This is the Great Western Divide, from the top of Little Baldy Peak:
The bears were prowling around, looking for some early-season sustenance. This picture was taken with a telephoto; we were probably 100 yards from the bear:
In the early season, just after the snow melts, the "snow flower" or "snow plant" pokes up through the leaf litter. It does not have any chlorophyll and is something like a fungus:
That was a close-up. Here is what the snow flower looks like, next to a Sequoia:
