What a summer it has already been, and what a treat to have my 14-year-old nephew visiting here in Big Sky Country. Although we have barely left Missoula yet, it is fascinating to experience how he is discovering this new landscape.

 

We climbed Mount Jumbo a few days ago, and he was especially captivated by the shadows cast by clouds racing above us. He was also impressed that folks could sit outside the fence and watch the Missoula Osprey baseball team play for free, and that the spiciness of  the chicken wings we devoured last night was “not bad’ as compared to those served back home in North Carolina.

Tomorrow we head for Glacier Country. Emory hopes to see a bear, and I do, too, though from a very comfortable and safe distance. He’s also pretty keen on innertubing and huckleberry picking upon our return, and it is indeed all good and perfect, just like this year’s awesome summer weather in Montana. So far, no significant extended heat waves or large swaths of forest and grassland fires have predominated, and that’s another blessing, compared to two summers ago.

Time to pack up, and head out. See you next week at some point, and in the meantime, happy trails!