As the trail climbed higher it began to leave the dense lodgepole pine forest. I could see more and more ponderosa pine trees along the trail.
I could smell them as well.
The sun had been up long enough to begin heating the ponderosas. When warmed like this, ponderosa pines emit a sweet smell similar to vanilla or butterscotch.
You can also get this scent (and maybe a few stares) if you hold your nose up against a ponderosa and sniff it.