Indian Heaven Fall Color (and Huckleberry) Show

Let the fall hiking season begin!  After another blazing hot summer, when September rolled around I was more than ready for autumn's cooler weather and changing leaves.

Leaves growing out of an old stump

SW Washington's Indian Heaven Wilderness is one of the best places to catch early season fall color.  Known for it's high concentration of huckleberry bushes (and berries!) come early September, the leaves of these brushy plants transform into a kaleidoscope of autumn hues.

Trailsign

My friend Catherine was game for a hike in this beautiful, lake-dotted wilderness.  After a long 2-hour drive from Portland, we parked at the East Crater Trailhead and began our day's trek.

Catherine gazing at the beauty

The first mile and a half was a boring slog through unremarkable woods.  But then the path wound by three tiny ponds, all rimmed with crimson-colored huckleberry leaves.  The tiny water bodies offered picture-perfect reflections of the surrounding forest.

Tiny pond rimmed by crimson leaves

Last September a forest fire charred several acres in this area, and soon after we passed the ponds Catherine and I came upon some of it's aftermath.  The blackened tree trunks were a somber reminder that these special wilderness areas can be taken away at any time at a moment's notice.

Fairy-tale mushroom

Fall is also the start of mushroom season and Catherine, much better versed in this specialty, kept a watchful eye on the forest floor.  She spied many different varieties, including this cute spotted one we dubbed the "fairy-tale mushroom."

Lots of these cute log bridges

The further we hiked down the East Crater Trail, the better the fall colors.  Huckleberry bushes are unusual in that their leaves can change into three colors - red, orange and yellow - all on the same bush.

Multicolored huckleberry leaves

Oh, and there were still lots of ripe berries hanging off the branches.  Catherine and I made a couple of quick stops in order to sample the goods.

Three different colors in the same bush

Our first major lake, Junction Lake, appeared through the mossy trees.  Someone had staked a tent near the shore, and this idyllic setting looked like the perfect place to spend a weekend.

 

Junction Lake's idyllic setting

Appropriately named, at this lake were many trail junctions.  We passed by the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) before continuing a short distance to the Lemei Lake Trail, the next stage of today's hike.

Trail to Lemei Lake

The Lemei Lake Trail skirted Junction Lake's shoreline, rimmed by more colorful huckleberry bushes.

Passing by Junction Lake

Then we climbed up a ridge above Junction Lake.  The ridge flattened out into a lovely high alpine meadow chock full of - you guessed it - more huckleberry bushes.

Very pretty leaves

These bushes were full of juicy, ripe berries.  All forward progress was halted as Catherine took out a container she'd packed along and began harvesting handfuls of huckleberries.  Not being as prepared as my partner, all the berries I picked went straight into my mouth.

Huckleberry picking frenzy

My tummy was beginning to rumble, so finally I persuaded Catherine to step away from the bushes and continue on to Lemei Lake, our day's designated lunch spot.  This tiny lake, set in a woodsy valley, is always my favorite spot to enjoy a bite.

Like someone drew a paintbrush across this meadow

After lunch, we continued on towards our next junction with the Cultus Lake trail.  The trail passed through more spectacularly-colored huckleberry bushes.

More huckleberries!

And of course all laden with more plump berries!

Another berry picking break

Such tempting concentrations of berries, Catherine couldn't resist.  She was determined to fill her bottle and settled in for a long-term picking session.  I just hoped we'd make it back before dark!

Clear Lake

Of course, it really didn't take that long to get a bottle full of berries, and 15 minutes later we were back on the trail.  Past the Cultus Trail junction we passed by lovely Clear Lake. 

Catherine is not sure if my climbing the talus slope is a smart move

On the uphill side of the lake, we passed by a steep talus slope.  And I heard the distinctive "meep-meep" of a pika.  These tiny rock rabbits that live in boulder fields are hard to spot.  Despite their shyness I was hoping we'd see one of these cute creatures.  Then, lo and behold, eagle-eye Catherine spotted one perched on a rock above us!

I actually saw a pika!

The zoom on my camera lens wasn't strong enough to adequately capture the little creature, so I began carefully climbing up the rocks hoping for a better view.  Usually pikas bolt for cover if they see humans, but this one stayed put.  I got fairly close, enough for two good shots, before the little guy spotted me and dived into a crevice.  What a thrill to finally see a pika instead of just hearing it!

PCT photo op

We ended our loop taking a stretch of the PCT back to Junction Lake, and then retracted our steps on the East Crater Trail back to my car.  Another great autumn hike in the Indian Heaven Wilderness.  Fabulous fall colors, ripe berries, and a cute pika sighting, my fall hiking season was off to a great start!