The Foliage Trip

I made my last trip up to Vermont this past weekend for a few different reasons.  The first of which was to re-enforce the roof of the pavilion that I built over the summer to withstand the snow that will inevitably pile up on it over the coming winter months.  The second reason was to return a few items that were too wet to stow in the shed due to rain the last time we were up there.  The last reason, was for a little relaxation and retreat from everyday life.  The most amazing thing to me was the change in fall foliage just during the trip.  Starting in Connecticut, it would appear that we are just approaching peak season for fall foliage, that short span of time in the fall where almost every tree is plastered with beautiful colors running the gamut from dark browns through reds through brilliant oranges and yellows.  While we are just turning that corner here in Connecticut, the scene changes quite rapidly as you head even a few hundred miles north to Vermont.  As I traveled up on Friday, leaving a little later than normal due to a crazy morning, I traveled from almost peak to peak to post peak.  The peak season right now is in most of Massachusetts, ranging from just north of the border with Connecticut to Southern Vermont after which it begins to taper off.   Massachusetts is absolutely beautiful with hills and peaks looking as if they are almost on fire with the changing leaves.  Southern Vermont right now takes the prize mostly due to its peaks and valleys, which when you pass through, give you perhaps the most beautiful scenes that can be found in New England.  Once you get about a half hour into Vermont, though, the colors start to disappear, leaving barren trees and patches of pine trees mingled in between.  While not all the leaves are gone from the trees even where my property is, the majority are.  Sometimes, I find it interesting to see a single tree covered in brilliant orange while all the trees around it are completely bare.  It is a testament to the difference that every tree embodies from those around it.  No two are the same, no two lose their leaves at the same time, and just depending on how the wind blows, one whole hillside could retain its color for a week longer than the opposite side of the hill. 

 

The trip itself was amazing to take, with me struggling to keep my eyes on the road instead of watching the colors pass me by at 80 miles per hour.  Up on my property, there is one small tree left that has retained its leaves up until now.  Its a small one just one edge of our clearing and its colors are astounding.  The range from a reddish brown near the bottom of the tree to a bright reddish orange near the top.  With no leaves on any of the trees, more sun breaks through and casts elegant shadows that dance in the wind.  Barely clearing a hill, the sun struggles to warm up the campsite, but with a warm fire going, you barely notice the difference.  Yet, all that will change over the winter.  The blanket of leaves that crinkle with every step you take with be compacted by the snow.  But for now, I will hold on to the memory of this past weekend in Vermont, the perfect fall weather, and the colors that now lay on the ground around the camp.  There is always next year, where the trees will be a little bit bigger and perhaps a different tree will retain its leaves late into the fall.  I love every season in New England, but for me, the two best are spring and fall, the time of birth and dying.  Two periods where everything pops for a few weeks. . Oh well, time to get back to real life, enjoy the fall foliage here in Connecticut, and keep on trucking through the winter.