There are so many reasons to love Wisconsin in the Fall or Autumn of the year. Skip and I have lived up here in Mountain, Wisconsin for 12 years now, running Spur of the Moment Ranch, a small resort and campground on the Nicolet Trail. Whether you hike, ride horses, ATV, or just sight see, the north woods in the fall is a great place to be. First of all, the colors are breathtaking. The forest provides a blanket of warm colors of oranges, yellows, reds, greens, and browns making each road or trail more beautiful than the last. Visually you just want to soak it in.
Secondly, the wildlife is active and moving around. The deer are out, and can be seen quite often whether from the car ( hopefully not on the hood); or from your ATV or on horseback, from a carriage, or on a hike. The geese; ducks, small birds that are beginning their long migration to the south are flocking up overhead, much bird chatter can be heard as all of this activity is going on. The squirrels and chipmunks, and all of the woodland animals up to the black bears are eating or stashing as much as possible for the impending winter ahead. The north woods is a buzz with activity.
Third, the air is beginning to change. The nights are getting cooler, the stars seem to be getting brighter in the crisp night sky. The mornings are cool, there is a hint of frost in the air. It is time to bring out the warm fuzzy sweatshirt that we all have and love to wear when the weather gets cooler. You can smell the crispness, it makes you feel alive.
Fourth, you must listen but if you do, you hear the sounds of autumn. Take a walk, kick the leaves and hear them rustle. As the ATVer’s travel down the trail, behind them is a train of leaves floating in the air, a kaleidescope of color following them. In the cooler weather the sticks and natural debris rustle and snap behind the horses. You hear the wind whistling through the trees. You hear the birds and animals of forest gathering and getting ready for long winter ahead.
Lastly, as the autumn passes on, things start to quiet down. It becomes quieter and quieter, this offers all of us a chance to relax and renew sitting out by a warm fire watching the stars; sitting in a cabin with the warmth of the fireplace; catching the last warm days relaxing in a lawn chair on the porch; or just going for a walk taking in the sights and sounds of the fall. Definitely, everyone needs a getaway, even a short one in the north woods of Wisconsin.