Fall Goes Out
At a Full Gallop

Danielle Bouchard samples one of Brookfield's many scenic gravel roads on her 15-year-old Morgan-Arabian cross, Tonka. (Herald / Bob Eddy)

Autumn of 2007 in Central Vermont presented one of the longest, latest, brightest, and most memorable seasons in years.

Weekend temperatures, in the third weekend of October, climbed into the high 60s, and a frost Wednesday morning was only the second hard frost of the fall.

As a result, brightly colored foliage continued to cling to the trees, and bright sun lured hundreds of folks out of doors for hiking, kayaking, wood-stacking—and horseback riding.

Among those indulging in the latter was Randolph Union High School student Danielle Bouchard of Brookfield.

Just two days after this weekend photograph was taken, however, virtually all the leaves in Central Vermont catapulted to the ground, and by press time, the hillsides had taken on the stark, grey configuration that is now being called "stick season."