Walking along frozen creek bed, losing yourself in thought 

My dog Mutt rubbed her head against my knees and let out a low groaning whimper—familiar indicators that she was in the mood to venture outside for a hike.

Always ready to comply with a request for an adventure, I suited up in my winter gear and we headed outside.

I decided it would be a good day for us to take a hike up the creek behind our house to see what we could see.

I made a beeline for the small trail that led through large glacier- cut stone behind our garage.Mutt took the lead and ran headfirst through the deep snow, criss-crossing the trail.

When we reached the creek I dropped to my knees and broke away some of the shelf ice at the edge.

I tossed an icy plank into the snow for Mutt to track down. I watched as she made a wild run towards the spot where the piece of ice landed.

Using her head as some sort of

snow shifter she magically reappeared

with the ice chunk between

her teeth.

I walked along the creek and continued the game of fetch until Mutt’s furry face became crispy with ice.

I tested a few spots on the frozen creek to see if it could withhold the weight of my eight year-old body.

The ice gave way once or twice and my boots sank ankle-deep into the chilly waters.

I listened closely to the sounds the ice made with each of my steps.

I was able to identify the noise it made if it was too thin, and awaited the inevitable snap and plunge of my foot into cold water.

Mutt stayed along the edge of the creek investigating the chatter of a Red Squirrel or the scent of a rabbit or deer track.

But I continued along taking one slow step after another.

Sometimes I stopped to watch the water as it coursed below my boots.

The ice was like nature’s window beneath my feet, and I became so entranced by it that I wandered a lot farther into the woods than I had intended.

After a while, water seeped through my boots and my feet got very cold.

I turned around and hiked quickly back to the house with Mutt trailing behind.

Once I was safely back home I put my feet into a tub of warm water until the redness and sharp feeling of cold faded away.

Mitch Lee, Adirondack native & storyteller, lives at Big Moose Lake.ltmitch3rdny@aol.com