Signs of Late Summer in Mineral KIng

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Mineral King cabins have the most visitors in August, as evidenced by more cars (No need to keep your hood up – it doesn’t deter the marmots, and they aren’t busy in cars in August.)
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The colors are getting more yellow because. . .
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. . . the grasses are drying out and there is goldenrod in bloom.
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See? Goldenrod, and the flowers and grasses are tall.
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This is not a sign of fall, although it could be a place to fall. It is a style of trail building called “rip-rap”. This is looking down at a section of such trail. It is hard to walk up and even harder to walk down. You’ll be pleased to know I didn’t fall – thank you for your concern.
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Squint and look across the stream. Fireweed is in bloom, and it usually appears in August. The stream is low, although not sluggish.
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The aspens are still green, and the grasses beneath them are still green. Not fall, just August, late summer.
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Goldenrod!
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This is how August looks along the Nature Trail, from Cold Springs Campground up to the actual Mineral King valley.

Mineral King has a quick summer. Gotta go, gotta experience, gotta enjoy, don’t blink, because boom, it is over. (The temperature in the early morning of the day I took these photos was 38 degrees.)

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2 Comments

  1. Oh, this all looks so very familiar! I’m hoping, hoping to get up in early September when the aspen are turning golden, and every morning requires a fire to fend off the chill. Thank you for the lovely photos!

    • Sharon, so happy to share. I hope you do make it up in September. That is such a nice time, when the heat of summer is still on down the hill, we get a foretaste of autumn up the hill.


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