As I hiked along the trail Sunday, I saw these yellow colored ferns, beautifully lit by the sun, a ways off the trail. In order to avoid ticks, I usually don’t hike into the underbrush, and stick to the groomed trails. But we’ve had some cold weather, and the season is winding down. It’ll be OK, I thought.

I made my way toward the ferns and took these shots. To make a long story short, later on I discovered one of the little buggers on my arm — a deer tick. It must’ve grabbed onto my jacket, and crawled its way inside the sleeve. A good reminder to NEVER walk off-trail unless it’s wintertime.