Autumn Colors Journey

Walking barefoot on the autumn leaves, I decided to go south this time, as it was my first trip seeking the season’s colors. The north and central regions had long lost their leaves, leaving only piles of decayed foliage. Though it was late autumn, the delicate pink tones gave a sense of peace.

The sky appeared hazy today, though the sun was clear tomorrow. From afar, I could see wisps of mist hovering over the ground, but through my car’s fogged-up windows, I couldn’t make out anything clearly. As I drove along the beaten path, I heard someone speak in broken English, and my stomach turned. I cursed myself for not packing a first-aid kit.

I took a small town in the mountains for breakfastit was just a street with basic services. Then I followed a trail up to the top of the hill where the town center once stood. The path offered a panoramic view of the valley below, but the leaves on either side of the pathway were long gonejust dark earth and rocks where my boots had left impressions. A narrow dirt path cut through piles of fallen leaves. I stopped every now and then to look down at the small valley beneath me; its edge was hidden by trees. The air was thick with earthy scents, and a group of people sat on a boulder watching as they fed pigeons nearby.

The fall colors were so vivid that I felt like visiting a museum. But all I could do was lie in the dirt, staring at the pile of leaves above me. How I longed to share this moment with someoneif only there had been anyone left to share it with. I thought of my mother, though she was dead now, and wondered how she must have felt among the decaying trees. My heart ached for her peace.

The air hummed with distant calls as I walked through the mountains. The birds’ songs grew fainter, leaving only the rustle of leaves overhead. The path wound through endless valleys of deep earth, and the fewer the people, the more peaceful it became. Somewhere along the trail, I heard laughtera group of kids playing catch near a stream. I followed them, and they weren’t just any kidsthey were in their late teens, so tall that they could easily carry a soccer ball over their heads.

I watched as they played, their laughter echoing through the mountains. They didn’t seem to notice my presence, but something told me not to let that go. I had come too far to lose myself here. The valley was theirs, and I wasn’t welcome. But then again, it was theirs tooI couldn’t deny that fact. We were all here together.

At the end of the day, I felt like climbing higherto see more mountains in the distance. But the path was too steep, so I set off on a tangent. The air grew colder as I walked, and a thin layer of snow lay just below my knees. My breath came in white clouds, and my lungs burned with cold. I had to stop every now and then to catch my breathit wasn’t easy walking in the mountains anymore.

The path wound through switchbacks on the mountain side. The air was crisp where you could barely breathe, but the higher you went, the clearer it got. At some point during the climb, the valley began to look quite different from below. The trees here were beginning to lose their leaves, the same way they had done in places I’d never seen before.

As I reached the summit, I took a deep breath of mountain air. It was as though I had just woken up after a long sleep, and the colors around me seemed to radiate with a purity that was almost spiritual. The valley below appeared to be alive, its mountains alive with colorgolden on top and green at my eye level. It felt like time had stopped here.

The sun rose behind the clouds as I began my descent. I followed trails through fields of wildflowers, their colors changing every few feet. The closer I came to the valley floor, the more vibrant everything seemed. I found a trail that led me back along the same paththis time, though, it was easier on my legs.

The first thing I noticed as I turned the corner was the absence of people. The mountains were quiet now, but somewhere in the distance a group of skiers paused for a moment before continuing up the slope. I followed them, and they seemed to be heading toward a clearing where a trail began. The snow was thick enough that my skis made a soft clink each time they hit a patch of fresh powder.

As we walked through the clearing, I heard laughter againa group of friends talking about the trip’s highlights. They were from all over the countryno one seemed to care who I was or where I’d come from. It was as though my presence on these mountains had no real meaning at all. The more I thought of it, the more it hurt.

By nightfall, I was exhausted but satisfied with what I’d seen and done. My legs felt like they’d been dipped in cold water for hoursthis kind of fatigue wasn’t going anywhere. But when I got back to camp, I couldn’t help but admire the view. The mountains spread out before me like a giant painting, their colors shifting as the light changed.

The stars came out in all their glory that nighta deep blue and gray carpet over everything below. To see them was to feel alive again, to believe that life still had magic left to give. I stood at the edge of the lake where I’d spent so much time earlierits waters seemed to lap against the mountains like a song.

I couldn’t wait to get back homeI wanted nothing more than to tell my friends about this journey and all the strange things I’d seen along the way. But for now, I was content with what I had achieved today. The mountains had given me peace in a way no one could have imaginedonly they could do that.

As dawn broke over the peaks, I got back into my car and drove home, the mountains still in view as I passed through the valley below. It felt like I’d seen them for the first timethis was where I belonged. The fall colors had given me a sense of belonging, but it didn’t erase the ache that still lingered somewhere deep inside.

I couldn’t believe how much I’d walked todayit felt like hours, but all those miles had only taken two or three. My body was spent, but my spirit was alivealive for the memories and the strange beauty I’d seen on this journey through time and space.