FOUND IT!

(Doesn't begin to capture the colors!)

Found it! 

I posted yesterday that I am in search of autumn in New England since it is taking its sweet damn time here in my neck of the woods.  I am pleased to report that, yuppers, I found it!

My sister and I hiked Bradbury Mountain in Maine several weeks ago.  It's an easy mountain, more of a glorified hill, actually, with some great trails all over its surface.  One can hike and re-hike and circle around and re-cross one's own tracks several times over and never really see the same trail twice.

We both agree that a fall hike is a grand idea, so on the Monday of the long October holiday weekend, arguably the most popular foliage weekend of the year up here, we decide to tackle the mountain again.  When we arrive early, we actually have several of the trails to ourselves, but, by noontime, the place is a zoo, crawling with people and kiddos (unfortunately, some who had zero respect for nature or the mountain and left trash and disgusting assortments of food plastered all over the summit).

While traipsing off onto several truly off-the-beaten-path trails, we come upon some freshly tattered dead tree trunks.  Well, not as fresh as I once encountered in Vermont when the tree-mauling bear was actually in front of my friends and me on the trail, but fresh enough to know something (probably a bear) had been there within the last few days. This, of course is confirmed when we encounter large piles of pooh on the trail.  This is not human pooh (unless Andre the Giant left it), and it's not dog pooh, and it's not horse pooh.  I've seen bear skat before, and this is some damn big bear skat. 

In addition to the pooh and the people, we find color in the trees, some of it subtle and some of it eye-poppingly vibrant.  It's not quite peak yet, but it's pretty damn nice foliage.  It appears I have found autumn, complete with tourists and pre-hibernating animals, and that's fine with me because I also get to see some fabulous natural artistry, as well.

Of course, we see even more colorful trees when we take a wrong turn on the way home during our adventure, but that's a tale for another day.  I won't even hint about my sister wanting to throw me out of the car when I keep lamenting loudly and erratically out the window, "Help us!  Help us, please!  We are LOOOOOOOOOOOOST!!!!!"  But, it's okay.  In the end, we find autumn and we find our way home ... eventually.