Mt. Waldo in Autumn

Today I took a quick jaunt over to Mt. Waldo in Frankfort to see the fall colors from an elevated perspective.  It's a nice hike because it's close and I can see the top from my house.  Today I brought binoculars in hopes of being able to see my house from the top.

I started on Tyler Lane, where I believe the service "road" begins.  This was the route that I saw a service van descending once at least.  It begins quite easy, even for a vehicle, but soon becomes rocky, as you can see in the picture below.  This is looking back along the trail, with blueberry fields off to the left.

The leaves on some trees seem to have turned before others, and this one was in peak color.  The benefit of having some trees turn earlier than others is that the season lasts a bit longer.  It has been interesting noting how much later the color is this year compared to last year.  Since I was working out in the woods of Baxter SP last September and October, I was quite aware of the timing of the fall foliage, and it is a few weeks later this year, if not maybe a whole month.

Bright red autumn leaves

The trail/road that goes up to the top of Waldo is nearly a straight line.  It follows the power lines up to the radio towers on top, and because of this, you can see the trail up for the whole way.

Once I got to the bald top, I was able to see all around from Camden Hills area, with Swan Lake in the foreground.

Swan Lake

As ugly as the towers can be on top, it is kinda neat to get right under them and look up.  Today there were some interesting clouds as a backdrop for it all.

I walked around a small loop on top and headed back to the northern side of the mountain where I had ascended, looking for a good place to search out my house in the maze of trees, fields, and buildings.  I know my house is next to the high voltage power lines, so that was helpful.  I've put a small red arrow pointing to my house so you can see it better.  Always nice to be able to see things from both perspectives.  I see Mt. Waldo every day at my house, so it's nice to finally look back.

My house!

Below is a zoomed out shot in the same direction.  I do love the opportunity to hike frequently during this time of year.  It's a fairly new experience for me because so far, I have been in school in the fall with the exception of last year when I was immersed in the fall colors at Baxter.

As we get into the peak of fall-time, I am looking forward to the start of the winter hiking season.  Who knows how early snow will come this year, but finally after a few years of learning about what kind of gear I need for four-season hiking, I am ready for anything now!

EDIT:

Here is the Google contribution to the post.

Google Earth track and elevation profile

Hike Data
Miles Hiked: 2.2
Time elapsed: 50 minutes
Total ascent: 700'