I left work a little early on my birthday to go for a hike before it got dark. It was wonderful to get out there!
One of my favorite things to do is hiking, especially in the woods, so I’m grateful to have a trail so close to my house. It’s always fun to see nature change through the seasons.
I went hiking over the weekend with my mom. We hiked on leaf-covered trails through the woods and saw some gorgeous fall colors, and then ended up on the beach of Lake Michigan.
We encountered only a few other people so it was a wonderfully quiet and peaceful hike.
My weekend feels complete when I get the chance to go hiking, one of my favorite things to do.
We are about 50% at peak for our fall colors, which usually happens around the middle of October.
I’m so grateful there is a hiking trail so close to my house. Hope you can get out there this season and see some autumn colors!
There’s a hiking trail not far from my house that I love to go to, especially in Fall.
The longest trail is about 3.1 miles and goes through a prairie, along a small lake where motor boats aren’t allowed (which keeps it clean and quiet), and through the woods. It’s actually one of my favorite local hikes!
Along the trail there are these wonderful signs with beautiful poetry printed on them.
I find them so intriguing and comforting while exploring these trails. It would be so fun to set up something like this in my own backyard!
I like to take different hikes on the weekends in fall, try a different trail, see different landscapes, collect treasures I find on the trails, mostly through photography. One of these weekends, I’m hoping to go on a hike by myself and try doing some botanical studies and odes to nature in my sketchbook.
This past weekend, I hiked at Lapham Peak, which is part of the Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern unit, formed 10,000 years ago by glaciers. The trails traverse through glacially-formed hills and around kettle lakes, prairies and state forest land.
It was also great fun to discover a beautiful butterfly garden in the middle of this state park, full of a huge variety of wildflowers that attract pollinators. Nice to still see bees, goldfinches and monarchs this late in the season. I lucked out with a warm and sunny fall day, so it was exhilarating to be out in the woods and hiking the trails again.
It’s been over a month since I’ve been on the hiking trails! Life can get busy at times, and I forget to stop, take a deep breath and listen to the quiet in the woods.
It always feels good to step away from the computer, get some exercise and breath in the fresh air. Often times, I end up doing a little treasure hunt, looking for a variety of colors, shapes, textures and patterns.
It was just the mental pick-me-up I needed for a Monday afternoon! Happy hiking!
Terri
We went on our first hike of Fall over the weekend! It felt great to be on the trails again, exploring the woods.
Remember that old hollow tree I love so much? It’s still toppled over.
It’s still early in the season, and we’ve had a lot of warm, sunny days lately, so we didn’t see a lot of fall colors yet.
Hope you’re out enjoying Fall too!
Terri
We squeezed in a little free time this past weekend to hike a trail not far from our house. I love these woods because they are full of very tall pine trees which are fun to walk through.
It was great to be in the woods, soaking up fresh air, listening to the crunch under our hiking boots, and searching for treasures, from squirrel nests high up in the trees to lichen and moss on fallen tree trunks to pine cones and tracks on the trail.
Hope you found time to get some fresh air over the weekend too!
Terri
Remember the pictures I’ve shared over the years of this cool hollow tree on a hiking trail we love to go to?
I always love to hide inside the tree to pose for a picture.
We haven’t been on this trail for about two years, and we recently discovered that the tree collapsed. Here’s what’s left of it.
Naturally, I still had to climb inside anyway.
This old tree was such a wonder to discover in the woods and watch it decay over the years. I’m sure it provided shelter and sanctuary to many critters. Hope you’re out finding treasures in your world too.
Terri
