Fall foliage hike in New England

Yesterday was my only day off this week and, as it was a nice day, I went for a little 5 mile hike. The area I went to is Leominster State Forest. I grew up in the area, and have been in these woods many, many times, and always enjoy wandering here. There are miles of trails, most marked, quite a few not. Its a popular mountain bike riding area too.
The day was cool, but sunny. Cool, being about 60, with a steady wind. Later in the day, storm clouds rolled in, but, although threatening rain, nothing came of it.
A couple things I did notice, was that, one, per usual, in New England, there is such a variety of vibrant colors this time of year, its breathtaking. Many times, I stopped, just to admire it. And, because of the unseasonably warm weather recently, the tree frogs were out. I don't ever recall hearing them this late in the year. Doesn't mean they aren't out-I just don't remember :).

So, enough chatter. On to the pictures!!! This outing is picture heavy, so, if you are on a mobile phone, keep that in mind:

First up, my pack for the day: its an Italian mountain ruck. Its ideal for day trips, as there isn't a lot of room to pack things, so you limit what you pack. I also prefer wearing a brimmed hat, at most times, for shade. Summer, I wear a Real Deal Brazil tarp hat. I wanted something a little heavier for the cooler weather, so I have a Woolrich crushable felt hat. This also has the advantage of deflecting the barrage of dropping acorns this time of year :).

I also put some REAL trail miles on my Arrow Moccasins. I absolutely love these things. Although, I do find that, after a long day, my knees hurt-because these lack any kind of cushioning. It will be some time until I develop the muscles there, as I have spent a lifetime in regular shoes. But, so far, these things are far more comfortable than any hiking boots I've ever worn:

As we had recent rains (Thursday we had a deluge), that broke up an almost 2 week long dry spell, I came across several mushrooms. I don't know my mushrooms at all, so I just took some pics. Some on the ground, a couple on a log I thought was pretty cool:

The stone marker separating the town borders (erected in 1908):

My lunch spot, overlooking Rocky Pond:





My requisite stove shots. What can I say? The more I use this Solo Stove the more I love it. The wood you see here is all that was needed to boil water for coffee. It was, literally, a single stick.

This tree is called the Haunted Tree. Why? Who knows. Local legend was that they hung someone there. But, this tree isn't old enough to have been around when this legend allegedly occurred (sometime in the late 1700s to 1800s). But, that's the story that goes with it (there is also a geocache located within the tree):

 



There was also a paper wasp nest hanging right over one of the trails. I didn't see any wasps going in or out, but, I wasn't about to tap it to see if it was occupied:

And, some gratuitous beautiful foliage shots:

 

Last, a short vid (I got the date wrong. oh well) of the tree frogs, near Rocky Pond:

So, that was my little day trip. Hope you enjoyed!