Vincent Schnabl: Frosty Forests

The elusive golden larch. Every fall these trees grace a select few areas in Canada, mostly in mountainous areas. If you time it just right, you can catch the larches with a dusting of snow before they shed their needles. This perfect merge of the seasons is one of my favorite and most unique landscapes to capture.

Running off of very little sleep and a lot of coffee we slowly drove up the winding logging road to the trailhead. A young grizzly bear had just trotted along the road in front of us and darted off into the nearby brush. Our dog, Yuki, finally calmed down in the back seat. She was still vigilantly looking out of the window, wondering where the giant creature had gone. We arrived at the parking lot and stretched our legs after the long, bumpy drive. We were the first to hit the trail that morning. It was slick from the frost and snow that had fallen overnight. The path was steep right off the bat, switch backing up the hillside and through the forest. Eventually the views opened up and we were standing in spectacular alpine meadows. I saw the first larch, and then another and another. Pretty soon we were surrounded by a sea of orange and gold, lightly dusted in a blanket of white. When the sun poked out from behind the clouds we basked in the warmth. Enjoying our lunch and relaxing beside this glacial lake. In my thirty years on Earth, this is to date, one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited.

This piece reminds me to spend more time exploring close to home. I have lived in this area for almost ten years now and this autumn was the first time I had visited this spot. We often get caught up in wanting to travel the world, when really you don't have to go far to find beauty.

This image was photographed by Vincent Schnabl.

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