Horseshoe Mountain hike

It's almost two weeks, but the sweet memories persist of a marvellous hike I took with many colleagues, Ernie DeMarie and Jan Fahs on Horseshoe Mountain, in Colorado's Mosquito Range. We hit the alpines at just about their optimal peak of bloom, and the weather was cool verging on warm at times, with only the gentlest breezes. In other words, Perfect! We saw dozens, probably hundreds of plants, including many unusual plants and endemics a few of my faves include this tiny, high alpine race of the generally very tall Penstemon whippleanus:

There were spectacular, nay! splendiferous masses of snowlover in many spots (Chionophila jamesii)--that strange little penstemon cousin with brown lips. Here it is growing with whiplash saxifrage (Saxifraga flagellaris) and Claytonia megarhiza: quite a concatenation of loveliness.

Speaking of claytonia, here is a particularly bright pink one.

And there was a lot, lot more...if you ask, I will post!