Hiking in the fall.

I've been on a look out for great and not so challenging trails to go hiking with the girls since we moved to the area. So by now, I have already quite an idea of the beautiful region we happen to live at the moment.
We are right on the border with The Delaware National Recreational Area, and that is great! Because without long and exhausting car rides to just go for a stroll in the woods, we have everything literally at our finger tips!
The weather has been awesome lately. We are really enjoying the gorgeous days of the Indian summer. The lack of rain, though, makes the trees lose the foliage very quickly, and the colors are not that vibrant. Maple trees, that can turn red, orange, or yellow in the same forest depending on the year and the weather conditions, are not that abundant in the Poconos. And the white oaks are simply turning brown.
What makes our region so unique for those excited about experiencing the annual breathtaking display of colorful forests ? For one, the great diversity of trees and shrubs growing here, as many species as in all of Europe, so they say. But, what's more important, the season of autumn arrives here much more suddenly than in Europe. It seems that almost overnight the balmy, warm weather of summer gives way to the cool, crisp, clear weather of autumn. The fall colors depend very much on this weather, and when the seasons merge into each other much more gradually, the colorful phenomenon is just not as striking.
This weekend we went for a hike. And it was great! Ivana and Leona did such a great job going up the hill with the help of the walking sticks Mirek had made for them. And then there was a bonus! A fantastic experience of being on top of the world and looking down at the Delaware River and the mountain ridge.
We had a mini picnic, the girls were climbing the trees with Mirek, I was taking the pictures, and Milana was such a good baby!
There will be more hikes to come this fall, that's for sure!