Peak

Noon on Wednesday the 30th of October found me neck deep in the hot mineral water of Tub 8 down at the Hot Springs spa, overlooking the cold running water of Spring Creek. I was spending the day with my sister, and as she had a little bit of a minor cold, we bypassed the notion of venturing out into the warm woods for a hike and opted, rather, to soak in the healing waters of the town's namesake.

The sun was about as high as it gets this time of year, which is still angled sideways in the southern portion of the sky. Our tub was nestled in amongst a grove of naturalized clerodendron trees, the top halves of which were brown and frost-killed, but the lower halves of which were still adorned with the magnificent, jewel-like fruit pods- fushia petals encasing a bright blue berry. Oh, the plants China comes up with! Spring Creek ambled by, with its bone-chilling waters descended from the generous contributions of Meadowfork, Little Creek, Long Branch, Panther Branch, Roaring Fork, Hopis Branch, Baltimore Branch, Caldwell Branch, Woolyshot Branch, Puncheon Camp and numerous other tributaries. Squirrels comfortably foraged an array of nutritious wild fare- hickory nuts, walnuts, mushrooms. The bright mid-day light trickled through neon filters- bright yellow hickory leaves, popping amarantine sourwood, firey sugar maple and green gold beech. The hickory leaves, their yellow more yellowy than anything I can describe, flittered and hovered around in mid-air over the creek in the warm breeze, milking every last glorious moment before settling on the surface of the cold, flowing water- Tennessee bound.

The intensity of the colors was beyond the mind's comprehension, and the warmth of air, light and breeze in tandem with the hot soothing mineral water tempered the tensions of the mind and body and caused my eyes to relax. Squirrels chirped. The waters flowed. I knew J and I were sitting in Tub 8 at the very peak hour of this year's Fall.

Rachel says that when you are in the peak of Fall, you know it without a doubt. You know it like you know someone will die within the hour. There is no wondering "is this peak?" It is undeniable. Glorious. Momentary. The icon of impermanence. It is like the sweet last breath of Life before Death. And like Rachel says, how can you not notice the last breath?