Larch March

When fall rolls around, I closely monitor all the hiking Facebook pages and websites for the best places to view autumn finery.  Up in Washington state a majority of the posts featured photos of the lovely groves of Western Larch trees.  A unique species of conifer, instead of remaining green throughout winter months, the needles of the larch turn gold and drop in autumn.

 

A few last bits of fall color on Fret Creek Trail

When it comes to large groves of larch trees, Washington has the upper hand over Oregon.  But not having the time to travel to my neighboring state up north, nor a place to stay, I had to rely on getting my larch fix closer to home.  And luckily there's a spot east of Mt Hood that boasts a few stands of these beautiful conifers - the Badger Creek Wilderness.

 

Bridge crossing

 

From past hikes in the area, I remembered the larches began to turn color by mid-October.  So I planned a Friday trip in hopes of catching some golden needles.  My trail of choice was the Fret Creek Trail.  This lovely 2-mile jaunt climbs through a fir forest dominated by huckleberry bushes.  Although in past years the huckleberry leaves were a lovely hue of yellow, today I found most of them way past their prime.  Only a few scraggly bushes still held fading gold leaves.

Oval Lake

Was I too late for the larches?  Trekking past Oval Lake, the only bit of color was a few red huckleberry leaves along its shore.

Lichen-draped trees

 

Reaching the junction with the Divide Trail, I admired the long strands of lichen that draped nearby Douglas Fir trees.  Then, turning south I climbed steeply up the ridge to Palisade Point.

First larch sighting

 

About halfway up my climb, I stopped for a breather and admired the forest scenery spread out below.  And there, amongst the Douglas fir forest were a few larch trees, their golden needles glowing prominently against the deep green.

You gotta look up

So I wasn't too late!  As a matter of fact, judging by the pale green needles mixed in with the gold, it appeared the color transition was just beginning.

Fall brilliance

After taking in a the wide-sweeping views on top of Palisade Point, I followed the Divide Trail further south as it roller-coastered up and down.  I kept my eyes glued upward.  That's where the larches were.

Golden needles

 

Very few of the tall tree's branches were at eye-level.  It would've been easy to miss the golden larch needles had I not kept looking skyward.  As a matter of fact, I later ran into a couple on the trail and mentioned the larches.  Neither one of them had seen any!  I advised them that "you gotta look up."

Spiky needles

The larch trees were scattered about the forest, mostly in groups of 3's and 4's.  There wasn't any huge concentration of them.  And most of the golden-hued branches reached high above my head.

Mt Hood with a UFO-shaped cloud

Still, the trees were beautiful, and it was a thrill to see so many.  I wandered down the Divide Trail until it connected with a gravel road to nearby Flag Point fire lookout.  Having been to the lookout many times, and not in the mood for an uphill road walk, I sat down on a nearby log to take a lunch break.

Larch love

 

Lunch finished, I turned around and retraced my steps back to Palisade Point.  Wanting to get a selfie for my "65 Hikes" blog page, I found one group of larches that happened to have low-hanging, accessible branches.  I had a fun time capturing poses with the tree's spiky golden needles (and just so you know, no larches were harmed in the creation of this image!)

Golden in the sunshine

Back at Palisade Point, the light was better, and I captured this image of the forested ridge over Flag Point with a few spots of gold larch trees mixed in.  If you look real closely, you'll even see the Flag Point fire lookout tower.

Spots of gold on the hillside

Wanting to add a bit more mileage to the day's total I followed the Divide Trail north of Fret Creek to Lookout Point.  It was another thousand feet of climbing in a mile and a half.   Huffing and puffing uphill I thought "why did I choose to do this?"  But upon seeing the fabulous Mt Hood view on Lookoout Mountain's summit I decided it had been worth it.

Mt Hood from Lookout Mountain

 

After taking in the 360 degree panorama of the adjacent wilderness, and chatting with a couple enjoying wine and cheese at the summit, it was time to head back.  The return trip was quick - a steep, but sweet downhill trek following first the Divide Trail and then the Fret Creek Trail. 

Wide open views from Lookout Mountain

Funny thing, driving the Forest Service road from the trailhead back to civilization, I passed by a huge grove of golden larch trees growing right along the road!  I could've had my larch fix without the long hike and climb.  But.....I would've missed the fantastic views of Mt Hood and the scattered larch forests.  And I kind of like to work for my scenery.

A successful larch march on a beautiful sunny fall day!