A mid-summer snow storm on Monday created some interesting flower photos, like these bluebells,
and the snow on the beargrass, as if these blossoms needed additional white!
By Tuesday, the snow had melted and summer was its normal self again for these Indian paintbrushes.
I don’t know how the rather delicate Tolmei was able to survive its icy covering, but it seems to have done so quite well. It’s a different strain than all the others that I’ve seen so far this summer.
What a difference a day can make. On Monday the high temperature in the valley was 64º and there was new snow on Mount Baldy. On Tuesday the valley high was 78º and the snow was gone. All but at the top.
This is the first of several posts I will make about a hike to the top of Baldy and I decided to start at the top.
There are still a few snow banks remaining at the high elevations, mostly on the north slopes where the snow drifted deep during the winter and where they are normally shaded from the sun. Some are still as deep as 7 feet.
These photos were taken Tuesday from the top of Mount Baldy (7,464 ft).
Looking Southeast. The small lake is Baldy Lake. I will post another photo of it later. It’s probably still a little cool for swimming.
The next three are looking over different snow banks to the North. The high peak just above the snow banks is Thompson Peak in the McGregor – Thompson roadless area. It is the same height as Baldy and is 9 miles away.
Mount Baldy is in the West end of the 6,482 acre Baldy Mountain roadless area in the Cabinet Mountains of Western Montana, Lolo National Forest. It would receive Wilderness designation and protection under the Wilderness Act, HR 1975 if it is passed by Congress.
Montana Outdoors 