Hello Autumn, My Old Friend - Part 1 of 2

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you,

and the storms their energy,

while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

~ John Muir

Well...I am sad to report that we are now home from our Autumn vacation....boo hiss! Why is it that vacation passes SO stinking fast? And why oh why do I live in Florida when there are states out there as beautiful as Vermont and New Hampshire? {sigh}Okay, enough feeling sorry for myself....moving on! Vacation was pure Fall Fabulousness as always, BUT, it was somewhat lacking on the two most important things I look forward to when heading to New England. And those two things were 1.) Cold Weather and 2.) Colorful Leaves. Apparently we got there too early this year, and right in time for a warming trend. So not only was there a decided lack of color to the trees, but some days it was literally warm enough to wear shorts. If that doesn't suck acorns, I don't know what does!!

(My son on the zip-line)

But never one to dwell on the negative for too long...I decided I would not let it dampen my commune with my old friend Autumn! Besides...what is 'shorts' weather to you northerners, is still sweater weather for me.

(Yours truly, happily flying zipping across an autumn ravine.
All I need is a pointed hat and a broom! )

So on our first day there, we drove up to Stowe Vermont and up into Smuggler's Notch to do some Zip-Lining. We've zip-lined before in Gatlinburg, TN, but ArborTrek's ZipLine at Smugg's puts that to shame. It was truly incredibl,e zip-lining through the tree canopy in Autumn. High above the mountain sides, over streams and gorges....from one tree platform to another. It takes almost three hours to complete, has really long zip lines, (with one being almost 1000 ft. long), and two rappels off the platforms to the ground below. That was new for us....we've never rappelled before....and I must be honest and say that it was scary and I didn't much care for that part. The harness actually bruised the ribs in my back. But I'm glad that I did it, and I would most certainly do it all again. Yes, I'm pretty sure that the Smuggler's Notch Zip-Lining will now be a family tradition every time we go back to New England, because it was just that fantastic!The color was just starting to turn when we arrived, which disappoints me because those lucky jokers who had reservations on the day we came home....were zipping through a multi-colored Autumn wonderland. But...beggars can't be choosers, and I'm just grateful to have been there at all.

(My daughter acting crazy on the zipline,
and giving me a nervous breakdown.)

So after we finished zip-lining, we had to travel back down through Smuggler's Notch. And since it was so beautiful outdoors, we decided to pull off at some of the viewing areas and climb up the rocks on the side of the mountain. The color was better in this area, although it was mostly bright yellows and gold with a little oranges here and there. The kids took off up the mountain to see what they could see, while I found myself a big flat boulder up on the mountain side and decided to lay down on it and try to connect with the earth's energy. This was pure bliss for me!

I laid there feeling the coolness of that rock while staring up at a canopy of golden leaves. The warmth of the setting sun filtered through just enough to make the leaves glisten like real gold. The air was cool and dry, and had the most incredible earthy smell to it. It smelled fresh and clean...of herbs and leaves and moss and earth....it smelled like only Autumn can smell. And as I laid there, I was quite certain that it was my version of Heaven. I would gladly tarry there for eternity if only I could.Then I thought to myself..."if only my Halloween friends could be here enjoying this very spot with me"! For only THEY can truly appreciate and understand the depth of what Autumn offers to its 'Autumn People'. YOU all...could appreciate the solitude of laying on that massive rock, staring up in complete bliss at the glory of Autumn. So you know what I did? I decided I should take a few shots UP...so that I could share with you what I was viewing from my vantage point. I laid there on my back and lifted up my camera and shot what I saw above me. I was feeling very connected to the cycle of life, to the changing seasons, and to the earth itself....when my blissful solitude was broken by the excited shrieks of my children....calling out to me that they had found a 'treasure box' up in a cave on the mountainside. Knowing their active imaginations, I "yes deared" them while trying to get back into my zen space....but they were relentless. I HAD to come and see it right that very minute. Of course I was somewhat peeved that I had to trek myself up the mountain to see some imaginary 'treasure box', but my son insisted it was real. The hubster then appears on the scene and confirms that it was indeed real. So I struggle to release the magnetic force that was connecting me to my rock, and carefully climbed my way up higher on the mountain, not sure of what to expect.

I had visions of some pirate chest perhaps....or more likely, an empty fast food container that they found and filled with pinecones, rocks and other 'treasures from nature'. But I was way off! They had indeed found a 'treasure chest' of sorts, and it was purely accidental. My son spotted it up in the crook of some rocks, so he and his sister decided to investigate it. And what a VERY COOL find it was too. Turns out...we opened that box up and discovered something brand new that we had no idea existed until that very day.

So I'll stop here and share our discovery with you in my next post.
All Images © 2011 Wendy A. and ArborTrek (All Rights Reserved)