Location: Dinosaur Valley State Park Date: 12/9/17

Distance: 4 miles

Trails: Some of Cedar Brake Outer Loop, Rocky Ridge

Chewy the Dog and I headed south to Dinosaur Valley State Park to get some quality hiking in. They had done a prescribed burn the previous two days, so much of the grasses were scorched and the smell of campfire lingered in the air. We got to the trailhead parking lot and found only ONE other car - what a great start. From the trailhead, we crossed the river as usual, and headed out along the Cedar Brake Outer Loop. We connected to the Rocky Ridge trail and then back to the river crossing/trailhead. It was a beautiful, cool morning with temps no higher than 50. The sun was out, the hills provided enough challenge, and we only encountered a couple of people. My attitude about hiking has been relatively negative as of late so this was a really nice reinvigorating moment. I can't wait to get back out to a trail.