On the "Larch March"...

Up here in the Pacific Northwest, while we might not get the bright reds and yellows of New England autumns, we do have one distinctive feature: larches at higher elevations that turn bright gold before shedding their needles in mid-late October. Many nature-lovers (and more than a few photographers) join in a trek into the mountains each fall, in what is popularly known as the “larch march.”

Earlier this month, I joined in the march, heading to Washington Pass in North Cascades National Park for a hike to Rainy Lake, to catch both the larch on the ridge and its reflection in the lake, a cascading stream in the forest along the trail, and a final stop for sunset and “blue hour” at the pass itself.