It's amazing how a land that can be so harsh and desolate in the winter can also be the perfect biome for so many beautiful flowers and plants come summertime. Up here at an elevation of just over 2,000 ft., where the tundra is covered by snow for 7 months out of the year, we have a short window of time to enjoy and research the flora around here. From mid June through August, the flowers make an incredible effort to grow, bloom, and wilt just in time to go to seed before they are covered in the first snows of the upcoming fall.
So during the short summer season everywhere we go hiking we are surrounded by millions of flowers, ferns, and berry bushes. Some people do not care too much while others take extra time to enjoy the hearty little plants of the arctic.
While guiding our hiking trips, we are usually in a mindset of looking for wildlife, so it still takes us by surprise sometimes when we turn around to chat with the group and someone is pointing their camera at the ground. Getting down low in the tundra, using the camera's macro setting to photograph a plant. It's really great for us to see our guests enjoy the small, simple things. To share in these moments while someone is photographing a flower they've only ever read about and seen in books is a very special part of what we get to do out here at Caribou Lodge. It has also caused us to slow down a bit and experiment with our own camera settings. Here are some photos we have taken from around the lodge.
