An Afternoon Encounter With Leaves

Vermont during “Peak Color” is a vibrant display of natures finest fall spectacle. For only a week or two each fall, the leaves reach their peak colors, then fade quickly and fall to the ground. Nature’s display starts in the north and works its way south. Being at the right spot at the right time is harder in the modern world, due to scheduling requirements of vacation time in advance. The peak color season varies a few weeks from year to year, depending on temperature, rain, and other factors. So it can easily be missed. But Kathy and I were lucky and we didn’t miss a thing.

 

We were very blessed to arrive in Vermont during this time of “Peak Color”. The colors are vivid, incredible, breath taking, brilliant, spectacular, fiery, explosive, and mesmerizing. We drove through Vermont’s upper northwest, along Lake Champlain, through dairy and ski country. We drove major roads, and backwoods unpaved roads. Two areas were distinctly impressive were Smuggler’s Notch State Park and near Hazen’s Notch State Park.

 

The Smuggler’s Notch drive was a narrow winding road through the mountains. Several pullouts along each side of the road gave ample room for parking and taking in the view or for some hiking. No motorhomes, trailers or trucks are allowed on this road. There were plenty of other cars taking in the same route. I was actually quite surprised by the amount of traffic. But it was also a weekend, and during the fall, a lot of people come of from the cities to see the sights we were there to see too.

 

Hazen’s Notch along Route 58 is of a different character. It’s a mostly unpaved road, winding through the mountains from Montgomery Center to Irasburg. We may have encountered 3 other cars on this 20 mile route. Here you will be alone and able to just stop where you are on the road and take in all that is blazing around you. It’s highly suggested taking this route in the afternoon with the sun starting to set. I can’t readily describe the beauty we encountered this day. The pictures below don’t do justice to the intensity of the color we observed. Some of the trees just seemed like they were on fire, shimmering their shades of orange, yellow and red like the flames dancing in a campfire. Just amazing to behold.

 

We were both very saddened as the colors worked their way up the trees as the sun set and then disappeared altogether, extinguishing the fire that had held our eyes for two hours.