The Moody November Series The cold loneliness of the last leaf clinging on in an otherwise barren la

The Moody November Series

The cold loneliness of the last leaf clinging on in an otherwise barren landscape really sets the mood of the month.

A fairy-tale like trail turns to the stuff of nightmares after the bright high summer sun, canopy of leaves, and chirping birds and insects disappear for the season. Gnarly tree branches and roots, jagged rocks, and the dead silence of the empty woods (except for the occasional scampering of a rodent through the fallen leaves) greet you on your way down to the Minnesota River in Minneopa State Park.

Crossing a small footbridge on a lonely walk in the woods of November makes one stop to ponder trolls and other supernatural creatures stirring about. But then you realize it’s just the squirrels gathering the last scrap of nuts before the snow sets in.