Someone left a bag of dog waste in a tree on the Barton Creek Greenbelt near Sculpture Falls on Christmas Day. Pam LeBlanc photo

I took a Christmas Day hike on the Barton Creek Greenbelt, starting at the trailhead at Loop 360 and hiking past Twin Falls to Sculpture Falls.

What a resource we’ve got here in Austin – acres of green space, a creek that carves its way through limestone ledges, thickets of gnarled trees and miles of moss-covered boulders. But for some, one of our city’s biggest outdoor draws serves as just another place to stash a bag of dog poop.

I like to hike on the Barton Creek Greenbelt to see the falls and the creek – not to encounter dog poop. Chris LeBlanc photo

During a 5-mile hike on the trail, I spotted a sack of dog waste tucked in the hollow of an old cedar stump. I found another tied to a tree branch at head level. At least two or three more were tossed at the side of the trail. It’s even worse in the summer, when the water’s warm and crowds of people, dogs in tow, hike down to explore.

I’m trying to understand the mentality of the people who do this. Are they planning to pick up the bags on the return trip? (I don’t think so, based on how long the bags had apparently been there.) Do they think it’s someone else’s job to carry it out? (Perhaps, but come on, people.) Do they think it magically disappears? (Maybe so.) Do they just not care what they’re doing to the environment? (Probably.)

Dog waste bags are provided at the trailhead near Loop 360. Pam LeBlanc photo

The only think that’s worse than a pile of dog poop on the trail is a pile of dog poop in a bag strung up in a tree, or tucked in a stump, or laid carefully on the side of the path. I often wish I could unload a pickup truck full of used dog poop bags on the offender’s front porch.

Please pick up your dog’s poop – and dispose of it properly.

A shipment of Wildway granola and hot cereal arrived at my house recently, and I’ve been eating my way through it. Pam LeBlanc photo

This week I broke into a box load of breakfast goods that arrived in my mailbox from Wildway, a Texas company that makes grain-free granola, hot cereal and smoothie mixes.

I love granola. I’m a regular chipmunk when it comes to the stuff. I eat it for breakfast, stuff it in little baggies to eat while I’m paddling, biking or hiking, and occasionally roll out of bed in the dead of night and nibble on it while in a state of semi-slumber.

But this didn’t exactly look like – or more precisely feel like – the granola I normally eat.

The coconut cashew granola tastes a bit like coconut macaroons, crumbled and served for breakfast. Pam LeBlanc photo

Wildway, started by Kelli and Kyle Koehler of San Antonio, crafts its granola without grain, which makes it popular with the Paleo crowd. But the Koehlers say they weren’t just catering to that audience when they developed their product, which doesn’t have refined sugar, gluten or dairy ingredients. They wanted to make a nutrient dense food that tasted good.

I tore open a little pouch of banana nut granola: Soft, chewy and not a trace of crunch, something I actually like in my granola. This seemed more like a fat slab of banana bread that’s been crumbled up and tossed into a pouch.

Interesting. I ate it plain, as a snack. I always need stuff that I can keep on hand when I’m on the go. It fit the bill in that respect. But still. Crunch-free granola? Unsure.

The next day, I poured myself a bowl of Wildway coconut cashew granola and doused it with almond milk. You could put coconut on a piece of styrofoam and I’d love it, by the way. I’m a sucker for that tropical, nutty flavor.

This time I felt like I was eating a bowl full of chewy, slightly sticky coconut macaroons. (Anybody remember Cookie Quisp? Cookies for breakfast!)

I checked the Wildway ingredient panel – organic dates, walnuts, organic coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dry roasted cashew, pecans and vanilla bean. No oats. No sugar.

Then, for comparison, I checked the ingredient panel on the box of HEB granola with pecans hiding out in my pantry. The top ingredient? Rolled oats, followed by sugar. Ouch. Also on the list? Pecan pieces, sunflower oil, rice flour, caramelized milk powder, dried coconut, honey, wheat gluten, barley and some other stuff I can’t pronounce. I missed the crunch in the Wildway a little less and appreciated the ingredients a little more.

I’m yet to dig into the instant hot cereal packets that arrived in my Wildway box, but I’ll try those next. I don’t expect my hot cereal to pack a crunch, so I think I might like it better.

An interesting side note? The Koehler landed their products in Whole Foods stores after cold-calling a buyer at the Austin-based grocer. The buyer they wanted to meet wasn’t in when they dropped by, so they left some samples. They got a call back within days, and  Wildway granola landed on Whole Foods shelves just weeks later.

You can buy it at Whole Foods, HEB and online at www.wildwayoflife.com. An 8-ounce pouch of granola ranges in price from about $5 to $6, depending on where you buy it.