A good number of my good friends are going camping in the North Carolina mountains this weekend, and I am unbelievably jealous. Not only will they have a good ol' time, the fall colors should be as spectacular as ever.
"They would be looking at some particularly vibrant yellows and rich maroon reds," Crae Morton, the president of Grandfather Mountain, told the Winston-Salem Journal. "The berries of the mountain ash are gorgeous this year; it's a very rich red that really stands out on a lot of trees. I'm noting a lot of apple-colored reds and some really bright yellows with just a hint of orange in them. It's just a real pretty leaf season."
Gary Walker, a biology professor at Appalachian State University, said that a cold and dry spell in September helped create particularly good colors.
"That's good because it stresses the trees to shut down early before all the sugars are transported out (of the leaves)," Walker said.
Cool weather now will help lock in the colors, he said, while pushing those leaves that are still green to move into their colors.
So, you can see why I'm jealous. Perhaps this last comment, however, will put my mind at ease.
"Forecasts even call for possible snow flurries at the highest elevations today. The National Weather Service predicts lows in the mid-30s tonight in Boone and a low of about 30 on Friday."
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