Fall Camping in Northern Minnesota
Camping in northern Minnesota in October is an opportunity to experience a plethora of stunning colors. The trees are now showy and breathtakingly beautiful. The many maple trees in the park near Leech Lake are presently in four stages of colors; candy-apple red, muted orange, pale yellow, and if you have ever enjoyed a 64-count box of crayons, you might guess that the fourth color is “yellow green”. There is now a color in the box called “grasshopper green” and that, too, could describe the leaves that still have some green pigment left.
If you could take a leaf and dip it into the above colors, you’d see what I am describing. Many of these colorful trees have a background of dark pine trees; this seems to help showcase these beauties.
The floor of our campground is like a carpet today. Leaves underfoot, a person gets lost in the patterns. Now and then a smooth brown acorn is mixed in and the squirrels are nervously watching us. I would like to grab a few acorns to toss into our campfire but I choose to leave them for the squirrels. In some areas, we walk on long pine needles which provide an interesting texture under our feet.
Complete stillness surrounds us except for the occasional sound of a bird or a fellow camper laughing or discussing the cool weather. There is something special about walking quietly through the colorful campground. The total stillness helps us to forget all the noise of the world. Even if only for a couple of days, we find this stillness good for the soul.
After a walk around the campground in this fine fall weather, we think about how much we appreciate our beautiful surroundings. We head to our RV, grateful for the warm and cozy atmosphere inside the RV. We pull out the small quilt my mother made out of scraps of leftover fabric and we also grab the John Deere tie blanket our kids made for us. At 36 degrees, a blanket is an awesome addition in our quest to stay warm.
Shortly the trees will lose their fall foliage and no one will notice the trees until next spring. But for today, the trees provide a dazzlingly beautiful display of colors and we enjoy what they offer as we slowly transition from fall to winter in Minnesota. We hope that you, too, enjoy the fall days. Find the beauty. Find the joy. SLJ
