A grey sky hovered over the mountains as we climbed out of the valley.  Cloaked in wildflowers and the viridescent glow of summer growth, the hillsides held us in welcoming arms.  The scene felt like a gentle invitation to cultivate contentment and peace. As we traveled up the mountainside, the tender growth of flora was gradually replaced by tall stands of conifers—lodgepole and jack pine surrounding us like protective guardians. We spotted elk grazing in meadows and moose meandering through willows. The shift came slowly at first.  The trees began to thin and give way to more expansive meadows.  Before long, the scant trees all clung to the mountainside below…