Crossing

 

The Humpback Rocks Loop Trail meets the Appalachian Trail at just about this point where a spur leads to the rocks, so quite often you'll meet folks like this fellow who looks like he's making a longer trek of it.

Stairs

 

The ascent along the Humpback Rocks Loop Trail is sometimes so steep that the National Park Service has chosen to install stairs to help prevent further erosion and, one would think, to help keep hikers from injuring themselves as the result of bad falls.

Loop Trail

 

It's been several weeks now since I climbed Humpback Rocks in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a favorite of many in this region. Still, as I will soon show, there was just a bit of fall color beginning to appear.

Coppertone

 

Or how would you describe these colors?

Vine

Seems very late in the season for morning glory, although I don't think we've had a killing frost yet. So I suppose that explains why this vine still appears to be thriving even when nighttime temperatures have sometimes hovered just above the freezing mark.

Matoaka Trail

 

The Matoaka Trail runs through some 300 acres of woods now designated by the College of William & Mary as a nature preserve.

Autumn Leaves

 

 A classic: Nat King Cole - Autumn Leaves (Capitol Records 1955)

A slightly snappier version :-) Oscar Peterson Autumn Leaves 1974

And still another: Oscar Peterson & Stephane Grappelli Quartet [Paris, 1973]