I plan my fall color outdoor trips a year in advance. There are several reasons for this which I will explain next. The first being, this is my absolute favorite time of year to be outside. I'm always in search of scenes that will evoke an emotional reaction. It's a challenge to see if it is possible to translate the feelings of place across through an image. It’s the natural contrast of bright bold colors, those vibrant reds, oranges and yellows that for such a short period, announce that a transition to the quiet and dark months ahead, are just around the corner. I find a deep joy in the process of being in the moment, knowing that the current experience I am living will be a brief moment to cherish. The images are my attempt to freeze not only the visual aspect of the scene, but the feelings and emotions that accompany them. Secondly, depending on the location I am interested in visiting, the conditions for fall color and timing it right will often be a very specific and very short period.
Last year when my father-in-law invited me to travel with him to New England during the fall of 2020, I couldn’t believe that my dream trip would soon be a reality! I’ve wanted to witness the spectacular fall color in that part of the country for the past 12 years and so my planning began. We would be exploring both Vermont and New Hampshire for just under two weeks. Then COVID happened and forced a change of plans. Luckily, the state of New York was still accepting Oregonians and we had a fantastic plan B in place. In the following weeks I would learn just how lucky we were to make that trip as New York would tighten its restrictions on travel and Oregon’s numbers would sky rocket.
There are many differences and some similarities between the forests of western Oregon and the Adirondack Mountains of New York. The main difference being the type of trees as Oregon is famous for the Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar as well as other types of coniferous trees that blanket the Cascade and Coast ranges. The Adirondacks on the other hand are plentiful in different types of deciduous trees including varieties of Maple, Birch, Ash, as well as Beech, Elm, Poplar among many others. It’s these hardwoods that provide the quantity of color each September and October. In this entry, I’m going to recall several hikes and adventures we had while on our nearly two week trip to Upstate New York during the first part of October. I’m choosing not to state trailheads or specific hikes but will instead give the reader a general area of the location. The reason for this is the location sharing culture that is now prevalent on social media. This has been responsible for an exponential growth in visitation to certain locations, many of which simply cannot handle the increased traffic. I acknowledge that I was part of the increased visitation to the state of New York as a tourist who is using the same trails as everyone else. But with this, I feel a responsibility to not geotag my exact locations when sharing on social media. I was able to find hikes and plan a variety of activities by doing my own research and I would encourage others to use the internet as a resource.
A blanket of yellows, reds, and greens flank the sides of Lake George. Zeiss Loxia 50mm f2
The image above was taken on October 8th near the top of a peak with expansive views of nearby Lake George. It was a goal to find these types of scenes which are very common in the Adirondacks and can be achieved by summiting peaks of various sizes. The rewards far outweigh the effort put into reaching the summit of this particular peak and the same can be said of many of the hikes we did that involved a bit of climbing. One big difference I noticed between Oregon and East Coast hiking in general is switchbacks. They simply don’t use them on the East Coast. Instead, trails we hiked would send you straight up a hill in as little mileage as possible. No time to mess around wasting unnecessary mileage when you can just climb up in a straight line! This meant that many of the hikes were medium to short in mileage, but the gain in elevation had nowhere to hide. I was so grateful for this hike because we were able to time the color just right as well as having fantastic weather to enjoy the views.
The images below are both shot at the same location on the same morning of October 11th and showcase the importance of using different lenses and focal lengths to achieve different results. This particular hike began in the dark by headlamp as we had risen early in hopes of catching the first light of sunrise as it washed across the rolling mountains that surround Schroon Lake below. The first image was taken at 200mm and is small section of the entire panoramic scene that you can see in the second image. Look hard enough in the pano and you will see the section that makes up the first shot. I loved this image because of the vibrant reds in the foreground as well as the light that illuminated the colorful hills in the distance, beyond the lake. This hike was a special one as it was my father-in-law’s birthday and a great memory that we now have together.
Morning light washes across colorful mountains that surround Schroon Lake. Canon 70-200mm f2.8 at 200mm
A panoramic image stitched together using the Zeiss Loxia 50mm f2
This next set of images focuses on water. There are hundreds of streams, rivers and lakes throughout the Adirondack region of New York. These images come from various locations along the eastern side of the Adirondacks and give you sense of the beauty and distinct qualities of this part of the state and country. One major difference that I noticed specifically in reference to waterfalls, is the limestone rock and formations that the water would flow over in the Adirondacks. The waterfalls have a stair step look to them in many cases which creates quite the picturesque scene. Along with the copious streams are hundreds of lakes and ponds. 200 lakes to be more specific. We had a lot of fun just driving for hours and checking out random lakes to see if we could find any possible photo opportunities. One pond in particular had the perfect combination of color and calm conditions which catered to reflection perfection!
Morning mist rises as the sun illuminates a maple tree near Chestertown, NY. Zeiss Loxia 50mm f2
Color, light, and calm conditions cater to the perfect conditions for a nice reflection near Minerva, NY. Zeiss Loxia 50mm f2
Light spills through the trees and hits the falls to create a moment of magic. Zeiss Batis 18mm f2.8
Leaves swirl slowly in a large circle as a waterfall feeds into a large pool deep in the Wilcox Lake Forest. Canon 70-200mm f2.8
Blue sky reflects in a section of rushing water as a leaf is trapped on the creek bottom. Canon 70-200mm f2.8
Calm water reflects the vibrant color and tree trunks of the shoreline at a pond near Minerva, NY. Canon 70-200mm f2.8
Duel waterfalls create a clockwise swirl of leaves in this small pool near Keene Valley, NY. Zeiss Batis 18mm f2.8