A Change in the Seasons of Weather and Life

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I always like a cold snap and even a little snow in October.  It is a gentle reminder that the sunny, bright  days of fall are not going to last forever and winter is coming.  And I've been looking forward to getting out on the trail when it snows to see what it looked like.  So this week before it snowed at the house (which it has now) it snowed in the mountains and it got pretty low so I decided to go check it out.

Even though the leaves are fading, the colors are still gorgeous.

On the plus side the lower part of the creek now had water running in it again.  I love the peaceful sound of running water, especially when it runs over rocks and logs and such.

We've been blessed with an extended fall it seems this year and I'm trying to soak it all in.

The leaves cushioned the trail's hard bits and though they're not crunchy because they were so wet, they were a joy to run on top of. 

It was about 1,000 ft. up to get to the snow.  I figured it would be before the 2 mile mark which was where I was planning on turning around.

Signs of snow started to appear along the sides of the trail.

These next two photos are my favorite and had me thinking for the rest of the day.  They show beautifully the transition of fall to winter.  A changing of the guard.  At first I just thought about how much I love living in a place where there are four distinct seasons.  Just when I get tired of the extreme heat of summer, fall comes to bring relief.  When I'm tired of the snow, the buds on the trees signify that a bright change is on it's way.  And I like this little warning of snow that change is again in the air.

I ran for a while in the snow, smiling and enjoying the peaceful quiet that seems to come with the snow.  It's as if it insulates the world for a time.  There were still birds chirping and small animals hurrying to get out of my way, but it was silent, alone and peaceful.  At the turnaround spot I stopped for a couple of minutes and closed my eyes and just listened.  It was almost magical.

This was another favorite spot where the tiniest breeze caused the snow in the trees to lose a bit of their dusting and it swirled through the air all around me.  Like I said, magical.

The sun peeking through the clouds was definitely another highlight.

On the way back down I couldn't help but think about seasons in our lives.  I'm in a really great season of life right now.  But like that part in the trail, I can catch a glimpse of another season just ahead.  My kids are still all at home.  They're all pretty independent.  They all sleep through the night.  They're all potty trained.  They're all in school.  Soon another season will come that will include letting go.  Not as much control, grandkids (although I know that one's a ways off ;) )  and expanding our family with in-laws.  While I'm sure that season will be great too, I'm just really trying to enjoy the awesome season that I am in right now.  Running really teaches me unexpected lessons and makes me think about things in a different light.  And it never ceases to amaze me either.  If someone would have told me even 10 years ago that I would be seeking out snow to run in, I would have called them crazy.  But here I am and loving every second of it.

Any lessons you want to share with me you've learned or thought about while running?