I actually ended up going on that hike last weekend you asked about. Yeah the weather held up surprisingly well given the forecast. We took the trail up past the old mill and the leaves are really starting to turn now golds and deep reds mostly. There's a spot about halfway up where you can see the whole valley and we stopped there for a while just taking it in. The trail was a bit muddy in sections nothing too bad but next time I'll probably wear boots instead of trail runners. We packed sandwiches and sat by the stream near the summit. Overall a solid choice if you're looking for something moderate a good workout without being exhausting. I'd say give it a try this weekend if you're free.

Let me know if you want me to send you the GPX file I recorded. It had a couple of detours but the main route is easy to follow. The whole loop took us about four and a half hours with breaks. Parking was easy at the lot near the ranger station.

I finally got around to reading that book you mentioned at dinner last week. Took me a bit to get into it honestly the first few chapters felt slow but around page 80 things started clicking. The way the author describes the main character's thought process is really detailed sometimes too detailed but it pays off later. I can see why you said it reminded you of that other novel we both liked. There's a section in the middle where the pacing shifts and suddenly I couldn't put it down. I finished it last night and I'm still thinking about the ending which is always a good sign. If you want to borrow my copy for a friend I'm happy to lend it.

Also I found a podcast interview with the author where she talks about the research she did for the setting. Apparently she spent a summer traveling through the regions she describes. Really fascinating context that made me want to reread certain chapters.