The upper bench from Lac du Bois along the flank of Mt. Wheeler is mostly open grasslands with a few scattered trees and copses of leafless aspens, ponds, marshes, and rounded hills.   A double track bears south for 3 km, winding around ponds, but staying in the open below the treed slopes of the mountain, but above the Lac du Bois Road.   At the slope break a rounded hill makes a good spot for lunch.   This hilltop provides views of the Lac du Bois Grasslands in 3 directions.    .

In mid-January we picked a sunny day to follow the snowy track south.   A few evergreens dot the grassland slopes.

Aspen groves are a single organism with many clones.   Most of these clusters are in lower wet spots or on seep slopes

From the hilltop viewpoint the Batchelor Range and Strawberry Hill are mantled with snow.

We chose a route that winds along the east side of a series of hills.   Deeper snow drifts meant heavy going, breaking trail all the way back.

A hidden marsh offered some winter colour with reeds standing above the blanket of snow.

Snowshoes are the perfect way to explore these open, inviting hills in the upper grasslands.

Even in mid-January the sun provides some warmth, a restorative holistic tonic for the winter cold and grey skies.     The sun-on-snow-in-the-grasslands just requires a pair of snowshoes and the effort to break a new trail through the hills.