The geology underfoot on the steep climb — the hard limestone caprock that armors the Edwards Plateau and gives Hill Country canyons their flat tops and steep, rocky sides.
As you haul yourself up this steep, rocky pitch, take a second to notice what you're actually climbing through — because the rock is the whole story of this landscape. All this pale, hard, ledgy limestone is the caprock: a tough layer of stone, laid down at the bottom of that ancient sea, that sits on top of the whole Edwards Plateau like a lid on a box.
It's hard, and it resists wearing away — which is exactly why this climb is so steep and rocky. You're scrambling straight up the broken edge of that lid. Wherever the rivers cut down through the softer rock below, the hard caprock stands up in cliffs and rims, and that's what gives every Hill Country canyon its shape: flat on top, steep and rocky on the sides. Watch your footing on the loose stone, use your hands where you need them, and take it slow and steady. You're nearly to the top — and the reward is right up there.
Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
