WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE about the alpine? In the Rocky Mountains, alpine vistas showcase snow-speckled peaks above mixed coniferous forests and lush mountain meadows, and rarefied air offers a delightful relief from summer’s heat and humidity. Charismatic flora including sky blue alpine forget-me-nots (Eritrichium argenteum), blue and white columbines, (Aquilegia spp.) pink moss campion (Silene acaulis), and a host of yellow composites (Hymenoxys spp., Senecio spp., Tonestus spp.) dot rocky slopes, while adorable pikas call out from boulders before disappearing into their dens and camouflaged ptarmigan munch on willow buds, flowers, and berries.