Mount Wright on a blustery July 19

Various views from the Mount Wright summit

We've had an exceptionally wet and cold summer so far.
I'll take that over heat and smoke from forest fires any day.
I'm late this year doing my annual Mount Wright (8,875 feet) climb.  It's one of the biggest mountains on the Front, but is easy to climb because of a great trail from the West Fork of the Teton.  It goes up a little more than 3,400 feet over 3.6 miles.
I've always said it has the best views in the Rocky Mountain Front --- across the Bob to the Swan Range, north to Glacier Park, south to the Scapegoat, and east across the high peaks of the Front and the Great Plains beyond, including Island Ranges like the Highwoods and Sweetgrass Hills.
I climb it annually to gauge what kind of shape I'm in.  I'm three weeks late this year because I was so sick and because the month of June was eaten up by our trip to Spain.  I had tried to climb it two weeks ago, but got distracted when a Glacier Mountaineering Society group showed up at the trailhead and persuaded me to accompany them on the Washboard Reef Traverse instead.
The wind was blowing pretty hard and it was cold.
When I reached the halfway point --- at a grassy saddle --- I started to assess ways to bail, thinking it might be dangerous on top.
Then, the sun cleared the shadows away and off I went.
I stayed as much below the ridgeline as I could when I hit the summit cap to avoid the wind gusts.
I had to put on two additional layers of clothes because of the cold.
Gosh, what a July!
I didn't stay long on top, but still got my breath-taking views I love so much.
There were still quite a few alpine Forget-Me-Not flowers on top, and one lonely Jones columbine.  Along the trail there was a great showing of various vetch, blanket flowers, and a single blooming hollyhock.
I was not surprised on my descent to see my old friend Bill Cunningham climbing up.  Bill was solo, a credit to his 75 years of age.
What a treat!