Monday, October 27, 2014

Last Glimpse of the Larch

Sundays weather was rain , wind , sun , repeated by rain , wind and a little more sun. It was changing every 10 minutes which is typical here in the fall, (and the spring). It looked a bit daunting to the west but we decided on a whim to load up the ponies and take our chances over at the state land to see if we could sneak in a ride. We arrived at the parking lot  to be greeted by a nasty little rain squall so we waited in the truck for about 10 minutes until it passed. Then , the weather was perfect the rest of the ride. No rain, no wind, just sun (even though it was only about 48 degrees). I did have to bundle up and break out the insulated riding pants, gloves and a hat. I hate that part !

The larches have been turning for a couple of weeks now. Its one of my favorite times of year to ride in the state land . The forest , interspersed with Pine and plenty of Larch,  is absolutely stunning this time of year. When the sun hits the yellow larch, it makes the forest seem like it's glowing against the backdrop of green pine trees. It's magical!
Fall trails... 


The horses are already pretty woolly. It didn't take much effort before they were getting warm underneath all that hair, even though we mostly walked. I was riding Cassidy . He is always such a pleasure to ride.
I heard rustling in your pocket.. snacks??

blaze orange because it was opening weekend of rifle season

A view from the top looking down into the valley

 My guess is we caught the last  of the larch before they are gone completely for the winter. Many already had. The ground was already coated with a thick layer so it won't be long before the trees are bare skeletons,  gone to sleep for the long winter ahead.

Lovely trail footing covered in Larch needles



Brego discovered that there were peppermint snacks in my vest pocket. He was doing his best to help himself to one.



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