Finding Local Trails as 2020 Goals
Jeff Garmire
I moved to Montana and was solely focused on training for the Barkley Marathons. But, it is 2020 and they were soon canceled along with all of my other plans. My gaze quickly shifted to things I could do close to where I moved in Bozeman. Even though the snow would not be melting for months, I settled on three local routes that I wanted to run. They were the Beaten Path, Bridger Ridge, and the Gallatin Crest Trail.
I began with the Bridger Ridge. I started as far north as I could and then ran up through a gully from the North Cottonwood Trailhead. Snow quickly began as did climbing over debris from an avalanche over the winter. By the time I reached the ridge after 8 miles, I was miserable. Hail, wind, and rain encompassed my route but I kept trodding across the narrow trail on top of the ridge. In the early afternoon, the weather cleared and I was able to stow my excess layers. I climbed over Saddle Peak and up to the final summit in Mt. Baldy before a long descent to the trailhead where my girlfriend was waiting. But with only 2 miles left in the 25-mile mountain run, dehydration caught up to me. Actually, I had enough water but not enough electrolytes. My hands and arms grew numb and I began to walk like a zombie. Poor planning and nutrition choices had led me to this spot. I stumbled to within a mile of my finish, but then everything quit working. I collapsed on the side of the trail and threw up. I could have hit my girlfriend's truck with a rock, but at this moment it seemed so far. Two more body rattling vomits and I felt functional enough to stumble the final steps. Round one of my three goals for 2020 in Montana was complete, but there was a lot of learning to be had from the experience.
The second trail on the list was the Beaten Path. Everything I had heard about the trail involved how iconic it is. Granite peaks, alpine lakes, a plateau that looks like the top of the world and a canyon that leads back down to earth. I wanted to run this trail, but I also wanted to smell the roses. Early on in the planning process, I decided I would backpack the trail with my girlfriend over two days to appreciate the beauty, and then a couple days later I would go back to run it.
We didn’t leave Cooke City and get to hiking until almost noon, but it didn’t matter. The weather was sporadic, and in the first three miles we had every type of weather imaginable. It was a disappointment as I yearned for views, but my girlfriend continually reminded me that the trail would improve drastically and if there was a place to experience bad weather, this was the place. We covered the first 11 miles on day one with wildflowers popping up all around. Our first day was dwarfed by the second. On top of unbelievable wildflowers, once we passed Fossil Lake we were floored. A landscape that looked similar to the Wind River Range and the Sierra Nevada Mountains sat before us. Huge granite spires rose in all directions and a crystal clear lake rested on the valley floor. After Fossil Lake, the views kept coming. Lake after lake was breathtaking. A waterfall cascaded hundreds of feet towards Rainbow Lake and our trail cut into the side of the granite basin with the rippling lake. Finally, we dropped through a canyon and the views disappeared as East Rosebud Lake grew near. We closed out the forested and standard hiking trail and made it to the Red Lodge side of the Beaten Path. One of the most majestic and best overnight scouting trips was over.
Two days later I was back at Cooke City, waiting at the Clark’s Fork Trailhead until the perfect time of morning when it was still cool, but just light enough that a headlamp was no longer needed to run the trail. This time I was hoping to finish the Beaten Path in less than 5 hours. It would be a stark contrast from the slow pace we traversed the trail at, to smell every flower. I would also be alone on this run.
At 6:15am I left the trailhead, running powered by adrenaline. Not only did I want to run this whole trail, I wanted to set the fastest time ever on the route. At mile 2, just past Kersey Lake, I knew this would be a great day. My legs felt good and fresh despite being terrible at rest days, and my breathing was mild even with the self imposed pressure of going fast and chasing a difficult time. I powered through the first half, entered the plateau and was blown away by the beauty. The weather was even better than the time we spent smelling the roses on the plateau. Lakes glimmered and I was on cloud 9 as I ran past. Flying through nature under my own power is one of my passions and pushing myself in a natural environment is where I feel most at home. The arbitrary time of 5 hours seemed easily within reach as I passed Rainbow Lake. Features were flying by so fast compared to the casual stroll through them we had taken most recently. I descended the final canyon and tramped through the flat ground to finally reach the signpost at the East Rosebud Trailhead. Four hours, fourty-two minutes and fifty-five seconds. I was spent but I had blown away any expectations I had for the amazing run through nature.
One goal sits on the horizon close to home: The Gallatin Crest Trail. But, now I know how I want to attack it. Scouting and enjoying the trail, followed by running the same trail was an experience that offered the fullest immersion into a landscape and I enjoyed the two very different styles. Seeing the world fast, and observing it a little slower both offer unique ways to interact with the landscape. They are both ways I want to experience every trail!
