Less than a 2-hour drive from where I live is E. C. Manning Provincial Park, which has a road that goes up into the alpine region of British Columbia. From its high vantage point, you can see far off into the horizon where the distant landscape appears as a rugged sea of snow-capped mountains. Around this location are trails to the various mountain peaks, all within an easy hike from where you parked your car. The best part of visiting this region is the wildflowers that are in large abundance from July to the end of August. Many fauna species thrive up here that are not seen at lower elevations. In the alpine, flies and mosquitoes pollinate the flowers because this cooler elevation keeps bees away. Most of the bird species commonly found at lower elevations are absent. It is a different world in the alpine. It is a world that is only snow-free two or three months out of a year and where plants struggle that much more for survival.
