Mining for Gold in Banff!
Oct 24, 2017
Say what? Banff is a National Park and protected isn't it?
Yes it most assuredly is – however the Gold I speak of are the Larch trees. They render in a gorgeous golden yellow orange hue come Fall in the alpine of Banff National Park .
It is that Gold that you can mine , and it's that gold that seems to create a similar “gold rush” fever as people hike through the Rockies , into the alpine zone , to find the stands of larch trees aglow in their Fall golden hue.
The larch tree is the only conifer that looks like an evergreen ( is an evergreen) but come Fall , it's needles turn a golden yellow orange and drop to the ground. In the Park we don't have to rake leaves!
The peak time varies from year to year. The weather – hot and dry, cool and moist – with other elements of nature dictate the time for the color to come, and it is never an exact science. When to go? Check this link:
http://blog.buzzbishop.com/festivals/see-larches-rockies/
So, come Fall the rush is on and people go mining for that enigmatic, engaging and incomprehensible Gold of the Rockies. The larches , under certain light, seem to be glowing and vibrating from within. Where to go? Check these links:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/22/alberta-larch-trees_n_3962986.html
I have my own favoured spots to hike to to and, like any miner I'll keep most of my spots a secret . The image featured below ,“Island of Light”, is one of my all time favourites! Maybe I'll see you out and about next year , but not at this place! ;) , when the Gold Rush starts again!
