Twenty-nine TrailBlazers (but 2 bailed before the hike) headed up to Mt Magazine to see the beautiful fall color, but life threw us a curve. Bad forecast – it turned out to be foggy, gray and chilly on the mountain bathed in a low-hanging cloud. Once the sun acted like it was going to peek through, but it ended up rolling over and going back to sleep. In a momentary flash of genius Yours Truly made the executive decision to take the group pic in an indoor fog-free setting.

From the Visitors Center Katie, our Trail Boss of the Day, started us out on the Will Apple Trail down to the horse camp where we crossed the road to pick up Bear Hollow. The bad news is that the scenic views and fall color were shrouded in gun-metal gray, but the good news is that we were not subjected to the really bad conditions experienced at Queen Wilhelmina last fall! Camera buffs were disappointed with the lack of great photo ops, but the hiking conditions weren’t bad and we had a fun group. Inspiration Point needed a great imagination, and the view from Sunrise Rock was not what we are accustomed to, but it’s still a great place to eat. Afterwards we hoofed up the trail as the cloud we were enveloped in got thicker and grayer. Next we reached the East Loop of the Benefield to hike the rim trail where we saw such spectacular color last year. Unfortunately, it was pretty much a gray-out. We ended the hike at the parking lot where we had shuttled cars. By now the pea soup fog was such that Bonanza Bob and Judy got lost in the cloud when they came back to pick us up. Katie was ready for search and rescue, but they finally found their way. At the end the Mt Mag Action Group served goodies at the Visitors Center and had a silent auction! Thank you! As luck would have it, the cloud disappeared and fall color resurfaced as we came down the mountain.