It’s getting cooler by the day for my early morning walks.

As much as I love the summer heat and as much as I detest the winter cold, the morning temperatures in spring and fall, as we transition from one to the other, are perfect for power walking.

I closely watch my weather app every morning and once that temperature hits around 10°C (50°F), that’s the sweet spot and I head out. That fresh morning air is so exhilarating and the autumn colours that are starting to make an appearance provide many photo ops and plenty of enjoyment.

Because I’m super sensitive to getting cold, I do dress warmer now in a light weight jacket, a puffy vest, and I wear gloves. Instead of cropped exercise pants, I wear the long ones, and my light summer socks are replaced by a heavier hikers’ sock. My ball cap and the headset for my music provides enough protection for my head and ears right now. Once I start needing more gear than this to keep warm, it’ll be time to head to Texas!

Photo Note: My feature photo was taken on one of our cross country ski trails. Those trails are dense with trees and bushes, so the sun’s light is very filtered. It’s like walking on a narrow forest path. Despite the low light conditions, I was pleased to still catch some bokeh of the sunlight in this shot. In post processing, I used the Snapseed portrait filter to make the golden leaves a little deeper and the curves tool to add a soft contrast.

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”

Albert Camus