Welcome to Kananaskis Country (and you thought Banff was nice)

Okay, it’s September, my favorite time to go hiking in the Rocky Mountains and if you look at the above picture you’ll know why. Deciduous trees usually steal the show at this time of year, but the larch tree–which grows naturally only at high alpine altitudes–is the only coniferous tree whose needles change color and are shed for the winter season. If beauty like this doesn’t inspire you–what does?