October Mountain: Plugging ourselves in to nature for a recharge

So, yesterday you spent over twelve hours in a cramped SUV with two kids, your husband, mother-in-law and two frustrating Tom-Tom GPS's that didn't seem to agree on which route you should be taking. It was a L-O-N-G trip. Today you wake up in the hotel (with hubby and kids, M.I.L. got her own room!) with a sore back and not much sleep, and you have one of your best friends weddings to go to at 1pm that afternoon.

What do you do for the next few hours?

Watch some TV, relax, grab some breakfast at the pathetic continental spread in the lobby. Maybe have a short drive around the cute little town to see what's there and grab a light lunch.

Yep, that's what 'normal' people would probably do.

Fortunately for me, I'm not 'normal.'

Early fall in the the Berkshire Mountains near Lenox, MA

First, I wasn't driving all the way up to the Berkshires only to look at the scenery from the car window. Second, I knew that I'd be on the brink of going stir-crazy after such a long trip in such a small vehicle. Third, well, what would you expect two highly active little boys to act like at a wedding after a day in a car and a morning in a hotel room? Sitting still and quiet would NOT be on their to-do list for the afternoon, I can assure you of that.

So a little pre-trip planning gave me a lot of choices for a quick morning adventure. I printed off the info and directions to a few before we left and chose October Mountain State Park the night before, mostly becuase it was close and had such an imagination-inspiring lovely name! Saturday morning we awoke, packed our day packs, strapped on our hiking boots and proceeded to have an incredibly lovely day.

To my surprise and to my kids pleasure, there was another perk to going to October Mountain. The Massachussets State Park system offers a free passport book for kids which they can stamp at every park they visit using a special stamp located near the offices. The boys were thrilled to unlock the box and stamp their new books, and I was thrilled to have a very nice and FREE momento of our trip. And who knows, maybe sometime we'll go back and can get more stamps from other parks!

Our hike was fantastic. The autumn colors were beautiful, the park was lovely, and the trail was exactly what the boys and I needed to recharge ourselves and get back into a good mood after all the crankiness in the car. I opted for hiking part of a trail out-and-back for a total of only about 1.5 miles. We couldn't be late for the wedding! We took our time playing on rocks and in streams and generally having a wonderful time in the woods.

After making it to a set of small cascading waterfalls and racing many sticks and yellow leaves down the natural water slides, we turned around to head back to the campground where we were parked. The kids didn't want to go, but even a outdoorsy-girl like me needs lots of time to primp and try to make myself look fabulous for a wedding. My oldest asked if we could do another hike after the wedding. I could not have been happier with their enthusiasm, even though I knew it'd be too late by then to do so. October Mountain was the perfect way to get outside and have at least one small experience in the beauty of fall in New England.

Family shot while taking a break on the trail.

Getting ready to send that leaf on a ride down the cascades.

The little falls and the park and the trails were all beautiful.

My Jr Explorer and future hiking guru.

Our one and only Massachussets State Park stamp... for now at least.

(P.S. - Where was my hubby? Off doing his Best man duties with the groom of course!)

Contest: Name Fred's Friend

Meet Fred.

Fred has recently come out of the cave under our house where he lives most of the year to make his month long appearance in our front yard. Fred has been with us for many, many years but only aquired his friendly name last year when he was a little spooky looking for our then 2-year-old. Its a silly name, but it stuck nicely and our now 3-year-old has already re-introduced him to all the neighborhood kids, in case anyone forgot his name. Fred's favorite pastimes are chillin' in the cool fall weather, lording over his graveyard skull buddies and watching over the kids as they play in the cul-de-sac. Fred loves the out of doors even though he only spends about 30 days a year out in the fresh air, and he especially loves spending time with the neighborhood kids out there! He's a great fellow and we are proud to have him in the family.

About two years ago we had another addition to our fall family. Meet Fred's good friend who is currently in need of a name. Fred's friend (say that 10 times fast!) enjoyes hanging out in trees, scaring the bejeesus out of kids as they walk down the driveway in the dark, and letting his cares float away in the breeze. Fred's friend is a little less friendly than Fred has proven to be, but we love him just the same. And even though he can seem especially spooky to unsuspecting kiddos who don't notice him until the last minute, he really is just a nice guy who enjoys his short break from the garage loft to sway in the trees during the best month of the year.

This year I'm thinking Fred's friend needs a name of his own. So here it is, the Name Fred's Friend contest. Please reply to this post with ONE NAME ONLY that you think best suits this tree hanging ghoul. You may include a short explanation if you think your chosen name needs one, but please only reply once. You may 'vote' for someone else's name if they replied with one you like. The winner of this fabulous contest receives a wonderful 'Thank You' from yours truly, their name (and site, if you have one) mentioned in this blog at the unveiling of nameless's new moniker, and the everlasting glory of having christened the scariest member of the Scott family.

Can't wait to see what you all come up with. Happy Halloween!

Fall in Love With Fall again in Virginia

After hearing that I went to the mountians last weekend for LNT training, no one asks about the training. At least, not at first. FIRST they ask if the leaves have started changing color there yet. Yes, it must be the onset of fall in Virginia, when we all crane our necks from car windows waiting to see that first hint of yellow in the trees. We find ourselves scouring the internet for things to do outside to enjoy the FINALLY cooler, less humid weather. As an east coast girl, fall has always been the ultimate season for enjoying the great outdoors and the full beauty of nature.

Fall just beginning at Shenandoah National Park, Oct 2, 2010

So in response to the many questions, yes, there was a little bit of color starting to show in the leaves, but just a hint was mixed in with the regular vibrant greens. Actually, there was already a great deal of brown dead-looking trees there too though. the Shenandoah Mountians have always struggled with having a completely healthy tree canopy, so it could be those trees were just standing dead anyway, or it could be that they had been so stressed by this summer's heat and dry weather that they went and dropped their leaves rather than put on the display we wait so anxiously to see. According to some 'foliage experts' (like this Penn State one), the color potential for fall 2010 is lower than normal due to the intense summer temps and drought. Obviously there will still be some beautiful colors to see as we progress further into the fall season, but from the looks of things it won't be a banner year for fall colors this time.

But Virginia will always be an excellent place to visit in the fall no matter what the foliage forecast is for the year. So for those neck-craners who are tired of boring green and getting antsy to see some really vibrant yellows, oranges and reds dotting the landscape, I have a couple website recommendations for you to bookmark. The first is a site I hope you already know about if you live in or plan to visit Virginia. It is the Virginia Tourism site at http://www.virginia.org/, but did you know they have a special section of pages dedicated just to fall foliage, travel and crisp outdoor adventures? Everything from apple picking places to best scenic autumn drives to wine tastings to quick camping get aways. Its a great place to start planning your weekend fall celebration.

Fall near Quantico, VA, October 2009

My second suggestion of sites on fall tree viewing is a little less flashy than the Virginia is for Lovers tourism site, but has some different and just as interesting information. The Virginia Department of Forestry at http://www.dof.virginia.gov/ has a page dedicated to fall foliage in the Commonwealth. Here they post a weekly foliage report (still mostly green at this writing) and information about expected peak color dates, which trees turn which colors, more fall driving tours and information on why the leaves change color (its okay, we know you've forgotten that middle school biology lesson so go ahead and look). If you are hoping to be out to catch the leaves at their best, the DOF site is a good place to check the reports and find out if your planning calendar is on target!

Fall hike with the Tiger Cubs, Nov. 2009

So go with me now to that buried box in the closet, take out your comfy-coziest fall colored sweater, shake out the wrinkles and the moth balls and put it on as you head out the door on your autumn adventure. Plan a trip to the mountains and forests of Virginia and fall in love with fall all over again this year. Even if the trees don't put on quite the show that we've come to love and expect, you'll be sure to enjoy the outstanding fall air and your favorite sweater will show the trees that they have competition to aspire to beat for next year's display. Fall will always be my favorite season. Post a picture of your autumn escapades and send me the link, I'd love to see you and the trees at your fall finest!

Horseback riding, one of our family's common fall activities, Nov 2009