For over a month, Jake and I have passed dead and withered plants. And now snow. However, every once in awhile we pass some colour, and it warms the heart.

A flower still hanging on at 12 000 ft at the end of October. No one told it summer was over, so it just kept growing.

Even though it is the end of October, amazingly some life still hangs on in the alpine, sticking it to Old Man Winter. Every few days we pass a blue bell ignoring the frost, and arnicas still brilliant yellow amongst a sea of brown. These flowers are kinda like us – the hiking season is over, but we still carry on. Although summer is gone, it doesn’t mean that summer is truly gone. SE Hinton had it right – Just stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold…