Fall colors at Buttle Lake

I drove to Buttle Lake for the last time this year as the days are getting shorter and the snow level is falling. On the drive there, the temperature fluctuated between 0 and 2*C. There was a lot of logging and mine trucks on that winding road. I think I was probably the only visitor around.

I stopped in at Lupin Falls to check out the fall colors. There wasn’t very much as the trees are all evergreen. I took a worn out path up a steep slope to the small canyon where the creek drops over the precipice to form the falls. A lot of the yellow leaves have fallen on some trees. It appears that most of the fall colors are seen along the roadside.

I stopped in at Karst Creek and photographed the fall colors there. A lot of bushes and trees still had their yellow leaves but a lot has fallen to the ground. This is one of the better places to photograph. I was glad it wasn’t windy today as it made for sharper pictures. I passed the waterfall and did the loop trail. There were a few more red falls colors but not much.

 The path up Karst Creek

 

I went down to the shore of Buttle Lake; at this time of year, the water level is dropping exposing the ugly tree trunk and roots. It reminds me of Ross Lake up the Skagit Valley where the trees are cut down so that the lake can be used as a reservoir for the dam.

The only area which grows grass along the shoreline has turned from green to golden color. The mountains in the background have a dusting of snow. The snow line is dropping lower.

 Golden Grasses

 

I headed back to the Lupin Falls parking lot and ‘discovered’ a trail which I hadn’t seen before. It is not obvious as it involves walking up the road just past the culvert which drains under the road. There is a pink ribbon tied to a bush which denotes the start of the trail. There is a Danger Sign which warns that the trail passes through active logging area but the sign is old and there is no logging around this area. The trail parallels a small creek and heads up very steeply. It crosses the creek a few times but the water is running slow so it presents no problems. I had no idea where the trail leads to or how long it has been here but the path is well worn and laid out. There are no views as the trail is enclosed in a small valley. I hiked up to the snow line as there were patches of light snow on the ground and the air felt chilly. I saw between the trees a mountain ridge with a light dusting of snow but that was it for the views. After a couple of hours of steep uphill hiking, I called it quits. I hiked back down and bushwhacked to a small creek in the woods and rested there for a while. 

A lot of forest creeks are filled with debris as fallen trees lay here and there. A lot of small trees are rotten on the inside so they topple over easy. Even when I was hiking down the slope grabbing onto branches and small trees some of the trees started to bend and break as they are rotten inside.

The air temperature in the afternoon fluctuated between 5 and 7*C but it didn’t feel that cold as all the heat generated from hiking kept me warm enough.