We had our first snow of the season in Flagstaff, Arizona last week (although snow had occurred much earlier in the nearby mountains) and it was a chance to photograph fall colors against the new snow. First stop was a grove of gambel oaks I had been watching for the past several weeks.
I had hoped for a light dusting of snow so that the leaves would stand out against the snow. Instead, several inches of snow fell and all but covered the leaves.
Gambel oak and several inches of fresh snow near Flagstaff.
The next stop was in Oak Creek Canyon. Snow cover was quickly diminishing at these lower elevations with only a partial covering remaining as I arrived at around 5500′ elevation.
Clouds swirl around the cliffs of Oak Creek Canyon as a light dusting of snow covers the canyon floor.
Additional snow fell that afternoon and evening and I returned the next morning to Oak Creek Canyon. The snow was a bit deeper this time and more widespread. And the cold temperatures of the previous days had resulted in a little more color in the leaves.
Maple leaves show their fall colors as snow lies on a fallen tree in Oak Creek Canyon.Finally! Some red appears in the maples this year.
A few days ago I visited a small side canyon in Oak Creek Canyon to photograph the late stages of fall color in the canyon forest. The trees weren’t showing as much color as they had in previous years. Many of the maple leaves displayed small dark spots and this may be similar to the disease that is infecting the Quaking Aspen at the higher elevations. Other explanations include the abnormally wet spring we had this year. Because of the moisture, many plants leafed and blossomed early. The fall has been wet and warm as well. All of this has resulted in an extended season for hardwoods that could be a contributing factor.
Here are a few images taken in the same location but in different years. The bright red leaves were widespread in 2013 but rare in 2015. Instead, we had mainly yellow leaves that were pale in color.
Oak Creek Canyon (2013).Oak Creek Canyon (2013).Oak Creek Canyon (2015). Note the spots and blotches on the leaves.Oak Creek Canyon (2015).
So, after a few hours of wandering around and being generally underwhelmed, I retraced my steps down the dry wash and walked towards Oak Creek. I hoped things might be more interesting near the water. And things were more interesting but not in the way I expected.
A pair of raccoon youngters in Oak Creek Canyon.
As I neared the water, I heard some rustling in the nearby trees and thought there might be a few squirrels scampering around. But the sound wasn’t right. It sounded…um…larger. A few minutes later, a pair of raccoon youngsters emerged from the trees. They took a look at me and decided I was not a threat and continued to forage for food.
Raccoon flicking his pink tongue.Raccoon youngster taking a good look at the photographer.
Sitting down, I pulled the camera out of the pack and began a two-hour “portrait” session with these critters. They would forage for a few minutes, look at me, then move on to another location. Eventually, they felt comfortable enough to approach me. Not wanting to have a close encounter with a raccoon because they may carry rabies, I would gently shoo them off. They obliged each time and went back to foraging.
Raccoons in Oak Creek Canyon.Raccoons in Oak Creek Canyon.
I was able to shoot a large number of photographs with them foraging, staring at me, climbing on trees and rocks, staring at me, wading in the water, and more. It was a thrill to be able to watch these two youngsters up close without either of us feeling threatened by the other.
It’s been a mild autumn so far with very few hard freezes. As a result, the fall color season continues even at the higher elevations. Last week we rode our mountain bikes on the Arizona Trail from FR418 south to Snowbowl Road. This is one of my favorite sections of the Arizona Trail because—among other reasons—it passes through several large stands of aspen trees.
Aspens typically grow in large clonal colonies derived from a single seedling. Thus, each stand or colony of aspen have a strong tendency for their leaves to change color at the same time, while a nearby stand may change either earlier or later.
Aspen leaves cover the Arizona Trail.
Consequently, it is possible to ride this trail over the course of several weeks and have the various aspen colonies exhibit different states of color. Last week, most of the aspen had dropped their leaves but one colony was still in peak color.
Water droplets on aspen leaves sparkle in the brilliant autumn sunshine.
In addition, rain showers the previous day had left the trail in excellent condition; i.e., no dust and firm traction. Many leaves had already fallen from the trees onto the trail and the rain droplets deposited on the leaves sparkled in the bright sunshine.
Snow on the San Francisco Peaks is framed by meadows and aspen.
From the open meadows, snow was visible across the higher elevations of the San Francisco Peaks which contrasted with the deep blue skies and the yellow and gold of the aspen trees.
Happiness is mountain biking on the Arizona Trail through a forest of colorful aspen trees.
Brilliant sunshine, mild temperatures, colorful aspen trees, and mountain bikes: what’s not to like?
This will be our third trip to this small but spectacular country. We will be joining about a dozen other travelers from Flagstaff on a trip arranged by Cuylor and Tom Boughner and will be staying at “Our Chalet” in Adelboden for eight days. Adelboden is in Bern Canton and lies in the Bernese Oberland. Mountains surround the town and there are hiking trails, ski areas, funiculars, and gondolas in all directions. And cows.
It’s a “selfie.” Look carefully.
The second half of our trip will involve traveling on our own to Pontresina in Graubünden Canton in the southeast part of the country.
This trip will be different from our previous visits (2002, 2004) in one important way: we are not planning on any alpine mountaineering so we are not carrying any heavy gear. No climbing helmets, ice axes, crampons, ropes, etc., means more room for extra clothing. We’ve always been light on clothing so this will be a welcome change.
We are flying PHX-ATL-ZRH as we have done before and it feels familiar.
An early season storm brought plenty of rain at the lower elevations along with several inches of snow across the higher elevations of the San Francisco Peaks. A few days spent in Lockett Meadow, Inner Basin, and Waterline Road resulted in some colorful images.
The Inner Basin Trail above Lockett Meadows.Along the Waterline Road.A wall of color.Groves of aspen blanket Lockett Meadows and the Inner Basin.
The aspen are showing great colors already and it will get better over the next few days. The snow across the high peaks really sets off the color—but that snow has already begun to fade away…
