Last Saturday - the day before the Missoula Marathon - a friend and I decided to run a marathon of our own up Rattlesnake Creek and back over Sheep Mountain and Blue Point.
The day was hot, so we started early, and after a few short side trips ended at 26 1/2 miles and nearly 5,100 feet of elevation gain.
From the main Rattlesnake National Recreation Area trailhead, we followed the wide Trail 515 for eight rolling miles to Franklin Bridge, stopping there to filter some water. A short distance up the hill from the bridge, we turned east on Trail 514 and climbed about 1 1/2 miles through the forest above the East Fork of the creek. When the trail reached another junction, we continued southeast downhill, still on 514, and crossed the creek, then climbed again through the forest thick with beargrass. At the next junction, a little more than 1 3/4 miles later, we continued southeast again a short distance until reaching Trail 513 between Sheep Mountain and Mineral Peak.
Turning west on 513, we followed the wide ridge southwest then switchbacked steeply up to the top of 7,646-foot Sheep Mountain at about 15 1/2 miles, where we took another break at a small stone-walled shelter. After eating and taking in the view, we continued about 3 3/4 miles along the open ridge over another small point, down below treeline and back up to the Blue Point junction. After a 1/2-mile out-and-back detour to the overlook, we returned to Trail 513 and followed the ridge down about 4 miles into Woods Gulch. After another brief stop to refill our packs with water, we continued west down to the trailhead and followed roads about a mile back to the main Rattlesnake trailhead.
After about six hot hours out we had our mountain marathon.
(Note: My GPS malfunctioned, resulting in all laps being recorded, but only half a map, so it isn't posted here.)
