Fall Leaves

You know that sound?  The sound of leaves falling around you, the sound the leaves make as you are running through them on the ground?  That sort of soft crunching sound?  That is one of my favorite sounds in all the world and one of the reasons I love running in the fall.

Sunday Terry and I headed out in the jeep (with no top) for Fort Worth to run on the Trinity Trail.  The trial goes for over 40 miles beside the Trinity River, through downtown, and out.  It's a nice place to run although it was quite chilly driving without the top when it's 57 out and you are going 70 mph!

While running we found this little road that has been closed off to through traffic, there are paths leading from the trail and so we took one and found ourselves running under tall trees hanging over this old road.  No homes, no streets, nothing but the little road, the trail and beautiful trees.

As we run the leaves fall around us, making a soft little whish as they float by.  Of course the piles where the leaves fall is  there on the road waiting for someone to run through so that they can make their soft crunching sound.  I am that runner! There is something liberating about running through a pile of leaves.  The sound is intriguing.  The leaves, in different stages of decay, make various crunching noises. With each foot step there is a new chorus which sends my heart into laughter.  I am quite sure Terry thinks I am a bit nuts.

I believe that for me part of the appeal is that I can act somewhat like a kid again.  I can run through the leaves, get dirty, laugh out loud at the sound they make under my feet.  As adults if we did that in our yards while we were raking the neighbors would be whispering about those crazy folks next door!