Fall in the North Georgia Air?

Fall showing its splendors along the West Fork
 of the Chattooga River late last October.

Seven of 10 days with highs in the 70s in our local long-range forecast seen to suggest that fall is trying to creep into North Georgia. Of course, that's sort of hard to gauge because the forecast has looked strangely similar to that all summer. We rarely got above the mid 80s even during July and August afternoons. Not quite normal, but I'm sure not complaining.

We're not seeing significant fall color here yet, and in truth our brightest fall colors normally come pretty close to the end of October and even extending into November. We are getting quite a few leaves on roofs and driveways, and late-summer wildflowers like Joe Pye Weed and Goldenrod, which tend to suggest fall is coming soon, are mostly past the peak of their brilliance.

If the air feels like fall and the fish are biting well, which they sure were on my most recent outing, I guess it doesn't really matter if the leaves have changed colors or the calendar says it should be fall. Of course, that recent day on the water was in West Virginia, not Georgia. I probably need to visit a local pond or creek soon so I can decide for myself whether fall fishing has started.

Actually, my next casts are likely to be made in Oklahoma and maybe Arkansas, because I leave town early Tuesday morning, and I don't think I'll get the chance to fish locally between now and then. That gives autumn a little more time to make it's presence extra obvious in North Georgia. Whenever fall fishing arrives, I know I'll enjoy it.

Fall's Forgotten Final Days

October must be better than November at public relations campaigns. Most North Georgia travelers seemingly think that fall begins Oct. 1 and ends Oct. 31. Many people visit the mountains in early October and are disappointed to find minimal color. In early November, when our hillsides are blazing, few folks come to visit. The first week or so of November is actually my favorite time to hike waterfall trails and otherwise explore around here because the landscapes are spectacular and I can pretty much have a trail to myself.

By now, more leaves have fallen than remain on the trees. I'll acknowledge that. Those that remain attached have almost all changed colors, though, and some of the deepest reds and oranges seem to come late. The ground is also covered with leaves -- some bright and some brown. Landscape vistas offer beautiful blends of Crayola-bight colors and muted bronze tones.

In another couple of weeks, virtually all the leaves will have fallen from our deciduous trees, and those still clinging to branches will be brown. That creates an openness and a rugged, stark beauty, but by then it no longer looks like fall. Right now it still does, but most folk will miss it because they believe autumn ended with the turning of the calendar page.

Fall Color in Georgia

The calendar page turned to October this morning. In North Georgia and throughout the Southern Appalachia, that means travelers will be thinking about fall color and when to plan their visits to the mountains. With such considerations in mind, Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites maintains a seasonal webpage that they call Leafwatch, and the site will become active for another season some time today. Leafwatch, as the name suggests, tracks the seasonal changing of the leaves in Georgia, along with containing information about why leaves change colors, a list of top parks for enjoying fall color, a direct link for camping or lodging reservations for Georgia state parks and much more. In the past, the site has even included a webcam view from Black Rock Mountain, which sets the highest of any of Georgia's state park.

For now, the color is barely beginning to creep into the woods around my North Georgia town of Clarkesville. Enough leaves have turned to give mostly green woods a slight autumn cast, but we are still a couple of weeks removed from things really looking "fallish," and I think our prettiest color comes at the very end of October or even into the beginning of November. In November, a lot of leaves have fallen, but everything that remains on the trees is either a bright hue, bronze or brown, creating a very a strong look of autumn as you look across the mountains.