Ripton and the Middlebury Gap today 9/26

[ctyanky]

Hi all: Did a six hour loop today. I stopped in the Ripton General Store and talked to the owner running the cashier. We had ourselves a very nice conversation about the foliage. She is convinced it is due to the heat this summer. I asked her if she thought it was about a week late and she didn't say anything for a bit. Then she said it was more than that so we settled on about a 10 day delay in her area. I enjoyed speaking with her, glad I stopped. Next to my car were hunters in camouflage and guns. Interesting stop. You never know what you may encounter off the beaten path. I kept my eyes away from the back of the truck as I was not keen on seeing dead animals with blood on this my happy day.

Anyways, on to the color. The elevation of the Middlebury Gap is showing some beautiful color emerging behind the Breadloaf campus! The whole hill is ready to pop soon. Very exciting! This gap is showing the best color I've seen yet. Things are moving along nicely at the higher elevations. I'm becoming more and more confident every that all we need is three days of low temps and you will be pleasantly surprised, but as I said, it's at the higher spots so head upwards this week if in central VT.