Last week, I was able to head out to one of my favorite local hikes at Moraine State Park. Moraine is a beautiful park north of Zelienople PA that has Lake Arthur in the center of the park. I like a particular walk which starts near the South Shore of the Lake called the Sunken Garden trail. The trail winds along the edge of the Lake and up a hill with a variety of trees that are found in Western PA. and then returns close to the ranger station.

It was a beautiful fall day with the colors of the trees near peak. We were lucky to get in a couple more days of warm sunny weather which made the hike a great pleasure. It was fairly early in the morning, so I was able to come across about 5 or 6 doe along the trail. Those of us living around this area get to see deer quite often but I never get tired of seeing the beauty of these animals. I ran into quite a few squirrel and chipmunks along the way as well. It was truly a fantastic hike. The colors were magnificent and you could really smell the leaves that have already started to fall. It was truly what a fall hike should be all about.