Wild Goose, Bagley Lakes & Picture Lake — Monday, Oct. 17, 2011

After hiking Heather-Maple Pass twice, two Sundays in a row (once just before the snow and then again after the foot of new snow fell), and so enjoying the fall colors, we just had to find more red and gold before heavy snow blankets our favorite landscapes. To find more autumn colors, we headed up to Mount Baker and were not disappointed. Picture Lake was not as colorful as we’ve seen it in years past, but the Wild Goose and Bagley Lakes area had plenty of colorful leaves. Still not tiring of being surrounded by red and gold, we walked the road and foot paths under the ski lifts. The bushes around Picture Lake look like they will continue to turn red for at least another week if it doesn’t snow first. The only trail issue was ice in a few shady areas, potentially treacherous when descending the rocky steps.