FINALLY the scorching, 80-degree, excessively sunny Seattle days are behind us! Summer is by far my least favorite season in Seattle, and I do realize that I am in the minority of Seattlelites with that feeling. It seems like everyone waits all year-long for 40+ days of sunshine...not me! The only thing about summer is the sunsets that I enjoy- and I could live without them if it meant we would go straight from Spring to Autumn.
There are so many things that I love about fall in Seattle: the wonderful weather, crunchy leaves, cozy sweaters, wearing scarves, pumpkin everything, foggy and misty mornings, crockpot recipes galore, new seasons of TV shows return, wearing boots everyday is a given, banks start putting out the good halloween candy for customers to take, watching Hocus Pocus, cuddling up with extra blankets, and clocks change which means one more hour of procrastination. However, the foremost reason I love Seattle is that it's the optimal and most gorgeous time for hiking the trails.
On my fall hikes must-list was to do a hike that was saturated with golden larch trees. To witness golden larch trees, Seattlelites must drive about 3 hours to the Central Washington area or drive to British Columbia. Timing your hike is important; the larch trees are only golden yellow for a short amount of time. The trail that I satisfied my larch need was Lake Ingalls.
Lake Ingalls is located in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and is a very popular hiking destination during the summer and fall months. It offers spectacular views of Mount Stuart, However, I went on this hike for the LARCHES, but got so much more out of the hike. I couldn't have asked for better weather. Along the trail in this Alpine Lakes Wilderness, you can also see Mount Rainier and Mount Adams. Wildlife is abundant including mountain goats, and at the lake chipmunks that will try to steal your lunch. There is a lot of rock scrambling on this trail, and there are cairns to help guide you around the rocks but it is very easy to lose the trail (as I did).
Below are some of my pictures that I took during the hike, with an emphasis on the larch trees and Lake Ingalls. This hike became my favorite hike EVER and solidifying once again my love for autumn and Washington.
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| At the end of the trail you arrive at Lake Ingalls. This is Mount Stuart. |
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| Me at Lake Ingalls |
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| Mount Stuart and a field of golden larch trees |
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| Golden larches |
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| Yellow is the new green |
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| Aren't they beautiful |
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| Lake Ingalls and the reflection of the mountains |
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| Rock scrambling |
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| Mount Rainier through the golden larches. |
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| Sunbeamin' through the golden larch trees |
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| Saw six mountain goats along the trail |
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| Looking up |
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| Golden Larches everywhere |
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| Up close and personal |
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| Forest of larches |
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| Entering the Alpine Lake Wilderness and where you start seeing golden larch trees |
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| Standing at the top of a waterfall while Mount Stuart is showing up in the clear skies |
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| Signage at the beginning of the trailhead |
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