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A flower to begin with...
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The hike begins in forest
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The hikers
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Randi, Chris, Anita and Lenore
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Lenore
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The forest thins, and in places the slopes are too steep for trees, or have been cleared by rock falls
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Another flower
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The slopes rise steeply above the forest
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You can't get lost!
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We are observed
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Scarred by many a battle...
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Yet another!
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A natural alpine rockery
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The forest is repalced by alpine meadows
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The cirque is kept bare by scree
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The ptarmigan, well camouflaged
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The ptarmigan's chick
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A gopher whistling notice of our presence into the cirque
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The view back down the cirque
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Clouds press down over the lip of the cirque
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A grizzly bear and cub appear behind us!
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The bears play in the stream
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Then get bored and wander back down to the forest
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We head back down, having given the bears plenty of time to outpace us!
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A final photo, while Chris practices his skiing