Smoke clears, Fall color emerges: Middle Fork Judith again, Pioneer loop again, Rierdon again

 

At the top of the Rierdon/Slim gulch divide

The lofty Rierdon Gulch wall

Color shot taken from car on South Fork Teton Road

Fall color is beginning to peak on the east side of the Continental Divide, and I was out three times in the past week to enjoy it.

These were all repeats of hikes I had already taken this year, real favorites I never tire of.

I showed Mark Hertenstein the Pioneer Loop in the Little Belt Mountains on a gloomy day.

Then, Katie and I went back to the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area, where, with her Girls in Glacier group, she redid the hike we had done earlier in the week.  While she was hiking with her "girls" I explored the link between Judith Guard Station and the Middle Fork Trailhead, while dropping to the river, where I discovered the girls.

I was late on the colors in Rierdon Gulch in the Front, but enjoyed a 10.5 miles hike that gains 3,000 feet.  The air was (finally) clear of the fires smoke and we had some breathtaking views.