Thanks to constant hamstring pain, I made a promise to myself to stop hiking until next year. But that was before I was introduced to the amazing muscle-healing powers of magnesium powder. After 24 hours and two doses of the stuff, I was virtually pain free and able to gym climb. So when I got to Iowa, I decided to get the dog out for a walk and try to get accustomed to the snow.

We headed out to the usual route we've taken in the summers: deer trails westward until the hill slopes down into the creek. In warmer months, there's a nice rocky beach there where we would skip rocks before heading farther west to more trails, pioneer ruins, and the legendary Horsethief Cave (sealed). There's also a neat pine forest way back there, on the property of a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Since it was cold and I only had some GoreTex Merrells and jeans on (apparently my boots are in storage or lost), and since we were making our own deep snow trails back there, we didn't explore any farther. Turned back just as the light was starting to get good. We ended up seeing several deer, a bald eagle, and some turkeys. Sadie wanted to chase everything since she's 3/4 Lab, but she was torn thanks to her 1/4 Border Collie having the need to 'herd' me back home. So she ended up skipping ahead a lot, only to wait around to make sure I was still coming along, then rushing back to circle me if I was taking too long on a picture. Dunno if you can tell from the pictures, but I adore that goofy dog.