The clouds stayed away until the eclipse was over last night.  When they moved in, the rain began falling.  There was enough to fill all the dips in the trail so rubber boots were the footwear of choice this morning.

I love heading out early.  The morning light is soft, warm and great for photography.  The trail sparkled.  The morning sun reflected off the raindrops creating a shimmering path.  Mother Nature's crown jewels lead me into the forest.

There was a gentle breeze.  I could hear it rustling the leaves.  Most of the tall trees are still holding onto their leaves.  Many of the small to mid size trees have lost theirs.  The trails were covered with a carpet of leaves.  It seems the yellow leaves were the first to let go.  

Most of the rose leaves were a brilliant red.  The chokecherry leaves were a deep burgundy.  My favorite was a group of aspens.  They were yellow on the bottom half and orange to red at the top. 

The landscape was ablaze with color.  The shore on the opposite side of the lake looked like a painting.  I wondered if the ducks and geese on the lake enjoyed the scene as much as I did.

What should have taken me 40 minutes to hike the trail, took me 2 hours.  It definitely was not a fitness hike.  It was a mental health hike.  

I took in the colors and sounds of the forest.  I admired the raindrops on the carpet of leaves.  I watched the sun reflect off the drops that were clinging to the leaves.  As I walked,  I thought about how in a couple of weeks the leaves will be gone and bare branches will remain. I hope I'll have the opportunity to visit the trails again before this happens.