Quest for Gold...Larches that is!

So this weekend was very fluctuational when it came to my plans, first I was going to go with a group to Rainier, but didn't get much response (too late on the planning), then I was going to go to the North Cascades with a couple other people, but my car was acting up and it's a pretty long drive to attempt as a day trip and really get a decent hike in. Finally it was settled that I was going to go camping with another set of friends up to Tuck and Robin Lakes, and THEN, even that was changed because the nighttime temperatures and snow would have made camping and the potential for escaping said cold temperatures rather difficult. SO... it was decided that we would instead go questing for Larch trees in fall colors up in the North Cascades as a camping trip. Our plans set I proceeded to get gear appropriate for freezing my ass off and surviving :)

Now, I'm not much of a camper, always leaned toward the day hikes as much as possible, but the mere THOUGHT of finally being able to see and photograph fall Larch trees was a big motivator for me. So, I geared up, with the help of a good friend who showed me the ropes, and a few other friends who gave me awesome advice for how to survive. My bags packed, and our group corraled, we headed off to find us some Larch trees!

Day 1 was spent oohing and ahhing over every glimpse we got of the mountains, and finally, having missed our trailhead pullout being distracted by snow, mountains, ice and in the end an obscure trail sign, we pulled off at Washington Pass and were greeted with beautiful dynamic light and even a trio of Larches for me to photograph in the foreground, what else could a guy ask for??

Alpine Larch (fall colors) in front of Winter Spires at Washington Pass

Having literally leapt out of the car and gone running off to photograph the larch and mountains, I was feeling just awesome already about the trip, so we finally managed to locate our trailhead to Maple Pass and Lake Ann, amidst the snow and slush that was the road, and hiked in the compacted snow up the trail, finding all sorts of goodies to shoot and enjoy, despite the nagging feeling of cold and extra weight of packs stuffed with stuff for "just in case"

Bouncing light off of snow onto more snow on a tree on the trail to Lake Ann

Our first glimpse of real fall color (non-larch) came as we escaped the forest for the first time and boom, there it was, covering a hillside, and with a little bit of snow left since much had melted from the sun, we all stopped and took our first serious photo break, shooting and climbing and stalking a Pika and just enjoying the sun and colors we were hoping for, finally feeling like the decision to change plans was a good one.

Fall color on the side of the ridge on the way to Maple Pass

Having whetted our appetites, we continued on, reaching the junction with the Lake Ann trail and Maple Pass and opting for the Pass, if nothing else than to see Gold Larch and high country. As we broke out of the woods it was awesome, just breathtakingly gorgeous, the snow literally covered everything and the sunlight low on the horizon meant that it was only hitting certain trees, perfect for really highlighting the orange and yellow of the larch

Gold Larch near Lake Ann, viewed from the Maple Pass trail

Lake Ann and the ridges of Maple Pass

The sun began to be obscured by clouds and soon we lost it completely, the temperature dropped, and we were forced to admit that the cold and night temperatures and literally sliding down the trailhead in the dark were not going to be worth the lack of a sunset that was looking more and more likely. So, after much freezing and attempting to take pictures at an awe inspring overlook we all stopped at, we began to trickle back to the cars, a large group at the front and me, staggering in the rear and still trying to get the last of any good shots I was going to get before the lack of light made shooting hand held impossible.

We all arrived more or less intact at the trailhead, very cold and a little wet. We opted to forgo camping nearby the trail due to the snow, and instead drove 1/2 an hour west and down into the warmer (40 degrees as opposed to 28 degrees) area around Diablo Lake. We set up our tents, got our hands warmed up, Scott built a fire while Vern almost lit HIMSELF on fire, and in the end everybody heated up water and ate dinner with much enjoyment and sharing of stories of the day.

Eventually, watching the temperature drop, it was time for bed, and into the tents we went, mostly to bundle up as tightly as humanly possible in the sleeping bags and try to ignore the occassional snore or odd noise in the dark. I cannot begin to tell you how weird it is to go to sleep with a bit of light illuminating the shadows of the tent, only to wake up a few hours later and be unable to even see the hand in front of my face, that was very surprising, and I managed to reassure myself that I had not indeed gone blind by viewing my ipod playlist I was listening to to avoid the snoring of one of our fellow campers. Eventually, I drifted off again, and managed to wake up tired, a little sick, and very groggy cold, to a bit of light and an overcast sky. We all woke up at our own pace, and hoped for the sun to come out. We took solice in shooting the maple fall color around the camp, and eventually the sun burst out and our spirits soared with the promise of a good day.

We began our 2nd day's journey with a few stops at overlooks, and concluded by hitting up the Washington Pass overlook, where I proceeded to climb down into the meadow covered in snow, having seen little ponds that I would just love to photograph the reflection of the surrounding peaks in. Sure enough, after much jumping/sinking/hopping/cursing and a triumphant "YES!" I was in heaven once again, shooting away at Silver Star Mountain reflected in the pools of the marsh.

Silver Star Mountain from Washington Meadows

We continued on, feeding camp robbers, shooting away, and generally seeing who had the most guts to go climbing down to shoot the larches on the slope. The clouds were coming in, but the skies were wonderful, and dramatic, and none of us could stop shooting, you'd turn to go and then it would be "just one more" or "ohh, look at that!" and off we'd go to shoot more.

But finally, as all good things do, it had to end, and the tired and cold crept in on us one at a time, and we returned to the cars and headed home, content in the experience of the amazing time we got to spend in the North Cascades, probably one of the most scenic and amazing places in the whole of the US. Me, I was just happy I finally got to see my Larches all gold and pretty :) And I will definitely be returning, just as soon as the snow finally leaves next spring and I can get out there again!