Burdock, Gaillardia, and Leaning Mountains

Yesterday, my sister, my brother-in-law, that girl, and I drove up into the Big Belt Mountains for the day.  We hiked up into Refrigerator Canyon and then motored to the top of Hogback.

The blush of wildflowers has mostly faded from the lower elevations, save for isolated celebrations within moist catchments in the leaning mountains and in tightly held bands along the flouncing streams.  Near the top of our climb to the summit of Hogback—somewhere above 7,000 feet—we began to encounter hordes of wildflowers.

Posted is a photograph of that girl standing in the flowing water at the bottom of Refrigerator Canyon, a streamside burdock, and a cluster of gaillardia found at higher elevations.

--Mitchell Hegman