North Cascades Fall Color and Early Winters (pics)

I grew up in Connecticut; we prided ourselves on our fall color, like all of New England. When the maples turn, you can see them from space. I was born in Denver and the Rockies hold a special place in my heart, I've gone back to see the aspens, also a beautiful show. Here in the northwest, a strange tree called larch is the start of our show.

Larches are deciduous conifers - I didn't know there was such a thing. We have two kinds, the alpine (larix lyalli), and the western (larix occidentalis), both of which grow in cold places. They drop their needles every fall, and grow new ones in late spring. Every October, hikers here go on a pilgrimage, a larch march, to see them sing the song of winter.

Here are some photos from the last two weekends.

"My" section of PCT, no maintenance needed at this time. 🙂



Cutthroat Lake trail.



Hikers at Blue Lake.



Settling in for the long winter ahead.



Whistler, Cutthroat, Early Winters.



Washington Pass. This road took almost a hundred years to build, and stays open about five months in a typical year. Fantastic bike route, great skiing, a climber's paradise.