We went out walking on Saturday afternoon, up to the local firetower and back along the old access road. The road has been gated and closed to public traffic now for years, making the steep hike up to the tower and picnic grounds quite a bit easier. A parking area has been roughly paved at the bottom of the hill, so we parked beside the gate, unleashed the dogs, and headed up the steep mile.

With no traffic to pass and clear the way, leaves have solidly covered the roadway from edge to edge virtually the entire length of the hill. Through the drifting piled of leaves, the dogs plowed their noses sniffing their way from one hidden treasure to the next. Occasionally some random living creature would move beneath a nearby leaf and the dogs would root through the leaves in a flurry of commotion.

But mostly, Michelle and I just made our way along the roadway, discussing life and taking in the beautiful Fall day. With her belly fast outpacing the rest of her body, the paved ribbon of roadway made the climb much less awkward for her pregnant shape.

Typically, we would find ourselves ascending through the woods up one of several steep and rocky trails. As Michelle has gotten bigger, however, the loose rocks and steep grade has become more and more difficult and treacherous. So her pregnancy has brought us out from the wooded trails onto the more accessible paths.

As the dogs ran and played and we chatted the day away, the difficulty of the trail couldn't have mattered less. We were outside and enjoying the day, getting exercise as we climbed slowly up the hill. With the leaves falling around us as the leaves slowly let them go, it was the perfect Fall day.