walking in the woods

There's something truly different about walking in the woods in early autumn, especially here deep in the mountains. It's almost cathartic to be out here, where almost everything is beginning to sleep; the trees are dropping their leaves, the cold is keeping the birds from their normal flight, and the quiet of winter is approaching. There is snow that falls during the night, yet melts with the morning sun. Rivers and waterfalls are raging from the excess water. It is almost winter. Almost.

I greatly missed the seasons of fall and winter when I was living in Florida; I've found these seasons to be an interlude from the normal chaos; from the busy streets and the tension that accompanied the heat and humidity that permeated the subtropical region of Florida throughout all months except December and January. Admittedly, I will still miss warm mid-winter days on the beach, and not being cold.