Getting to Walk There - Again

Sunday was a milestone of significance for both of us.  It was the first time since Tammy's surgery to re-attach the Achilles tendon that we took a hike in one of Iowa's natural areas.  

My job was mostly to stay out of the way, while being accessible if I was needed for any reason.  Otherwise, this was Tammy's hike.  She got to decide how far and where we went based on how she was feeling about herself.  And it turns out she was feeling pretty good and had a goal of "maxing out" her endurance at the point we returned to the vehicle.  

According to Tammy, she did a good job of hitting her limit without going over by much.  Maybe "fifteen steps or so" as she put it.  And those last steps were on even ground in the parking lot, so we're good!

I'll admit that the Backbone Trail would not have been my choice for her to try first if it were left up to me.  But Tammy knows herself better than I do.

Of course, now we have to see how everything feels the next day.  Yet the good news is that these sorts of walks have the added benefit of exposing us to the healing of nature.  And I suspect that was mostly for me.  The walking challenge was for Tammy to prove to herself that she was progressing and to encourage herself to keep working to improve.  The nature part was probably more so her partner (me) could take a deep breath under the trees.

The loudest sounds this time around came from other humans.  After all, it was a nice Sunday in early October.  Backbone State Park is a great place for people to spend a little time outdoors.  And, in general, people were polite and kind and not intentionally being loud.  It's just that humans aren't very good at being and staying silent when they are on a trail.

Heck, I suspect the rest of the natural world can hear me walking a trail in the next county over.  And, I'm actually trying not to draw much attention to myself.

There wasn't terribly much for wildlife this time around.  But, we did hear some Bald Eagles calling and saw a sizable flock of Robins (and other birds).  There were calls from nuthatches and woodpeckers and an occasional squirrel would chastise passer-bys when it felt like it.

And I think I actually had a fairly close encounter with a Wood Thrush.  Well, it was a type of thrush, at least.  Maybe it was a Swainson's Thrush?

Whatever it was, it was fun to watch it for a while and it was an extra reward to be able to capture an image of it in my typical "point and shoot" photo taking approach.

The other welcome sight was a Mourning Cloak butterfly that greeted us on our return trip via the Backbone Trail.  There was no way I was going to capture an image of it, but I sure did enjoy seeing it.  

And, of course, there was the dragonfly that would hover tantalizingly in front of me - daring me to try to take a picture of it.  I tried - as it darted over my head, causing Tammy to suggest that it was trying to get me to fall over backward.  Well, I DID capture an image.  Here, let me show you my cropped and blurry dragonfly picture in all its glory (?) !

I did get a better look at it in real life and my guess is that this was a Green Darner dragonfly.  It definitely did not want to perch and I was even treated to seeing it chase a smaller insect.  One moment that insect was there, and the next - after a quick swoop by the dragonfly - it was gone.  

I think I heard the dragonfly licking its lips.

Do dragonflies have lips?

Well, whatever, here is a professional shot of a Green Darner.  It does look very much what I was seeing when I was not trying to capture it with the camera.

Chuck Evans Mcevan / Wikimedia Commons

We got to see a mini-whirlpool, where the water had to find its way underneath some rocks so it could take its way down the stream.  I suspect some people's bathtubs could match this one in size.  But, it was quite enjoyable to find one in nature.

And we got to see the last of the wildflowers for this season.

It was a good day to get to go walking there again.