Autumn Adventures: Back to Cougar Mountain

Since it's starting to snow in the mountains, and there's more rain in the lowlands this time of year, Mr. D and I have switched from the Weekly Hike to frequent (but not necessarily weekly) Autumn Adventures. On October 19, we headed back to Cougar Mountain, site of our first weekly hike last summer.

The day was cool (temperatures in the 50s) and cloudy when we started out. The view up the Red Town Trail from the trailhead wasn't as lush as last summer, and the leaves were just starting to turn.

I observed a fallen leaf from a Big Leaf Maple on the trail:

When we stopped to take a break for water and snacks, I noticed this fragment of machinery next to the trail:

There was a coal mine in this area decades ago, and this was probably left behind when the mine was closed.

About halfway through our hike, the sun peeked out, and we could see a bit of blue sky:

As the sun pushed the clouds away, the ferns were transformed:

The forest was quiet and peaceful as we finished our autumn hike.