Last of autumn, Lantern Hill

If money was no object, one thing I would purchase immediately is a camera-equipped drone that I could use to fly above the treeline and get fine panoramic shots of the progress of the seasons. Alas, money is always an object, so the drone will probably long remain on the B&H website wishlist. However, there are other ways to get panoramic shots, and those mostly involve treks up hills whose ridges feature treeless views of the landscape. This is one, and once up to the top, I could look out at the now almost-leafless branches of the hardwood forest below. The evergreens are still in business, but the oaks, maples, beeches, and the like have, by shedding their foliage, said goodbye to autumn. We're a few weeks from the official start of winter, but from a hardwood's perspective, the solstice has arrived. I didn't need a drone to tell me—just the trees.