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October’s Tableaux
Written By: William McReynolds | Issue: October 2024
This month offers arresting Beauty. Be prepared to swoon.
Old Mill by Ed Boos
October comes with show-stopping seasonal beauty. We call it our Leaf Season. Temperatures moderate. The trees are brightly painted in yellows and reds and browns, orange even, and the forests offer an arresting tableaux as far as the eye can see.
Mother Nature shakes our crib with a show of her magical powers this month. The magic of turning the woodlands into canvas-worthy pointillistic color is exceeded only by her magical regeneration of life in the green of spring.
These are good times in the mountains and on our plateau.
It makes sense to get out in it: rise like phoenixes from our easy chairs, go outside and become immersed in the grace and beauty of our great outdoors. The peak of color and fullness in the trees, weather permitting, lasts for several days in mid-October. Fall beauty lasts all month. Take late afternoon or early morning sightseeing spins in your classic flivver.
This is a good time for a day trip to the Blueridge Parkway. The Parkway is nothing less than linear Beauty. Be prepared to swoon.
Maps are available at most travel centers and on the Blueridge Parkway website at blueridgeparkway.gov. The National Park Service gives closures and detours: check ahead of time at nps.gov. There is a free Blue Ridge Pkwy app that provides information without connectivity problems while on the Parkway.
The nearest entrances are found north of us at Soco Gap on US 19, 12 miles west of Cherokee, 5 miles east to Maggie Valley and the Balsam Gap Access on US 74-23, east 7 miles to Waynesville and west 12 miles from Sylva. It’s a day trip. Take a picnic for one of the many roadside viewing areas. After you get started, the highest peak on the entire BRP at 6047 feet is just down the road near marker 430. Expect breathtaking views of the fall color across vast valleys and towering ranges. Some say such Beauty has healing powers.
The Appalachian Trail parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway and is a good fall foot path. Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a “thru hike” of the entire 2,190+ miles of the Appalachian Trail. Only one in four succeed. A typical “thru-hiker” takes 5 to 7 months to walk the entire trail.
Or just put on your walking shoes and walk the trails and byways found throughout our plateau. There are many. Beauty beckons. Discover something. The accompanying photograph of an old mill was discovered near Cashiers by Ed Boos.
It’s leaf season. These are the good ole’ days.
