Less than a 2-hour drive from where I live is E. C. Manning Provincial Park. Just as you see the main park lodge on your right along Hwy 1, make a left turn toward the rugged ridgeline. This paved road goes up high into the alpine. At its final high vantage point you will be able to see far off into the distant landscape a jagged sea of snow-capped mountains. All around you are foot trails that go to the various mountain peaks, all within easy hiking range from where you park your car. The best part of visiting this region are the wildflowers that grow in abundance from July to the end of August. Many fauna species that thrive up here do not exist at the lower elevations. In this realm, flies and mosquitoes are the pollinators of the flowers because the cooler alpine temperatures keep bees and birds away. It is a world where plants struggle to survive in a world that is only devoid of ice and snowfor up to three months of the year.
