A hot, but active week in Flathead, Front and Little Belts

 

One of my favorite spots:  top of Mount Wright with Bob Marshall Wilderness below

Gordon Whirry rests and enjoys Mount Wright

Mark Hertenstein working his way down Mount Wright

Katie in her element in pool below Muddy Creek Falls

 

The "Great Elephant Migration" display in Browning we got to see coming back from the Flathead

 

We were hammered with exceptionally hot weather and smoke from Canadian fires during the past  week didn't stop us from some great hiking.

I did a warmup in the Little Belts with the 5-mile Pioneer Ridge loop (2,300 feet of elevation gain and loss). 

Katie and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary (29 years together) with a trip to the Flathead, where we stayed at the Laughing Horse Inn in Swan Lake and explored the state parks around Flathead Lake.

Then, I did my annual trek up Mount Wright in the Rocky Mountain Front, with the Muddy Creek Falls hike the following day.  

Temperatures during this period soared into the mid-90s, which made time spent around lakes or in deep forests particularly pleasant.  Katie even took a swim beneath the Muddy Creek Falls.

There was no getting away from the heat on Mount Wright, though.  That area had burned so completely in 2007, and a considerable portion of it is above timber line, so we cooked.  We were compensated, though by great wildflower shows and, of course, the view from the top across the Bob Marshall Wilderness all the way to the Swan Mountain Range.  Smoke obscured our views to the north and Glacier Park. We were lucky to hit the Jones Columbine bloom on Wright's limestone ridgeline. 

The snow in the Front is long gone and the streams very low.  It was surprising to see some snow in the Bob's interior.  This doesn't bode well for the fire season.  On the west side of the mountains, the Swan face looked mostly bare, although the Missions retain some snow.

We visited Wayfarer's, Big Arm, West Shore and Lake Mary Ronan parks.  I liked Big Arm the best because of its extensive hiking trails which had great views.

The Laughing Horse Inn is a Montana tourist treasure that we've enjoyed time after time.