A Walking There Again Threepeat

We've done it!  A Walk There Again Threepeat!  Three weekends in a row where the two of us took a walk in one of the beautiful places of Iowa to help rehab Tammy's Achilles and Rob's mind.  While the Achilles seems to be making significant progress, we're still a bit uncertain as to the progress Rob's mind is making.

But, we'll keep trying!

The best news is that Tammy was able to walk on a trail that has some challenge to it - this was not a perfectly level and smooth trail.  

Surprisingly enough, neither of us remembers ever walking the East Lake Trail at Backbone State Park.  The Hiking Project site linked to in the prior sentence rates the hike as an "intermediate" difficulty, which certainly seems to be correct.  But, if you've recently had your Achilles tendon re-attached, successfully walking this trail is a huge accomplishment.

The really great news is that Tammy was able to walk (with the aid of walking poles) with a gait that was close to normal.  And when we thought about how she did in her walk on the Backbone Trail two weeks ago, her progress is nothing short of amazing.  Let's just say that I am very proud of her for the effort and dedication she has shown in her rehab efforts.

And, by the end of Sunday, she was pretty tired.

If you actually take the link for our Backbone Trail visit, you might be shocked to see how different things look just two weeks later.  But, cold temperatures and high winds can really change the status of leaves in Iowa pretty darned quick!

The forest floor was completely carpeted with yellow, brown and reddish leaves and there was enough on the trail for me to shuffle through and get that satisfying "swish" sound that leaves make.  I'm not entirely sure why I took such delight in doing that - but I did.  

Maybe Rob's mind is improving?

There wasn't much green left that wasn't on the coniferous trees, such as the periodic white pines scattered here and there.  And we had the pleasant musky smell that dried leaves have on a sunny day mixed with pine needles in some spots of the trail.  If our goal had been to "sit there again" I suspect I would have found several good spots to just rest and absorb the sights, sounds, textures and smells.

One of the attractions we have with backbone is that you have the opportunity to observe the living trees next to running water while also seeing the bones of the earth represented in rocky outcroppings.  Since the tree canopy is much thinner with the absence of much of the leaves, we could get a good look at the blue sky and see the sun sparkling on the water.

I particularly liked the ability to move from areas of dappled sunlight to mostly shaded parts of the forest and then areas that had very little tree cover.  The contrast of light and dark provided more interest for the senses.  I am guessing that you all can understand how it would affect what (and how) my eyes see what is around me to move from shade to sun.  But, if you let yourself think on it, you might recognize that things smell different when they are being baked by the sun versus when they are shaded from the sun.  The air temperature differs and the wind was typically less evident in the sheltered areas too.

The most difficult thing we've had to deal with on these walks is determining exactly when we need to turn around and head back.  We have to rely on Tammy's judgement as to how much energy remains so that she can safely return to the starting point.  Thus far, her estimates have been accurate - and each time we have been able to do more than we did the previous walk.

And we know she is progressing because Rob is finding it more and more difficult to stop and take some photos without having to really hustle to catch up!

I wonder if we can make it four weeks in a row?  Tune in next week to find out.