Larch in November

November 2, 2026

Every autumn I make the same trip to the larch wood on the ridge. Most of the year the trees look like any other conifer, but in late October they turn gold from the top down, and by the first week of November the whole slope glows.

The needles fall softly and evenly. Walking there after a windy night feels like walking on a carpet of thin copper wire. The air smells of resin and cold earth.

Larch wood is dense and resists rot, which is why old village fences and foundations were made of it. Some of those posts are still standing a century later.

Next week the snow is supposed to arrive. I will go once more before it does.