Navigator: Capturing the Fall Moment

If summer is for catching the perfect sunset, then autumn is about capturing that perfect fall moment, for which we’ll go to great lengths. We closely monitor foliage prediction maps, scoping out the ideal time to go leaf-peeping. We drive hundred of miles through scenic parkways flanked by lush forest, climate concerns be damned.

To get that sweeping view from the top, some of us hike up steep mountains—as my friends and I do every fall. With a car full of snacks, we drive two and a half hours to Old Rag Mountain in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. It’s popular this time of year, so much so that the private farm at the foot of the mountain serves as unofficial overflow parking. It costs $15 per vehicle, cash only. We chuckle every time at the sight of its elderly owner stuffing dollar bills into the bulging pockets of her sweater.