The Pennsylvania Backpacker

I can tell you in words and words how much I love the autumn woods and wilds of Pennsylvania, but I think I'd rather just SHOW you. If you are a lover of the fall, and in particular the autumn leaf-change, I think you will enjoy these photos. Let me warn you: if you ever visit Pennsylvania in the month of October, you just may never leave! OK, you've been warned!

It was with some regret that we packed up our backpacks and left our peaceful campsite in the woods of Sproul State Forest on Tuesday morning. But as Thoreau once said, we left the woods for as good a reason as we went there; after all, we had several more lives to live. And more colors to see!

I followed my husband from our campsite as we bushwhacked through the woods and made our way back to the little dirt road along which my car was parked. It seemed to me that the colors were even BETTER on our way out than they had been on our walk in the day before.

The colors practically seemed to shine. This is the thing with the autumn foliage: it almost seems to generate its own light. Also, this is the difference that a day can make this time of year: you can watch the colors turn before your very eyes.

And of course there in the distance in front of me is my husband, one of the original Pennsylvania backpackers. (His trail name is The Walking Dude, and for obvious reasons; he walks in the woods more than anyone I know!)

It made me giggle to think about doing one of those funny Internet "this is what my friends think I do/this is what I really do" photo compilations. For THIS, friends, is what it is like to backpack in Pennsylvania in early October. It is like walking through a land painted in colors you might see only in a dream. THIS is what we live for!

But wait! There is more! Over the weekend, I had a strange feeling that it was time to go and visit Black Moshannon, a little state park not far from where we live. And so for our afternoon drive home, we chose to go the long back way, so that we could take in the fall colors at Black Moshannon.

Well, when we got there, Hooray! Yippie! Yee-haw! The foliage colors were absolutely at PEAK and I took many, many photos. The colors were stunning and perhaps the best I've ever seen there. (Did you hear me say that? Possibly the best EVER!) I beg of you, dear reader: please, if you love autumn at all, take a look at the three additional pictures of the foliage reflections at Black Moshannon in my extra photos area.

It is my custom to include a song link with each picture posted here, and for this posting, I wanted to include a favorite song, to celebrate what just might be my favorite time of year. The song is Colors of the Wind. The first version is from the 1995 Disney film Pocahontas, and it is sung by Judy Kuhn. I've also included a cover by Vanessa Williams. Enjoy!