Fort Worth Tandy Hills Park Search & Rescue

I got up early, real early today. When the day started it didn't cross my mind that part of my day would be spent participating in a search and rescue mission.

About noon my brainpan began its daily performance lag due to lack of oxygen. So, I knew it was time for my daily bout of aerobic exertion. Usually, since it is almost in my backyard, this means going to the most scenic part of Fort Worth, that being Tandy Hills Park.

Last winter, when I discovered the Tandy maze of trails and hills, I never thought I'd be able to still hike Tandy when the heat of summer arrived. But here it is July, it is hot. And I'm still hiking. I was a sweaty mess today though. Totally soaked. I used to hate to sweat. Texas has changed me. For the better? Or worse? I'm debating that.

I rarely see other humans at Tandy Hills Park. I had an encounter with a Doberman last week. That was mildly unpleasant.

But today I did have a human encounter. Upon reaching the top of a hill I saw a man and a woman in some sort of bright uniform. They were standing under the shade of a tree. They had a large German Shepherd on a leash.

I remarked that I rarely see humans here. They asked if I'd seen anyone else. They told me they were searching for a scruffy looking 50 something guy who was missing. And that there were search teams all over the park. I talked to the pair for a bit. The man seemed too old to be out in the middle of this strenuous place at nearly 100 degrees. The woman was much younger and in good shape. We shared our favorite hiking places. She thought I must be in training for something, like going to Colorado.

They told me if I see a man matching the description to call 911 and tell them to notify the search team in the park. But not to approach the man because he could get violent.

So, all this time I've been concerned about encountering a Rattlesnake, Copperhead, Cottonmouth or Panther and today I got to add a dangerous, violent man to what I needed to look out for. Somehow, I was less concerned about him than my ongoing concerns about snakes and cats. And Dobermans.