Quote of the day: “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir
Wood Pile in Golden Woods
Today, I went out to my beloved Wolsfeld Woods for a walk in the woods. This wonderful remnant of the Big Woods that once covered much of Minnesota is one of my favorite places to walk. The sugar maples, basswood, and oak trees tower overhead. The paths are so covered with fallen leaves that it’s hard to see where the paths go. I’m glad I am familiar with the paths since it would be easy to get lost. I still walk carefully since sticks, stones and crevices can hide under 3-4 inches of dry leaves. As I enter the woods, the first thing I see is the woodpile in the photo above and a golden vista ahead of me. Although most of the leaves have fallen, there are enough colorful leaves still clinging to the branches to create a golden cathedral here in the woods. The bright golden sugar maple leaves look so gorgeous against the bright blue sky.
Golden Maple Leaves and Blue Sky
I decided to walk a path that I haven’t walked yet this summer. The path is steep and it crosses a creek that trickles through a ravine down to the lake. With the dry weather we’ve had, the creek is completely dry. I don’t think I’ve seen it that way in several years. Only a few green plants remain in the woods. A couple of hard freezes have killed most of them. This hardy lone aster looked so delicate on its stem, yet it survived the freezes that other sturdier looking plants succumbed to. Its leaves are looking a little shabby. I would look shabby after a season of growing wild in the woods too.
A Lone Wild Aster Survived the Early Freezes
The moss in the woods stays green even under the snow. I’m not surprised that it survived the freeze, but I am a little surprised that it is so green when the ground is so dry. Maybe it gets moisture from the tree that it is growing on.
Green Moss – Red Maple Leaf
Downhill and uphill I hike, taking short, careful steps through piles of leaves. This lone, bright red leaf near the ground caught my eye.
Large Red Leaf – Moss-covered log
When I reach the lake, I can see a few geese swimming away from me. At the other end of the lake a gaggle of geese are honking like crazy. I love the sounds of geese honking and gabbling. The ripples in the lake combined with reflections of trees on the banks of the lake created an impressionist painting for me.
Impressionist Patterns of reflections with 3 geese
As I climb yet again another steep hill, I pause at the top to catch my breath. Whew! Hiking this trail is a good workout. The trail leads me to the edge of a hill overlooking the lake. What a beautiful vista. During the summer the leaves hide this gorgeous view from sight.
Wolsfeld Lake Seen Through Golden Leaves
What goes up must come down. The path is so covered with leaves, that I take this hill very slowly. A couple of times a stick starts to roll beneath my foot. Because I’m taking it slow and being careful I’m able to respond to surprises like that without falling or hurting myself.
A Carpet of Leaves and Almost Bare Trees
As I’m walking along, a small snake slithers out of the leaves in front of me. It’s color is so like the leaves that if it had not been moving I might have stepped on it. As it was, I’m not sure which of us was more surprised. (I looked it up and I believe that this is a red-bellied snake, common in woodlands of Minnesota.)
Red-bellied Snake Surprised Me on the Trail
Every so often the geese at the far end of the lake raise a ruckus. It sounds like a wild cocktail party. I wonder what they’re saying.
Wolsfeld Lake Through the Trees
I hope you enjoyed seeing the sights I saw on my wonderful walk today. Wishing you perfect fall days like today and many good walks in the woods.
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