The Time We Got Lost in Connecticut While Hiking for Foliage

The sun was beginning to set, and we were beginning our descent down the summit of Mt. Tom, when the trail simply vanished. 

Honestly, we were only lost for about ten minutes before we found the main trail back down the mountain, but I couldn't help thinking about getting lost while the veil of darkness was slowly creeping up on the two of us.

There were brambles and rocks and hidden branches attacking me from every direction. Then, I remembered I was packin' my cell phone, and noticed that I had better cell service in the middle of the forest than I did in my damned New Fairfield living room. Before I continue my death-defying story, here are some beautiful views:

Nice, huh? Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Maybe getting confused on the trail had something to do with our stop at Hopkins Vineyard for a glass of wine before we attempted Mt. Tom. The views from atop the hills at the Hopkins Inn were stunning -- as agreed upon by the other 200 foliage watchers who joined us. We were even given the opportunity to watch some biker dude launch himself down one of the hills as he rolled to a stop. As he was tumbling and bouncing down the hill, one of the guys in the biker group yelled out to all of us:

Don't you worry people, he's just one big fat lovable animal!

I was thinking that maybe just one bottle of wine per person might be the way to go next time. You can't go wrong when you've got a beautiful day with gorgeous scenery coupled with a glass of wine, a small dose of exercise, and your best friend. I'd call that an all-win kinda day!