Yes!…It’s fall! My favorite season of the year. Cool, crisp air that makes outdoor activities extra-enjoyable. Not to mention the vast number of activities to choose from: apple orchards, pumpkin patches, hay rides, bonfires, leaf watching, s’mores. Need I say more? Ah …. fall!!! I especially love hiking in the fall. Finding the perfect time when some leaves have fallen and crunch under your feet on the trail, and where other leaves in full color are still on the trees to enjoy. You can comfortably hike for miles in the cool temperatures. There is absolutely nothing more enjoyable, except for that one time….

We were in southern Indiana and had been told to watch out for… Copperheads. They are thick in that area, especially in the fall where they try to soak up the remaining sunshine before winter. The advice was spot on. We stayed in a cabin overnight, and saw a snake in the morning as we were getting ready to go hiking. The problem was, the leaves on the trail were just the right color to camouflage the copperheads perfectly. Now normally when I hike in the fall, I am looking around at the beautiful trees, happily kicking up leaves as I go. This time was different! I didn’t want to be looking elsewhere as I randomly kicked a copperhead!

You would think that since the snakes could hear me coming from miles away as I stomped through the leaves, they would be long gone before we got there. Apparently one large Black Rat snake didn’t get the memo and tried to cross the trail right as Michael was walking by. He didn’t see the snake at first because of the leaves, so until he got his feet tangled up with it, he didn’t know it was there. The thought that it might be a copperhead had him doing a pretty incredible air dance as he tried to get away from it. I never realized he could jump that high, but to be honest, I was just glad it was him and not me. He wouldn’t admit it, but after that he seemed to be stomping right along with me.

Except for that one time (and one other time in Alabama), I have thoroughly enjoyed hiking in the fall. Don’t get me wrong, those trips were still enjoyable…and memorable! We have enjoyed the beauty of the colorful leaves on the mountains in North Carolina as we hiked to waterfalls. Seen the absolute majesty of the Pictured Rock National Lakeshore in the upper peninsula of Michigan after the leaves had fallen and given us an unobstructed view. Enjoyed the cool, crisp air as we hiked the high mountain deserts of Utah.

After a breathtaking day of hiking in the fall, there is nothing better than to go back to a cozy fire and make s’mores. And hot chocolate. Or hot apple cider. Stay tuned next week as Michael tells how to roast the perfect marshmallow. He is an expert!

Randi