The hike

It’s that time of year where you want to still leave your window open at night, but wake up chilled searching for the covers. You can hear the faint sound of Canadian geese through your open window as they fly their way south. That sound jolts you into the realization that Indian summer is over and its now fall. The magnificence of nature- at its most visually and audibly appealing. An array of colours burst all around you, making your eyes dance with wonder as they drink in the golds, auburns, reds, greens, oranges and browns. The crackling of leaves under your feet as you move slowly through the picturesque landscape that is autumn.

It’s these days that change is the most evident. The trees are changing their outer surface as their interior is in preparation for the long cold winter ahead. It is also these days that make me appreciate walking through the forest. I think they are the perfect hiking days – not too hot, just right! I can commune with nature in theory or maybe just an aspiration. So that’s what I did, I went for a hike with the ambition of taking as many pictures of the forest as I possibly could so that I could capture a glimpse of the beauty of nature on film. That way when my mind’s eye was dying, I’d have the photograph to help me remember.

So that was the plan! We headed out with water and a camera for a two hour hike. Within the first 20 minutes on the trail we veered off onto a smaller path, not very worn and with lots of jutting rocks and mud. This turned out to an hour and a half detour – originally, the hike was supposed to be 40 minutes. After traipsing through mud and underbrush we made it back onto the planned hiking path. My detour eventually brought us back!

At the end was a big boulder. The rock was dumped in the middle of the forest completely out of place. But when I climbed the beast and perched myself on top, there was a phenomenal panoramic view of the forest stretching out below. Everything I had originally wanted to see was right in front of me and it was worth the wait. The chore of wadding through mud, twisting my ankle on rocks was insignificant compared to the reward of being able to look upon autumn in all its glory. Sometimes the hike is worth it just for the ending.