Sunday Afternoon Hiking

After church yesterday we zipped an hour and a half northeast to do some fall hiking. Gregory and I love, love, LOVE autumn. I love that the bugs, now frozen, have disappeared. I love wearing comfy hooded sweatshirts. I love cool crisp air. I love dressing my kids in cuddly fleece and sweaters. I especially love trees whose leaves turn vibrant orange and red in color. I can barely manage to stay inside on a beautful fall day. We’ve had a lot of rain lately, so the rivers and streams are gushing about, which makes for even more beautiful scenery.

While hiking, I actually did not take many pictures. I find photographying scenery very difficult. Things never come out like I vision. It is impossible for me to capture the amazing breadth of scenery with my camera . . . it just never feels as amazing. But, I lugged my camera along on all of our small hikes yesterday, just in case. And it proved to be a good thing, because while hiking along the Temeperance River, we reaced the start of a long tumbling cascade of rushing water that gushes into a spetacular gorge at JUST the right time. The light was amazingly perfect, and I got some images that I really like.

From the top of Britton’s Peak near Lake Superior: (This was a short but SUPER tough, steep hike).

The forest on the short hike up Britton’s Peak:

The beginning of the Temperance River’s tumultous tumble:

And my very, very favorite, which I think I will be printing a very big enlargement of and hanging above the fireplace in our family room:

The gorge that this river flows into is totally amazing. However, I was so busy preventing Mr. Sneaky Pants from jumping off the high cliffs next to the raging river that I did not dare take out the camera. That child hates holding my hand with a propensity that is intense. He always has. Crossing the street is always an issue with him! This hike was definitely a battle of wills, and I’m not sure who came out ahead, but, at the very least, he did not end up washed out into Lake Superior.