area overlooks Arroyo 41A. The new trail begins by going down toward the arroyo and then winding west and south to that portion of the Lower Sunset that is in the State Park. The other portion, of course, was destroyed by Jobe's bulldozers.

Click to enlarge image. You are looking west toward GLO land. The clear path was created by Jobe's bulldozer. You can see the Jobe "No Trespassing" sign. Arroyo 41A is to the left (south) of the picture. The buffer should run somewhere along here past the hill in the foreground. That hill and hundreds of other acres will be no more once the quarry operation begins. To the left (north) of the picture is where the old Lower Sunset Trail crossed Mile Marker 6 and Arroyo 42 back up to the trail to the entrance of Shaeffer Shuffle. Many mountain bikers and environmentalists would also like to see that area preserved as well. That path was actually the originally proposed Mountain to River Trail as these maps reveal. At this time, Mr. Jobe is adamant that he will not grant an easement of that area as well.

We then retraced our steps and some of the hikers continued on a different fork not far below the picnic area. That fork skirts some beautiful limestone cliffs above another arroyo. It eventually will hook up with the Avispa/Lower Sunset Trail and return to the park up the steep hill just past Schaeffer Shuffle.

Mark Johns walks a portion of the new Lower Sunset that will hook-up with the trail to Schaeffer Shuffle

All agreed that the new trail layout will make for a beautiful hike. Although disappointed by Mr. Jobe's planned destruction of the land leased to him by the Texas General Land Office, everyone agreed that the new trail would be even better than the older trail. Tommy Young exclaimed: "My overall impression was WOW! It will be fantastic when completed."

WOW!

So where do things stand with Arroyo 41A Go here and here to read about Jobe's plan to grant an easement to the Public Service Board and create a buffer between the arroyo and his future quarry. At his expense, Stanley Jobe agreed to survey the area to the north of the Arroyo where an the buffer will go. The GLO must approve the easement and the survey before it can be submitted to the PSB.

I asked Mr. Jobe whether the survey had been completed and whether I could see a copy of the survey. He replied by email and a phone call and told me that the survey had been done. Once the GLO approves the plan, he will submit it to Representative Ann Lilly who will take it to the PSB. He declined to show me a copy of the survey until after the GLO approves it. I did not push the matter but will ask him again in a month, if I hear nothing back from him.

Vinegaroons and Scott's Orioles

The Sunrise Hikers have been coming across some pretty interesting wildlife at the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park. Shown above is a male Scott's Oriole and a vinegaroon. The pictures were taken by UTEP Ph.D student, Angela Chavez during our hike this morning on the Lower Sunset Trail.

Beginning in August, Sunrise Hikers will be focusing on flora, fauna and geology.