The girls and I spent a week in the North Cascades recently. It started out chilly with some rain and then it gradually warmed up. Good news about being chilly is that the mosquitoes were not bad. By the end of the week, they were more than annoying. I heard they were much worse this week. Oh well. Most of the trails were still snow-covered but by the end of the week, they were in good shape for walking without spikes. Meadows were already unbelievably green and full of wildflowers.
New snow on a busy trail made for some treacherous walking. We should have had micro spikes for our shoes. We managed to get up and down without injury but were concerned for other hikers less prepared than we were. The redheads joined us for this one. They are less than impressed with Sky’s ability to ‘sit pretty’ but Sky doesn’t care.
It looks like fall in the mountains is coming to an end. It has continued to snow up there this week. I imagine the larch needles are falling to the ground.
It’s a thing. It’s even a hashtag – #larchmadness. See for yourself.
Sky and I had lots of opportunities to see the golden alpine larch trees last week. We met a lady from New Orleans on a trail and she asked me, “Are all these trees going to die?” I reassured her that it was normal for larch needles to turn yellow and fall to the ground each this time of year.
But honestly, how many images of golden larches do I need?
Sky and I have enjoyed some really great hikes in the last week. The October weather has been perfect for it and the colors are just outstanding this year. After the gruesome summer this is such a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.
Here is the first one from last week. I found lots of scat of various colors and sizes. It makes me think that it is a good area for wildlife although I only observed a few birds. The wildfire near Conconully was still sending up some smoke.
This hike at this time of the year is nearly irresistible. How can you NOT do this? Just the drive to the trailhead is enough to make you stop and pay attention.
My Everyday Photos 