With Hurricane Sandy soon to make landfall in New York City, I and my very good friends Marika, Michele, Mikey, and Joanna braved overcast skies and potential precipitation this past weekend to enjoy the last pretty parts of fall.

We hiked and scrambled sixish miles at a light to moderate pace  – enough to justify treating ourselves to delicious après hike slices of blackberry/raspberry pie and chocolate cake with raspberry filling (arguably my second favorite part of our local adventure – lunch being the first, of course).  The fall foliage was more remarkable than I could ever recall it being during my autumn days @ Breakneck Ridge, though I find the trail stunning throughout the four seasons.