So, KS girl, how bad are the summers? do you hike in TX from may-october?
Summers in East Texas can be horrible if you aren't accustomed to heat. Austin would definetly be much better temp wise than Houston. I haven't done any hiking yet, but the best time would be early "Spring" which is April - May or "late summer" in Oct - Nov. Otherwise, it may be rather hot and humid. Austin is an awesome town BTW.