Last Call for Summer: 3 Trips Worth Making Before Fall Hits
Some people mark the end of summer by flipping the calendar page. Others know there’s still just enough time for one last story before the season fades. Three stories, in fact: one lazy, one carefree, and one that’ll leave your calves aching for a few days. Which path will you forge?
1. The Slow Float: Guadalupe River, Texas Hill Country
In the Texas Hill Country, the Guadalupe River winds slow and steady, offering just enough current to make you feel like you’re going somewhere, even if you’re not. You grab a tube, a bag of ice, and a cooler stacked with whatever counts as lunch.
The water’s warm. The banks are shady. And the soundtrack is mostly cicadas and your one friend who brought the waterproof speaker.
Where to float: Guadalupe River State Park or Rockin' R River Rides in New Braunfels.
2. The Road Trip That Was Never on the Calendar: California’s Highway 1
If the float is about drifting, the road trip is about wandering. There’s a difference.
Somewhere between Monterey and Morro Bay, the road curves so hard toward the ocean it feels like a dare. That’s the sweet spot — where the plans loosen up, the music gets weirder, and your co-pilot pulls out a Lucky Jack shot glass at a pull-off with a view.
You stop at farm stands and roadside BBQ. You rank gas stations by their jerky selection. Maybe you find a forgotten beach near Big Sur, maybe you just follow the fog until it clears. Either way, you’re not checking your email.
This is the kind of trip where you take photos but forget to post them. Where you leave your phone in the glovebox because it’s wedged under the six-pack you bought from a coastal brewery you’ll never remember the name of. Perfect.
Scenic stops: McWay Falls, Bixby Creek Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach.
3. The Sunrise Earned in Sweat: Mt. Lafayette, White Mountains, NH
This one’s not for everyone. That’s the point.
You start before dawn, headlamps slicing through the tree line, your pack heavy with gear that matters. One person’s carrying the stove. Another’s got a Lucky Jack flask filled with something warm (or strong...or both). The climb up Mt. Lafayette in New Hampshire’s White Mountains isn’t easy; 8.6 miles, steep and rocky. What did you think “end of summer” meant?
Not fireworks. Not beach towels. It’s this: wind on your face at the summit, layered up in the kind of fleece that smells like campfire and effort. Sunrise up here doesn’t just look better, it means something.
Hike info: Franconia Ridge Loop via Mt. Lafayette.
Don’t Let the Clock Win
Thing is, summer won’t end all at once, it trickles out. Days get shorter, nights start to cool off, and you realize the hardware store is already stocking Halloween decor.
But there’s still time. For one float. One drive. One climb. Just enough summer left to write the ending yourself.
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