Roaring Run, A Walk in the Woods

    

     Autumn is by far my favorite season for hiking in the woods. The temperatures are comfortable, there are no bugs, and the fallen leaves smell incredibly good. It's an entirely different landscape with bare trees and no undergrowth. The mountainsides are visible rising up behind the woods and there's a better sense of the terrain.
     The aid was with my mom this morning, so when B. suggested a hike, I happily agreed! Roaring Run is a popular local trail that follows a stream and several cascades leading up to a waterfall. It's a super easy hike, perhaps a mile and a half round trip, and only a twenty minute drive from home. The creek dominates the landscape with the trail hugging its banks and crisscrossing it with bridges. Its rushing water guides hikers upward toward the falls. Henri was our little trailblazer and energetically scampered up and over rocks. Considering his age of ten years, he was quite limber. Lindy, who is years older than Henri enjoyed the trail as well and was a sweet girl to oblige the climb in her gentle way. We tackled the trail at a comfortable pace, stopping now and then to sit on boulders and enjoy the beauty of the woods. Bits of color still dot some trees while leaves cascaded down in slow motion all around us as we hiked.We passed not a soul on the entire way up. We chose an alternate trail on the way down and by that time, we spotted several other hikers on their way in. Although everyone was friendly, I'm glad we had the woods to ourselves for a while. There were a few men trout fishing where the creek widens into large pools at the trail head.
     Afterwards, we rewarded our appetites with coffee and biscuits on B.'s porch. Yes, it was mild enough to dine outside! These are fleeting opportunities as evidenced by the rain that began to fall on my way home. The air remains mild, but the chilly nights and cool breezes have soaked into the rocks and ground so nothing emanates warmth anymore. If you sit down on a rock or the ground, it will seep with cold! November sets in with its inevitable gray dampness.  It's still beautiful, though and it's a good thing I like rainy days.

Henri the Trailblazer

Henri keeps watch while we sit near the stream below him.

My prize find; a fallen branch of perfect pine cones