We often enjoy annual trips to the White Mountains in October. One trip took place a bit after the glorious colors of Fall were at the height of their beauty. The weather was bad. It was raining most of the time and clouds and mists shrouded the mountains hiding their vistas. Still, the forest wasn't gloomy. The ground was laced with the brightly colored fallen oak and maple leaves. Many trees which I never noticed when the reds predominated sparkled as if they were enameled by the rain drops with many shades of yellow and green. It was lovely and it was wet. The students were all teenagers, some old timers and some new. In spite of the cold and disappointing weather nobody was cranky, nobody complained.
Over the years I have learned that it is O.K. for kids to swim in the cold river when the ambient temperature is around forty degrees. I learned that kids can walk around with wet hair without contracting pneumonia or other dread diseases, while I am dressed in many layers of wool and down. I learned that they know how to take care of themselves without my watching them too closely.
It was a mellow and harmonious outing which ended for me on a "high" when I scanned our campsite for litter and found none. The students had picked up every scrap without prompting by the staff.
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