The morning was wet and cold, with ice on the windshield that had to be scraped. But Ellen and I had plans to be outside, so we weren't going to be deterred by that. We decided to go to Crystal Valley Ski Area, and do some cleanup on the trails.
She's an avid skier (I'm only mediocre), and belongs to the association that maintains those trails. So we pulled limbs and sticks out of Loop 4. Clearing them makes it easier for the groomer, and a smoother surface. Even if there is a lot of snow, loose branches have a way of working up or twisting up to trip a skier.
By noon, the sun had come out and the woods was really pretty. It was seriously difficult to pick just a few pictures. You can see how many leaves have fallen, and yet, there are still occasional trees like this one.
Frankly, when the sun shines, even the less bright leaves are outstanding. Here are some white oak.
I leave you with the find of the season... the largest red oak leaf I've seen this year, maybe ever. Ellen will model it for you.
In addition to cleaning Loop 4, we walked Loop 5. It's not completed yet, but is all flagged, so we could follow it. All together, we hiked more than 6 miles.
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9 comments:
yes, it is so true, how the lighting of the sun can make leaves glow, sometimes, it does even make the evergreen leaves look like glowing in gold.
The sun makes all the fall colors come alive. I haven't seen too much of the sun in quite some time around here.
Sounds like you had a really nice day
I don't envy you the work, but the beauties of nature, yes. Could I just stroll along while you pitch branches?
What a great way to spend a couple of hours. And what a great day you had for it. I appreciate the mini tree-identification lessons you have given your readers.
It is always so good to be in the forest.
And to see everyone in the colour of the fall.
Love the forest view . red yellow colour .cute puppy with red cloth :)
I feel quite envious.
betchai- I should have stopped for one more picture. The tops of some spruce were really glowing.
Ann- sorry that you haven't had much sun
vanilla- you are welcome to walk along with us any time.
Chuck- it was more than a couple of hours! Glad you like the IDs... I just can't help myself.
rainfield- you have your colors there, we have ours here
wintergurl- she is cute in her orange coat... safer too!
John- New England colors are even better than here!
Oh, the colors are so beautiful this year!! I love the oranges and reds the best.
Looks like a great day!
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