Why does fall come and go so quickly! I swear it was just 80 degrees yesterday.

Anyways, while I was home on fall break I went on a hike to capture the changing-leaves, since it was “peak season”! Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would turn out this good. I guess when they say practice makes perfect they mean it!

Every year the Allegheny National Forest surprises me. I always say that ‘this year’ has the most beautifully colored leaves, but then I go out the next year and I’m amazed at the even better spread of color. I must say though, this year has the most trees with red leaves that I’ve ever seen (I swear!).

The picture above is actually the husk of a chestnut! It was such an odd thing to spot on the trail, and when you picked it up it had a prickly coat like a porcupine. Alas, to my dismay, all the squirrels had beat me to the actual nuts themselves. Damn squirrels!

As I was editing these photos, part of me was bewildered that these landscapes even exist. Sometimes, I get so caught up in actually taking the picture that I forget to enjoy the moment of actually seeing the view. I think that can pertain to a lot of different things in my life, and possibly yours too. The best advice I can give you is: take the damn picture, but also take a few moments to just soak in what you are experiencing. Life sometimes seems to flash before our eyes. So, yes, capture the moment so you can look back on it someday, but also don’t forget to live in the moment. That’s where the true magic lies.

xoxo,

Delaney