If you haven't been out hiking lately, now would be a good time to go before snow comes. The leaves are gone and you notice a lot of things that aren't obvious in the green months.
First is you'll notice that the only things that have leaves on them are either the black oaks with their russet leaves that hang on until spring, and the green understory. The bad news is that the green understory is almost all invasives - honeysuckle, buckthorn, barberry, burning bush, young black locust, and bittersweet. The good news is this time of year it's easy to clear them. You can pretty much cut anything that's green and be safe.
That's what we've been doing the last few weeks, and you'll notice piles of brush everywhere, especially near the lower part of Manchester Prairie. As soon as there is snow on the ground we will be doing lots of burning. I'll send out notices to our mailing list if you'd like to join us for some of those days. Nothing like a crackling hot fire in the snow!
Second, you'll notice that logging is still happening in the northeast corner by Bay Drive. This should be finishing up in the next few weeks, but there will also be construction of a new house by that entrance. If there is activity there, please avoid it as there will be heavy equipment in use.
Third thing you'll notice is no bugs. Mosquitos and flies are gone. Ticks can still be around, so still check for those. It's also much more pleasant to hike up the hills in the cooler weather. Cold shouldn't be a deterrent. Remember that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Layer up and the walking will warm you up in no time. Personally, below 40F I've got long underwear on. My skinny legs are much happier that way.
Finally, feeling erratic. I know the world feels much more erratic nowadays, but a hike on the bluff can make that go away for a short while. And with the leaves down, you'll see some actual erratics - glacial erratics that is. These are random boulders and cobbles made of rock that is not from here. They rode the last glacier that stopped just a few miles west of here, and dropped out as it melted 10,000 years ago.
Beautiful red granite, probably from the Montello area can be found by the star and the caves, and you'll see other random boulders sticking up here and there. Pretty much anything that is rounded and not limestone is not from here. Kind of like a geologic Easter egg hunt.
When the snow hits, if you have snowshoes feel free to use them to keep the trails packed for others. Just remember that steeper parts might be slick, be careful and wear grippers.
Happy hiking!