2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

General discussions on hiking in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
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UTurn
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by UTurn » September 10th, 2014, 5:06 am

Splintercat wrote:
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(from a few years ago)
Oh, good Lord, that is a stunning picture! Bring on the color! :D

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sprengers4jc
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by sprengers4jc » September 14th, 2014, 7:37 pm

Colors just starting to show up on the Tamanawas Falls/Polallie Loop yesterday.
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justpeachy
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by justpeachy » September 14th, 2014, 7:55 pm

Fall is very pretty, but it's bittersweet for me. It means the end of the way-too-short backpacking and camping season since it gets dark so early now and since the nights start getting pretty chilly in the mountains. It's just day hikes for me until the rain returns, then it'll be a long nine-month wait for summer again! :(

I saw some larches that had started yellowing up when I was driving down Road 48 yesterday.

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romann
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by romann » September 15th, 2014, 10:01 pm

justpeachy wrote:It's just day hikes for me until the rain returns, then it'll be a long nine-month wait for summer again!
9 month break from hiking/camping seems a bit like self-punishment :shock: . The weather east of the Cascades gets warm much earlier than here - my first overnighter is usually in May, couple times it was in April and it was almost hot. Backpacking is probably doable March through November with careful weather planning, without getting sub-25F nights. Then I always overlook the ocean (now that I think about it!), sunnier/warmer in the winter, "campable" year round.

This past Saturday, fall colors were near their peak in Indian Heaven (red huckleberry leaves), will last 2-3 weeks in earnest if the weather holds. Berries are many (and it's understatement!), but start to fall on the ground.
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On Sunday, visited Jefferson Park; huckleberries and mountain ash turn red/yellow, really nice but about a week before their best. Berries were hit or miss, lots in some places, almost none in the other parts of the Park. I forgot my camera for Jeff Park, but my dad may share some photos tomorrow & I will add them.

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kepPNW
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by kepPNW » September 16th, 2014, 5:04 am

romann wrote:
justpeachy wrote:It's just day hikes for me until the rain returns, then it'll be a long nine-month wait for summer again!
9 month break from hiking/camping seems a bit like self-punishment :shock: .
Yeah, I don't get that, either. Rain beats mosquitoes, hands-down. Snow too. Having dry clothes to change into back at the car can make all the difference. With a little flexibility, there are almost always dry hiking opportunities, even on the westside, all year round. I've gone on 12 hikes in the last three months -- one more than I went on in January alone!

Summer's highly overrated! :)
Karl
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drm
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by drm » September 16th, 2014, 6:14 am

justpeachy wrote:then it'll be a long nine-month wait for summer again! :(
It's a six month break for backpacking for me. I dayhike and cross-country ski the rest of the year. We get a lot of rainy days, but I have a flexible schedule to get out there when the sun shows itself, so my backpacking break is mostly defined by hours of sunlight, i.e. the two equinoxes.

justpeachy
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by justpeachy » September 20th, 2014, 3:54 pm

I did the Upper Twin Lake and Palmateer Point loop today. The vine maple around 4,500 feet or so is at peak. This is looking down on a patch from a trailside viewpoint:

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The slopes below Barlow Butte:

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kepPNW wrote:Rain beats mosquitoes, hands-down.
We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. ;)

I detest mosquitoes, but if that's the price I have to pay to satisfy my scenery addiction, so be it. This kind of reward is worth it:

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But the only rewards you get from hiking in the rain are obscured views and soggy gear. Not my cup of tea.

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kepPNW
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by kepPNW » September 20th, 2014, 5:25 pm

justpeachy wrote:The slopes below Barlow Butte:
Gorgeous!
justpeachy wrote:
kepPNW wrote:Rain beats mosquitoes, hands-down.
We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. ;)

I detest mosquitoes, but if that's the price I have to pay to satisfy my scenery addiction, so be it. This kind of reward is worth it:
Hmmmm, I agree, the difference in hiking there on a bluebird day and your more average cloudy winter day would be significant. But there are so many other opportunities you miss out on by just walking away from the outdoors for 2/3 of the year! Here's a handful of hikes I took during what's considered "the worst" part of the year (Nov-Feb) this last winter...
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justpeachy wrote:But the only rewards you get from hiking in the rain are obscured views and soggy gear. Not my cup of tea.
I think there were two days in those three months, where I at times wondered "why in the name of holy hell am I out here!?!", but I look back and relish each of those days now. One of them, I was soaked through, and changed everything at the trailhead. On many of them, I changed shirts at the end of the hike. (As opposed to summer, when I always change shirts - if not everything - at the end of a hike!)

And just from the assortment of thumbnails on the rest of those days, you can see I wasn't lacking for pretty dramatic views on most of them. Blue skies can be so boring. There's drama in actual weather! During the worst possible weather, I find it hard to beat being in a magnificent rainforest, but driving east until the wipers start to squeak is always another option.

Lastly, what about the rewards of friendship, camaraderie, or just plain ol' good exercise? To me, it's totally worth hauling along comfy sweats to crawl into for the ride home. I enjoy a good book beside the fire as much as anyone, and there's still plenty of time for that - on those long winter nights - when I get home.

Not (necessarily) trying to persuade you. Just agreeably, if vehemently, disagreeing. :D
Karl
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sprengers4jc
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by sprengers4jc » September 20th, 2014, 7:57 pm

I agree with Karl above. I'd take weather over skeeters (and biting flies) any day! :D

As for fall colors, Indian Heaven is resplendent in reds, yellows and oranges right now. These are from the Thomas/Blue Lake trail and an abandoned connector trail.
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Near Rock Lake
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Abandoned connector trail
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Thomas Lake Trail
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Zia
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Re: 2014 Fall Color thread -- sorry

Post by Zia » September 20th, 2014, 8:28 pm

I completely agree. I hike year round. Maybe not as much in the wet season as I do in the summer, but I don't think I could wait 9 months to hike heh. Okay now onto fall colors. They are making their way to Siouxon Creek.

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