Nice leisurely run today as the fall colors are starting to show. Spent some time exploring the creek by the launch. The duck pond was so dry I could walk to the back and pick up the trail. Got in a bonus run on Echo Trail. The trail runs on the other side of the creek from last weeks Giants Trail. I filmed the little cascades from the other side.

Past and Present

Pushing further along the Coppiced Woods loop, I couldn’t help but marvel at the distinct, multi-trunked trees the trail is named after. It’s wild to think this historical practice—where early settlers and woodsmen would cut trees to the stump to stimulate new, resilient growth—is still shaping the landscape we hike today. That same idea of looking deep into the past to understand our present popped into my head reading this week's science news. Astronomers are now studying tiny magnetic fields from right after the Big Bang to finally solve the "Hubble tension," a cosmic expansion mystery rooted in the work of historical astronomer Edwin Hubble. We're literally decoding the dawn of time, all while tech leaps forward—Google just unveiled its Gemini 4 Argon AI, and scientists found a brilliant new way to use light and unusual sulfur bonds to make clean green hydrogen from water. It’s a lot to process. The quiet shade of this oak-hickory forest makes for a perfect escape from the local chatter about Mayor Greenberg’s new freight mobility action plan and next week's downtown two-way street conversions.

Taking that final elevation climb, the heavier news of the week just seemed to fade out completely. Between the heated buildup to the 2026 midterm elections and the lingering international friction following the recent U.S. military withdrawals in the Middle East, it’s easy to let the constant drumbeat of global conflict wear you down. But out here that geopolitical noise is just a passing shadow. Just like the coppiced trees adapting and thriving after being cut back, the world keeps pushing forward. When you step back and look at our rapid leaps in technology, uncovering the universe's oldest secrets, and discovering sustainable ways to power our world, there is so much to be excited about. Breathing in this crisp Louisville autumn air leaves me feeling incredibly optimistic about the bright future we're building.