Trail Walking

The cool autumn breeze tugged gently against my skin as I walked along the one of the many winding trails around my home. I had always had a calling to nature and was glad that it had been fed and nurtured by those in my life that I had loved dearly. The sun was sitting high in the sky but the hot sun of summer had passed and now came the brightness of the autumn sun. I watched as the trail twisted and turned in front of me. Soon I was passing one of the many opening where long ago lumber camps had once stood. These woods a wild and long history of men that had worked in them and some that had given their lives deep inside them.

****I could see some people coming towards me as they traveled a different direction along the same trail. As we passed each other I nodded my head to them and wished them a good day. It always made my heart pound with joy when I saw people enjoying the calling of nature as I did. Many city folks come up into the area during all times of the year. Many take to the numerous trails that lead into the deep woods of the Presidential Mountain Range, a part of the Appalachian Mountain Range that stretches up and down the eastern United States. Slowly I walked along the trail, stopping for a second by a babbling brook that came cascading down from the mountains to adjust the small backpack that was strapped to my back. I never carried water with me as I relied on the many brooks to quench my thirst when the need for a drink came to me.

****The days were shorter now as the long summer ones had passed and now the hours of daylight were adjusting as we headed for the coldest time of the year. The cool nights had taken their toll on the leaves that had once shaded the trail from the sky above. Now color filled the leaves as I looked on in awe, admiring the red, yellow, orange, and brown mixtures. Each tree had its own colors depending on species. This was a special time of year and like the other seasons I enjoyed this one as well for its own special reasons. Out of the corner of my eye I saw sudden movement and I stopped in my tracks. With a rustle of the leaves I large male deer leaped from the woods and now stood in the middle of the trail. There he stood in all his glory, his head held eye showing off the beautiful rack of antlers that had grown over the summer. I reached for my camera and quickly snapped a picture of him before he bolted into the woods and was gone from sight.

****More and more people both local and tourists started filtering into the woods. This was a perfect time of year for picture taking or just enjoying the beauty that I called the color season. I looked at my watch and realized that the morning had silently passed and it was time for me to head home and get some daily chores done. I turned and walked back along the path from which I came until I was at my vehicle. A couple came to me and asked me questions about the area, which I was more then happy to spend time answering. I enjoyed seeing people interested in the area I lived as it had a lot to offer the mature lover. After we shook hands and I took their picture for them with the backdrop of the colors of autumn, I was in my vehicle and headed home.

****I thought of the day and all the people that had crossed my path. I wondered if one of them may have been you and if not maybe in the future by chance we might cross paths on one of the many trails. So if you have not visited the area before or if you are a returning visitor all I can say is welcome to nature's beauty as it will be unfolded in front of you. Until then I tip my hat and with a smile I bid you good day and may angels walk with you forever.