Troops 258 and 358 made their yearly pilgrimage to downtown Austin. Instead of the Report to State Parade, they challenged themselves to complete part one of the Texas Heritage Trail. Overwhelmingly, they agreed it was really fun to walk through Austin’s streets and learn more about the city and its people.
During our monthly campout, we stayed at Camp Mabry and started our day by touring the Texas Military Forces Museum. The museum has evolved over time and is always intriguing for the scouts. It is an amazing gem that is highly recommended.
After a quick lunch we headed to the trailhead at the north end of Congress Avenue bridge. The Trail directions are a little outdated, but we managed to follow the street directions to the next landmark. The scouts read the clues in the guide and also on the historical markers to answer quiz questions.
They enjoyed walking through the city and discovering art, architecture, and history as they also practiced navigation. Finding their way through the urban streets was very different from the camping navigation they are used to. The trail highlights 15 different landmarks and leads you through time from the 1800’s. Though the trail states that it is about 5 miles long, we hiked about 7.5 miles that day.
As the sun was setting, we finished the trail which qualified everyone for the patch available at the Scout Shop in the Fickett Center.
Recommendations: Spend the whole day exploring Austin. Bring a packed lunch or plan to buy lunch from one of the many eateries, including food trucks. Plan ahead and find out closing times or item restrictions for the museums and buildings you can enter. Remember as you hike the trail, the last documented update was in 1985. Think about what recent additions to Austin could be included.
