Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: meadows

This was where the little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in my previous photo lived : ) The outcrop and pile of rocks continued a short way off the top right corner of my photo. I don't know if its burrow started within the pile of rocks or else close by, but it certainly has a beautiful area to call "home". Plateau Mountain is a great place, but, then, I'm sure all the peaks and valleys of Kananaskis and the Rocky Mountains hold similar beauty. It's so funny, because when I look at a photo like this, I wonder how on earth I ever climbed so high, though our pace is extremely slow, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it! Even so, it takes my poor joints a couple of days to recover : )

Yes, I survived the full-day hike yesterday, though my body isn't moving quite like it should today, LOL. The scenery was spectacular and the wildflowers just wonderful. Two of us were taken to this trail by a friend who had been there a handful of times before. Both guys have had a lifetime of walking and hiking - and then there was me, LOL. However, we were stopping constantly to search for plants, record them and photograph them, so it was not a brisk-walking hike, thank goodness, otherwise I wouldn't have gone. Lost count of the number of times I glanced at the mountain sides to check that there were no Grizzly Bears in sight, though one had been along our trail at one point, turning over large rocks to see what was underneath. Thanks, David, for sharing this special place with us, and thanks for your patience with a slower walker : ) I SURVIVED!! We walked along this valley, gradually climbing upwards until we reached Gunnery Pass (1874 m, 6150 ft) and then returned to the car via the next valley. This photo was taken from on the way up the ridge that was our high point, looking back along the valley from where we had come. Have to admit that I was very conscious of the fact that the further we went, the further we had for our return journey : )