Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • FA L L 2 0 1 7 76 Fa ing in Love wi Fa Here at Dunrovin Ranch our fall season is full of activities, time for reflection and learning, and celebrating autumn's special gifts: unparalleled mountain riding, harvesting the fruit from our orchard, St. Francis of Assisi's animals' blessings, Halloween cos- tumes and nonsense, and the relaxed family time of anksgiving. Autumn offers the best possible trail riding. Horses are in peak condition after months of lessons, drill team, and carrying guests. e heat of summer has vanished, taking pesky flies and mosqui- toes with it. Cooler temperatures invigorate horse and rider. Both are ready to roll, prompting fast paced runs up mountain trails lined with yellow and crimson leaves. A dusting of winter's first snows accentuates the peaks, creating picture perfect scenes. It's heavenly. e senses sharpen. While other parts of North America boast of their spectacularly colored deciduous hardwood forests, in this part of Montana, the western and alpine larch are the autumn celebrities. Newcomers to the region often think our forests are dying as the mountain larch begins to turn gold. ey are unaccustomed to these unique deciduous (annually shedding leaves) conifers (cone-bearing trees). Entire mountain sides slowly turn from green to bright yellow to naked trees as the larch lose their needles; only to reverse the process the following spring, when new soft yellow-green needles sprout and turn dark green like the surrounding fir and pine trees. ese majestic larch trees draw Dunrovin on annual fall treks to Carlton Ridge on the skirts of Lolo Peak. Lolo Peak is an iconic feature to Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley. It fills Dunrovin's W HILE EVERY SEASON HAS ITS SONG, AUTUMN'S SIREN CALL MAY BE THE MOST ALLURING. Coming at the end of summer's race and before winter's sleep, it is a time of harvest, new school years, animal blessings, Halloween fun, and first snowfalls. It's the season of warm clear days and cool frosty nights. Now gold, orange, and red foliage push flowers aside for top billing. by SUZANNE MILLER Rocky Mountain Front

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