Into the Woods

I was originally scheduled to take this day as a vacation day. But then it turned rainy, with expectations of rain Thursday and Friday. So I cancelled my plans. But when we woke up on Friday morning to discover that the rain was already clearing out, quite a bit earlier than expected, my husband talked me into a half-day of vacation and a short, compromise backpacking trip.

I went to work until 12:30, by 1 pm I was home, and by 1:30, we were packed and in the car and heading for the woods. By about 2:30, we were in one of our favorite backpack sites, unpacking our gear and settling in to enjoy the sunny, breezy afternoon.

To make matters even more exciting, my husband also talked me into taking along my brand-new tent! I had bought it a while ago, in expectation that the tent I had been using regularly might be wearing out. To think of taking new gear out backpacking may seem exciting to some people, but for myself, I was full of trepidation, a bit worried about setting up an unfamiliar tent for only the second time ever (for we'd given it a dry run shortly after buying it - my husband and I set it up in the backyard, and the cat and I played in it on a sunny afternoon).

But when I got to the woods and I saw how easy it was to set the new tent up, and how spacious it was inside, what a wonderful view I had from inside through the surrounding stargazer panels, and how perfect all of the brand-new poles and stakes and gear loft and everything were, I sat delightedly in my tent for the rest of the day, pleased as punch, and just generally felt good about things.

Just before we settled in for the night, we walked out to the edge of the woods and looked out into the valley, where the late-afternoon sun was kissing the far hill. The fall foliage is still nice in spots. And the tamaracks are starting to get into the act (more on that tomorrow). This photo shows the view from the edge of the field near the tree line of the woods in which we camped. You can see a row of pines down in front, and the autumn foliage waxing from orange into golden brown on the hill behind it.

The soundtrack: Jethro Tull, Songs from the Wood.