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2016 Fall Foliage Thread


CT Valley Snowman

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6 hours ago, MaineJayhawk said:

I was in Wilton and Jay Maine yesterday.  Not peak colors yet, but getting there.

 

IMG_20161002_175459_zpsxgqmnosv.jpg

Should peak here this week.  It's really come on since last Monday's frost/freeze, now at 50-75% change depending on species and elevation.  Some of the brightest (red) maples in years, sugar maple should peak late week and some have individual limbs that are flaming already.  So much for drought = dull (at least in the foothills.)

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14 minutes ago, tamarack said:

Should peak here this week.  It's really come on since last Monday's frost/freeze, now at 50-75% change depending on species and elevation.  Some of the brightest (red) maples in years, sugar maple should peak late week and some have individual limbs that are flaming already.  So much for drought = dull (at least in the foothills.)

Agreed.  I hiked Saddleback and The Horn Saturday, and the foliage around Rangeley was vivid.  No worries about drought-related poor color.  On the other hand, and this is the wrong thread for this but I'll mention it here, at Wilson Lake in Wilton the water level is about 3 feet below normal.  In this image the water should be up to the trees that I'm standing in.

 

2016-10-02_14.33.22_zps64zomw9i.jpg

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3 minutes ago, MaineJayhawk said:

Agreed.  I hiked Saddleback and The Horn Saturday, and the foliage around Rangeley was vivid.  No worries about drought-related poor color.  On the other hand, and this is the wrong thread for this but I'll mention it here, at Wilson Lake in Wilton the water level is about 3 feet below normal.  In this image the water should be up to the trees that I'm standing in.

 

2016-10-02_14.33.22_zps64zomw9i.jpg

Wilson Stream (lake's outlet) drains into the Sandy, and that pic shows one of the reasons the larger watercourse is at record low flow for the date.

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3 hours ago, tamarack said:

Should peak here this week.  It's really come on since last Monday's frost/freeze, now at 50-75% change depending on species and elevation.  Some of the brightest (red) maples in years, sugar maple should peak late week and some have individual limbs that are flaming already.  So much for drought = dull (at least in the foothills.)

That article I posted in the beginning of the thread said that drought doesn't necessarily mean dull.  The colors can still be great as drought conditions concentrate sugars in the leaves, but the season may just be shorter.  Like you said, the cool nights and sunny days from last week probably helped aid in getting the red's popping.

 

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I definitely caught some moderate to high color at the 1800ft and above level at Bolton Valley this afternoon. These photos are not saturation enhanced. The reds are incredible:

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14542284_10103648297319839_2580634328797

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Note: The last image is actually from Little River State Park in Waterbury. 

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4 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Yeah Eyewall, the reds are ridiculous this year.  All in all its really quite vibrant.   

It is definitely beginning to look more impressive than last year! Looks like I will have to get back over to notch within the next day or two! Here is one more:

14495312_10103648322105169_8951554998010

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If you want a light hike with fantastic foliage right now, the Spruce Peak work road (up the Sterling ski trail) is where I've been going.  You get some good early views of the entire face of Mansfield's east side, and the trees over in that pocket by the Sterling ski trail are absolutely nuts right now.  I've got more photos I can throw up later.  

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2 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

If you want a light hike with fantastic foliage right now, the Spruce Peak work road (up the Sterling ski trail) is where I've been going.  You get some good early views of the entire face of Mansfield's east side, and the trees over in that pocket by the Sterling ski trail are absolutely nuts right now.  I've got more photos I can throw up later.  

Very cool! Thank you! :) 

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13 hours ago, HIPPYVALLEY said:

Starting to flip here, I'll start taking pictures end of the week.

Yet another reason why I would like hurricane Matt far out to sea, save the foliage.

I would say it has to be almost every other year we get some type of coastal or screaming SE storm to strip the trees during peak foliage.

 

Worst example of that in my area was in 2005.   Color change was 1/4 or less when a 6" rain with wind took down 80% of the leaves - basically, no fall colors at all.  That was the year of no reds - the only tree I saw with more than a hint of red was the always bright red maple on Sand Hill in Augusta.  Its peak is about 2 weeks later than that for most red maples, and it's never failed in the dozen or so years I've taken that route to work.

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58 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

We've reached holy fukking sh*t levels of color.  This is what Northern New England is famous for.  All elevations and all trees changing all at once in the hills.  And very vibrant. 

We did something right this year.

Would you call it peak yet?

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12 minutes ago, eyewall said:

Would you call it peak yet?

Yes.  At least the beginning of peak of you want to look at peak as a sliding 5-7 day period.  It'll wash out to all orange pretty quick.  It's the reds right now that are insane.

Though I would say Peak is above 1,300ft or so in this area right now.  The mountain bowl that Stowe sits in on the SE Notch did get like 20-24" of rain this summer, then had a dry September followed by the last 3-4 days of clouds mist and -RN.  I think the cloudy cool period injected steroids into it.

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3 hours ago, powderfreak said:

Yes.  At least the beginning of peak of you want to look at peak as a sliding 5-7 day period.  It'll wash out to all orange pretty quick.  It's the reds right now that are insane.

Though I would say Peak is above 1,300ft or so in this area right now.  The mountain bowl that Stowe sits in on the SE Notch did get like 20-24" of rain this summer, then had a dry September followed by the last 3-4 days of clouds mist and -RN.  I think the cloudy cool period injected steroids into it.

Because of my job and being busy with Matthew I couldn't sneak all the way to Stowe this afternoon but I did make it back to the Bolton base area and they too are in high color to peak conditions. It changed rapidly within 48 hours. Many more firey hues and very vibrant reds. Drone pics to come. If I get my days off on Fri I will be on a foliage hunt out your way if it is not too late LOL.

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