If ever there is a glorious time to be in the woods, it is foliage. In the low light of October, the trees are often back-lit and as the leaves spiral and dance in the wind, the forest is an enchanting place to be. Leaves crunch underfoot scenting the air with October.
In “The Night Before Christmas” author Clement Clarke Moore writes this “As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.” That’s what it was like walking through the fields and woods to get to the Howe Block of the Camel’s Hump State Forest last week.
There’s no doubt about it, foliage this year has been spectacular and not just in the eyes of this beholder, but all of the dozens and dozens of readers who have shared their stunning pictures with us. Sugarbush and Mad River Glen have seen peak crowds for lift rides and community gatherings this month and our trail networks and hiking trails have been likewise well used by people happy to be in the woods.
Here is a poem by David Wagoner, written in 1971 and titled “Lost.”
Lost
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.
Take the time, before the snow flies to spend some time in the woods. Get lost and let the forest find you. Thanks to all our readers who shared their foliage adventures via pictures.
