Long ago, as an undergraduate, I spent a summer living out of a small tent in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains. I was the field assistant to a woman who was working on her Masters degree in geology. She was working on one particular mountain, its strata folded over to form an “anticline”. It was a simple existence for me, enjoyable in every way except for a vague fear of grizzly bears. You’d think that the presence of two humans would scare off the animals in the area, but deer or mountain sheep tended to wander by the tent in the early hours, we’d spy an occasional marmot, and there were plenty of ground squirrels. One day we had to take a wide berth around a wolverine. And late in the summer I learned that an elk bugling not far from your tent will really rattle your bones. Luckily the grizzly bears at least were sensible, and did not come anywhere near us (as far as we knew!). Each day up the mountain we would go, climbing ever higher and higher, one of us taking measurements all the way. I don’t remember doing much work at all. I hammered away at the limestone to dig out fossils. I became fascinated by the wildflowers that grew in abundance around our tent and up the mountain. I knew nothing about flowers or gardening at the time, but I was amazed at the sheer variety of plants that grew in the alpine meadows and in the rock crevices. Now I recognize that many of the plants were variations of plants that we grow in our gardens today, such as pentsemon, saxifrage, yarrow, and phlox. My favourite wildflower was, and still is, Indian paintbrush Castilleja miniata. Near our mountain this flower took on a beautiful purplish hue, instead of the bright red I’ve seen elsewhere (perhaps it was a different species). I considered the idea of becoming a botanist. And I learned that I loved the alpine. Since that time I’ve spent a lot of time in the mountains in BC and the Yukon, and have never lost my interest in alpine flowers and plants, and their amazing ability to adapt to high altitude and harsh conditions. I think the most extreme example of plant adaptation I've ever seen was on Maui at the Haleakala Volcano. The ahinahina plant, or silversword, is an endangered plant that grows only at high altitude on volcanic "soil" in Hawaii. A gorgeous plant, its silver foliage stands out strikingly against the dull volcanic landscape. Somehow this plant survives the relentless beating of the sun and has worked out a way to get nutrients and water from its harsh environment. That first summer in the alpine of the Rocky Mountains was a life changer for me. I developed a true love of plants and realized that they are happiest in a place to which they are well-adapted. After that I worked three more summers in the mountains. During one of these summers, in the Cassiar Mountains, I met my husband. He's always been more interested in the rocks than the flowers, but they go together well. * This post is in response to #GrowWriteGuild prompt #6 "Landscapes".
16 Comments
Louise
10/6/2013 12:51:45 am
Thank you Clare. I know what you mean - even a small rock garden would be nice!
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10/6/2013 02:17:41 am
Stunning photos and such an incredible time in your life! This is my favorite post of yours ye.! (And not just from the GWG prompts). Loved being able to experience some of that journey with you here!
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Louise
10/6/2013 09:15:16 am
Thanks so much Jo. I really appreciate all your positive feedback! I'm looking forward to your next installment for the GrowWriteGuild.
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bbradford
10/6/2013 10:32:51 am
Thanks for reminding me on Facebook, Louise - got caught up on your April/May/June posts. I'll now finally get around to checking the part that says "Notify me of new comments...."! You are such a good writer, and your photographs are stunning. Knowing how relatively diminutive your little garden patch is, I am amazed and impressed at the variety of plants you've collected. Very inspiring!
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Louise
10/6/2013 11:41:51 am
Hi Barb - thanks so much for your kind comments. I didn't realize my blog even had that feature!! Really my garden is just overcrowded, and I keep trying to stuff more into it. I hope everything is well with you!
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Louise
12/6/2013 10:11:08 am
Thanks Evee. Yes, it was a big adventure for sure!
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Louise
15/6/2013 03:37:07 pm
Thank you Paula!
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18/6/2013 12:19:00 am
WOW, I am floored by these photos and so enjoyed reading about your adventures. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this with us, Louise. :)
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Louise
18/6/2013 01:15:05 am
Thanks Laurie! And thanks for stopping by my blog.
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Cathy
18/6/2013 02:08:00 pm
I loved reading about your memories from those geology days. It sounds like a vacation the way you describe it! I've really enjoyed your photos from your garden too. It's (almost) inspiring me to take more of the plants here :)
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Louise
18/6/2013 02:14:00 pm
Haha, and I got paid too (although not that much!). Perhaps I'll be reading your blog soon??
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Elena
17/1/2014 06:12:25 am
Excellent. You may find the Theodore Payne Society (Sunlad CA) of interest re adaptive native plants
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Tiro
25/6/2015 01:25:53 pm
Reading about the mapping days sure brought back memories!
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AuthorImperfect gardener, learning everything the hard way. Archives
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