Thank you for coming out to Southwoods today and helping me search for signs of spring! I'm glad we could also check out the original Rothschild hiking trail. I hope to see you at Grandview next Tuesday!

I'm glad we were able to get on the dirt today. Conditions were good and the weather was near perfect. Thank you for exploring the extra mile of new trail with me and for hauling out all that trash!

Thank you for enjoying the nice weather with me. Look at that blue sky! Melting snow and recent rain made the dirt trails way too gloppy, but we got a nice tour of parts of the park we don't often see. I hope to see you all on Tuesday the 18th at Denman Woods.

Wow! Hard to believe that just last week we had to cancel due to cold temps and wind chill. Today was beautifully sunny with temps in the mid-40s. All that warm sun melted the snow and made our dirt trails muddy. That meant we had to stick to the paved trails, but I'm not complaining! Hope to see everyone on Saturday, March 8 at Ewing Park.

UPDATE MON 2/17 12:36PM: From the National Weather Service Des Moines: “Extreme Cold Watch for tonight/Tuesday converted to a Warning north and Advisory south.”

"Extreme Cold Warning: Take Action! An Extreme Cold Warning is issued when dangerously cold air temperatures or wind chill values are expected or occurring. If you are in an area with an Extreme Cold Warning, avoid going outside. If you have to go outside, dress in layers, cover exposed skin, and make sure at least one other person knows your whereabouts. Update them when you arrive safely at your destination."

Tuesday’s walk at Center is officially canceled.

Wow! That was another cold one! We were smart and modified the route slightly so that we didn't have to walk into the wind on the road at the end. Instead we retraced our path through the woods. Finished with the mileage we intended and didn't freeze our faces! Let's hope it's warmer next week at Center Trails.

Brrrrrr! It was nice and sunny for our stroll through Sycamore. If by “nice” you mean 17°F. On the plus side the ground was frozen solid and we didn’t have to worry about mud. Let’s hope for less cold at Grandview next Tuesday.

Join us at Southwoods Park. This park is just off 35th Street, south of Mills Civic Parkway, in West Des Moines. Meet by 10:00 a.m. in the disc golf course parking lot.

We will walk up the paved trail from the lot to the singletrack and turn counter-clockwise on the green loop. Then we’ll cover most of the blue loop before returning clockwise on the green loop. Finally, we will head around the paved loop at the top of the hill and return to the lot. This route is about 2 miles.

Let’s head to Ewing Park again. Meet by 10:00 a.m. in the Ashley Okland Star Playground parking lot on south side of McKinley, just west of Indianola Avenue.

We’ll hike over to the other side of the soapbox derby track. There we’ll go up Trail 4 and down Trail 1. Then we’ll come back over the track.

Turned out to be a nice day for a stroll. We ended up walking most of Denman's outer loop. A great big group today! Thank you all for coming and I hope to see you Tuesday the 21st at Ewing!

Muddy trails rule was in effect, so we took the paved Bill Riley Trail to Water Works park and back. There was plenty to see: snow dusted trees, rushing creeks, stickers, horses, bridges, and more. I hope to see everyone on Saturday the 11th at Denman Woods!

Thank you for exploring the singletrack at Southwoods Park with me. The new signs they are putting in really help distinguish the trails from the disc golf paths. I look forward to continuing to go back and check the progress. I hope to see everyone next week at Center Trails!

Join us at Sycamore Trails in Johnston as we add the High Life loop. Meet by 10:00 a.m. at the gravel parking lot on the south side of 66th Avenue, just west of the Des Moines River.

The plan is to head south on the high line, do the loop, cut across on the levee, and return north along the river for a 2.3-mile round trip.

Snow! How exciting! The debate about what the prettiest amount of snow is rages on, but we enjoyed what we had. Thank you for showing up and I hope to see you on Saturday the 14th at Sycamore!

Take a break from Thanksgiving prep and get some fresh air with us at Sycamore Trails in Johnston. Meet by 10:00 a.m. at the gravel parking lot on the south side of 66th Avenue, just west of the Des Moines River.

The plan is to go clockwise and include the “Fresh Cut” loop. Our distance will be 1.6 miles.

Sooo windy! But the sun was nice and warm. Yesterday's rain meant the trails were muddy, so we took the paved Levee Trail all the way to QT and back. I hope to see everyone next Tuesday at Sycamore Trail!

UPDATE: Today's stroll is cancelled. It’s 48°F and raining.

Experimenting with a policy of cancelling when it's "raining and less than 50°F." Let me know what you think.

Strange to be so warm with all the fall leaves, but thank you for sharing the views with me. I hope to see you again, Saturday, November 9th at Ewing Park.

The rain overnight didn't cause any trouble at all. There wasn't even any water at the creek crossings! Thank you for coming and for exploring the new trail they added since my last visit with me. I hope to see you at Center Trails on Tuesday the 29th!

That really was perfect weather! No great shows of color, but we did pause and enjoy the sound of the leaves falling. Thank you for strolling with me! I hope to see you on Tuesday the 22nd at Southwoods Park.

Absolutely the most gorgeous day! We admired the Virginia creeper that is turning a beautiful bright red and wondered what the rest of the fall colors will be like this year. Be sure to join us Saturday, October 12th at Sycamore to see what colors we can find.

Got some nice hills in today. The clouds kept it cool! Thank you Andrea and Kathleen for strolling with me. I hope to see you all Tuesday, October 1st at Ewing Park.

We were able to show off Sycamore Trail to a bunch of first time visitors in some of the best weather! We got to talking and walking, but spent time appreciating the sights and sounds of natures as well. Thank you to all who showed up. I hope to see you and others Saturday the 14th at the Clare and Miles Mills Rose Garden for a stroll on Center Trails!

Join us for a loop or two of the trails at Southwoods Park! This sweet little park is just off 35th Street, south of Mills Civic Parkway, in West Des Moines. Meet by 10:00 a.m. in the disc golf course parking lot.

We will walk up the paved trail from the lot to the singletrack and go all the way around the outer loop. Then we can check out the views from the small paved loop at the top of the hill.

Check the calendar! That did not feel like August! Thank you everyone for coming. I hope to see you August 27th at Southwoods!

UPDATE: Due to a severe thunderstorm warning, today's stroll is cancelled.

The temperature was great! The mosquitos, not so much. We walked an alternate route due to the flooding from the high river level and all was good out in the woods! I hope to see you Tuesday the 30th at the art center rose garden.

Thanks for coming out on a hot morning! I really enjoyed walking Denman Woods reverse. Everything looked very different. I hope to see you at Sycamore on Tuesday the 23rd!

The singletrack trails at Southwoods Park were too muddy to walk today. Simply crossed the street and walked the paved trail around the pond between city hall and the library.

THAT was STEAMY!! And the trail was so overgrown in places that it represented an unacceptably high risk of poison ivy contact. But we did find @desmoinesparks Butterfly Hunt, so that was fun!!

Thank to to everyone who showed up for this adventure. I hope to see you next week (Tuesday, July 2nd) at Southwoods Park.