At a rest stop on a trail in the Rockies, this Least Chipmunk came to investigate. It was probably looking for a handout, but I don't feed the wildlife. After a few minutes of scampering over and around a nearby rock pile, it began foraging for its natural food.

I had not hiked this trail since 1977; there were a lot more people on it 36 years later. I remembered hiking through a fairly recent burn the first time - lots of fireweed and blackened stumps in the lower part, before I got into the alpine. Not much had changed in that respect, except that there were signs of more recent fires. This process is ongoing, and is the primary means by which forests regenerate.

Despite what the map claims, this was photographed along the Stanley Glacier Trail in Kootenay National Park, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2013 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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Make:	NIKON CORPORATION
Model:	NIKON D800
Exposure:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture:	f/6.7
ISO Speed:	250
Focal Length:	500 mm
Lens:	300.0 mm f/4.0