see those blue mountains in the distance? those are the peaks of otter. we're going to climb the one on the right. sharp top mountain.
when you stop to take photographs or just to be present in the magnificence of this space (or it you need to rest and your camera gives you the perfect excuse so you don't look like a total wuss), the hike to the summit takes a little over two hours.
in the space of two hours, we walked from the last weekend of summer into autumn.
have you noticed that trails always start out looking like this? flat, wide, totally doable? they get you into the wilderness and then they bring out the steep rocky inclines.
for a girl like me, who doesn't really like athletics, hiking is the perfect activity. you can't really quit. you can turn around and go back but that still requires some effort. i find that once i've committed to some distance, i almost always choose to get the reward (the summit.)
hello tiny delicate flowers.
and weird gigantic orange mushrooms.
my tiny buddha.
my other tiny buddha.
a heart-shaped stone. always a good sign you are on the right path.
they are almost always ahead of me a bit. this one always (always!) keeps an eye on me to make sure i'm coming along.
halfway there.
and we have arrived at autumn.
imagine what all of those gorgeous trees will look like a few weeks from now when virginia explodes with fall color! shall we return?
absolutely!
