Before You Die: Hike to Lonesome Lake by Linda Ballou

Each fall bronze, gold and burgundy leaves float on a scintillating breeze in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Basin-Cascade trail starts as a stiff climb beside a raging torrent that ends at sapphire-blue Lonesome Lake. A lazy amble back down the mountain through a beckoning tree-tunnel brings you to a stroll on a leafy carpet along the Pemigewasset River and back to the Basin. This idyllic day is with me still. Linda Ballou