ABSTRACT
The alpine, from the treeline ecotone up to the highest peaks, is the pinnacle of the CCE. This environment is what defines high mountains, and although it is a valuable biological resource, it is also an extraordinary aesthetic resource. In thinking of the alpine, we jump back and forth between the grand views and all they mean in mountain regions, and the subtle, tiny views of life tucked into niches. The two are closely connected. Here we examine how the great extent of high peaks along the Continental Divide conditions and controls where life can emerge and, in doing so, creates the sparse microworlds of the alpine in the CCE.
