A hillwalk close to home

When the holiday weekend's rain gave way to a some sun on Monday, we took the dogs out for a walk in the North Hills - our coats in tow, but not on our backs.

I've started to use the Orange Street access to this local open space area when I run because it's just a little more than a mile from our front door. Recently, we've also found it to be an easy way to take out the dogs, too, but being that it's just off Interstate 90 they stay leashed until getting up the hill a ways.



The trail starts out by switchbacking up the slope then splits at about half a mile. The eastern side rises to the popular ridge trail at about 1 mile, and the western side rounds the hill to the Moon-Randolph Homestead at about 1 1/2 miles then reaches the ridgeline. Go either direction and follow the ridge trail for a 4-mile loop.

On our walk, we found death camas and long-plumed avens in the grassy hills near the homestead, and fuzzytongue penstemon, the last of the season's lupine and the first of the bitterroots along the gravelly ridgeline.



The best part of the walk was not having to towel off the dogs before getting back in the car!

More pictures of this North Hills walk are here.

Distance: 4-mile loop.

Trailhead: Park in the lot at the north end of Orange Street, alongside the Interstate 90 on- and off-ramp. The trail starts at a gate at the base of the hill a short distance to the west.

The long run

I'm officially on the final stretch of training for the Missoula Marathon, having topped out with a 20-mile run this week. And it was quite a wild run.

First, while crossing over the North Hills, I saw that the bitterroots are beginning to bloom (I need to get back up there with my camera). In the residential part of the Rattlesnake Valley, I came across a few deer during their morning munching.

Then, just a mile up the main trail in the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area and eight miles into my run, I rounded a bend and found myself looking at a large bear about 100 feet away - and it was looking back at me.

In the end it wasn't all that big of a deal. I stopped, yelled and clapped at it, it stepped off the path, and I turned around and ran up a different trail. Sure, there's an initial adrenaline rush, but I've encountered bears while hiking before and know the protocols. Mostly, I was thrown off by having to change my route and refigure my mileage - and having to yell "Hey, bear!" - on the run.

As far as the marathon training is concerned, it's going great. I've been able to keep a steady pace on my long runs, and the recovery has gone well.

People have asked me several questions about my big double-digit days: Do I get tired? Not while running; afterward my legs feel like they've had a good workout. Sore? Not really after adjusting to the distance; that's the point of going slow and stretching. That's a lot of energy expended - what about food and water? I take some energy gummies and a hydration pack with me, and yes, it does mean carrying a few extra pounds. What about the final 6.2 miles? My trainer-friend says most marathoners only get up to 20 or 22 miles before the event and think of the last stretch as just another 10K.

I've got a couple of runs in the high teens left, then I taper off until the big day, Sunday, July 12. I'm looking forward to crossing the finish line.