Editor’s note: We run a tweaked version of this hike every fall to help you avoid crowded trails in this, the most popular hiking season.
Though most of us associate the start of fall with the passage of Labor Day, fall doesn’t officially start until Sept. 22, officially at 8:44 a.m. EST. This week has definitely gotten us in the mood, with high temperatures in the 70s, lows in the 50s.
Editor’s note: We run a tweaked version of this hike every fall to help you avoid crowded trails in this, the most popular hiking season.
Though most of us associate the start of fall with the passage of Labor Day, fall doesn’t officially start until Sept. 22, officially at 8:44 a.m. EST. This week has definitely gotten us in the mood, with high temperatures in the 70s, lows in the 50s.
Fall, the best time of year to be on the trail, is around the corner. Are you ready?
I don’t mean do you have your gear ready: Rather, do you have your plan of attack in place?
Not to put too much pressure on the fall hiking season, but there is a fair amount of pressure to make the most of the next three months. Sure, spring has its obvious pluses — wildflowers, warming temperatures, rebirth — and winter has its subtle charms. But face it, the combination of a retreat from sweltering temperatures, low humidity, crisp blue skies, and fall color make this the best season to hike in the Southeast.
I woke up Wednesday at 5:30, took Dog #1 out, checked the weather.
60 degrees!
I knew it was supposed to cool off this week, but 60? I couldn’t remember the last time it had been so cool in this summer of record heat. A good two months, at least.
A spirit-lifting temperature, but still shy of my fall benchmark. Then, an hour later I took out Dog #2 (she likes to sleep in) and it was 58. Within a half hour it would drop another degree, to 57.
We get out a lot. We’ve been getting out a lot for more than 30 years. During that time we’ve learned a thing or two. Nothing revolutionary, nothing that’s radically changed the sport. But maybe something you’ll find helpful, something you didn’t know that might help next time you’re on the trail. Something that will shorten your learning curve — though the learning never stops.
