Catching up: the Wright of Spring, wildflowers at Rogers Pass, Mount Kennon, another Pioneer Loop

I encountered Brice Addison and Mary Gray on my way up Mount Wright

Looking south from the top of Mount Wright

Pentagon Peak in the middle of the Bob Marshall Wilderness

One of my favorite alpine flowers, the Jones Columbine

Pink Douglasia and blue Forget Me Nots dressed up the alpine landscape

Showy silky phacelia were in bloom

Hiking was on hiatus, as well as posting on this blog, as we traveled to Minneapolis to visit grandchildren we hadn't seen during the pandemic.

Before going, though, we checked out the alpine wildflower bloom on Rogers Pass, did a loop on the northeast edge of the Highwood Mountains, climbing Mount Kennon along the way, and I did another loop on the Pioneer Ridge.

Despite the high temperatures (it's going to be 100 degrees today!), Montana is a beautiful green, giving the state its temporary Irish-looking tint, if only for a short while.  As we drove across Montana to Minnesota we saw some evidence of drought, particularly in the Glendive region.  

Upon return I immediately decided to go up Mount Wright, just below 9,000 feet, the third highest peak in the Rocky Mountain Front.  It was as clear a day as I have ever had climbing this peak.  This is an annual spring trek to kick out the kinks.  I was delighted to bump into Dr. Brice Addison and Mary Gray, who had hit the summit and were coming back down as I was a couple hundred feet from the top.

I was in search of Jones Columbine and found this miniature alpine flower just below the ridgeline in the alpine tundra.  The other wildflowers were beautiful all the way up and down.

I'm always thrilled by this climb which allows the hiker to see clear across the Bob Marshall Wilderness and even into Glacier Park to the west, north and south.  To the east the Front rises, but beyond the Sweetgrass Hills, Highwoods and Little Belt mountains were clearly visible.

Steve Taylor takes a rest on top Mount Kennon in the Highwood Mountains