At 5:30 AM the waning harvest moon is so bright that I could see well enough to jot down a note in my Moleskin.
At first light - the trees shift from silhouettes to beeches, birches and maples. The quality of the light is odd, since the moon is far from setting.
I get to a shelter on a scenic vista as a bright orange sun ascends, blotting out the moon’s light. The reds, ambers and yellows glow. Chipmunks sing as the sun rises and I wish I could stay here for days, if not weeks.
There’s a handwritten note inside the shelter - neat printing on the back of a pretzel box advising backpackers to put their food in the available container. Bears come by between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM searching for food, because of careless backpackers. Don’t feed them. If they get closer than 20 feet, make noise, if they grab your pack, look for it in the morning. I really want to camp out now. I wonder if one of the bears is the individual I saw in May. I need more woods time. I miss my hammock and the shelter I lived in.
I get to the lake, a mist hovers over the surface. The trees reflected in the lake add color to the scene. A tiny wren - marsh wren? - pecks at something on a partially submerged log. It’s too early for the painted turtles to come out.
I feel blessed to have this time.
I have no clue if the tiny mushroom I found is a chanterelle or a jack-o-lantern. I sniff for the apricot smell, but I’m not sure. I’ll take it home and study it. I am in a mushroom rich area, but I can only really study one species at a time.
It’s leaf season, harvest season, a new year to some people. I am grateful to have these woods to enjoy. My friend Elwood is planning to hike out this afternoon. I’m tempted to camp out, but there’s too much to do. I will get up early tomorrow and take another harvest moon hike.