On the Stateline above Heart, Pearl lakes

I've lost count of the number of times we've been to Heart and Pearl lakes near Superior over the years, but one thing we had never done until recently was hike the portion of the Stateline Trail between the two.

We began by climbing Trail 171 south gradually along the east side of Trout Creek for about 2 miles, then switching back up the side of the valley and turning west to a junction at about 2 3/4 miles, crossing a few streams along the way.

At the junction, we continued west on switchbacks above Heart Lake into a high meadow that held the bare stalks of what must have been a beautiful beargrass bloom a month earlier. The trail then switchbacked up to the ridge that forms the border with Idaho and the junction with the Stateline Trail - Trail 738 - at about 4 1/3 miles. Here, we stopped to eat and saw the first of a handful of mountain goats in the distance along the rocky ridge.



The Stateline followed the ridge southeast, passing a rocky point at 4 3/4 miles and a chute still holding snow at 5 3/4, both providing views of the lakes below. Along the way, we found plenty of huckleberry bushes filled with juicy, tart fruit.

At about 6 miles, we left the Stateline at a junction with Trail 620 and dropped northeast to a saddle between Pearl and Dalton lakes. From there, we continued down Trail 175 and back west around Pearl Lake to its outlet at about 7 1/2 miles, then down again and north to the first junction below Heart Lake at 8 2/3 miles, letting the dogs swim multiple times along the way.



After that, we retraced Trail 171 back east and north 2 3/4 miles to our vehicle.

See more photos from Heart and Pearl lakes.

Distance: 11 1/2 mile loop.

Trailhead: From Superior, follow Diamond Match Road southeast and Trout Creek Road southwest - one turns into the other - for 19 miles.

Huckleberry bounty on a Blue Mountain run

Earlier this month, a couple of friends and I ran the length of the Blue Mountain National Recreation Trail - 20 miles round trip from the bottom of the recreation area to the lookout and observatory at the top.

We couldn't have timed it better with regard to western Montana's huckleberry season. A little below the 6,455-foot summit, we found ourselves surrounded by bushes bearing big purple berries.

From the main trailhead off Blue Mountain Road at the south end of Missoula, we started running west up Trail 3.01 at about 7 a.m. At about 2 1/2 miles, the route entered an area burned by the 2003 Black Mountain fire. For the next 4 1/2 miles, the trail switchbacked up among gray snags with little shade from the sun to a ridgeline.

A short distance past the ridge, greenery returned to the trees overhead, providing some relief from the heat. At about 8 1/4 miles, the trail crossed the road to the top of the mountain and re-entered the forest. Here, we found ourselves in the thick of the huckleberry bushes.

After a break to taste the fruit, we continued up the final switchbacks to the top of Blue Mountain, gaining about 3,600 feet of elevation over 10 miles. At the top, we climbed the steps up the underside of the lookout, took in the view of Lolo Peak and ate some food, then ran a short distance east to see the observatory.

As we backtracked down the mountain, we stopped at the huckleberry bushes again and filled a small plastic bag that I carried in my pack. Four hours and 45 minutes after starting, we were back at the trailhead.

At home the next morning, I turned the fruits of our labor into a pancake breakfast!

In Glacier Park, Fifty Mountain's majesty

At the end of July, we made our annual trip north to Glacier National Park, and this year we took shuttling to its extreme.

In recent summers, we've become adept at using the park and private shuttle services to get to a trailhead, then spend a few days backpacking back to our vehicle. Usually, we'd board a shuttle in the morning and be on the trail within an hour or two.

This year, the only backcountry camping permits that were available for our preferred itineraries were at Goat Haunt and Fifty Mountain. After a short hike in the North Fork of the Flathead River drainage on the day of our arrival, we spent the entire second day of the trip in shuttles to Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta and on a boat back to Goat Haunt in Glacier, the start of our trail, by dinner.

Still, while we're not likely to try that much shuttling again, we ended up in a fairly remote part of the park and enjoyed ourselves once on the trail. Standing in a field of glacier lilies above the Fifty Mountain campground at sunset, the view certainly lives up to the area's name.

Day 1: Howe Lake and Rocky Point



The day we arrived in Glacier, we secured our backcountry permit, set up our tent at the Fish Creek Campground, then drove northwest on the Inside North Fork Road to the Howe Lake trailhead.

From the road, the trail climbs gently through forest burned in the 2003 Robert fire for 2 miles. Today, new trees stand head high among the remaining gray snags.

Once at the small, quiet lake, the trail continues to Howe Ridge, above the western shore of Lake McDonald. We followed it hoping it would skirt the east shore of the lake, but turned around after about 1/2 mile.



Later that evening, we walked the 2-mile Rocky Point nature loop from the campground, along the shore of Lake McDonald and back through the forest.

See more photos of Howe Lake and Rocky Point.

Distance: 5 miles round trip at Howe Lake; 2-mile loop to Rocky Point.

Trailhead: The Howe Lake trail begins about 5 1/2 miles northwest of the Fish Creek Campground on the Inside North Fork Road. The Rocky Point loop begins and ends in the campground.

Day 2: Shuttle to Goat Haunt



The second day of our trip was the most logistically challenging, needing to catch three shuttles to Waterton in time to board the last boat before border agents ended their day at Goat Haunt.

Waterton and Glacier make up an international peace park straddling the border with Canada, and Goat Haunt is the only location allowing trail access back to the United States. At this remote station, only U.S. and Canadian citizens with passports are allowed to cross south.

In the morning, we packed our vehicle and drove northeast on Going-to-the-Sun Road to The Loop, where we would be returning days later. From there, we boarded a free park shuttle and drove up the scenic road west to Logan Pass, on the Continental Divide. At the pass, we got off the west-side shuttle and on an east-side shuttle and continued down to St. Mary.

At St. Mary, we walked out of the park to the townsite and that afternoon took the paid Glacier Park Inc. East Side Shuttle to the Waterton visitor center near the Prince of Wales Hotel, crossing the border at Chief Mountain. From the visitor center, we walked to the dock on Upper Waterton Lake and bought tickets to take The International tour boat across to Goat Haunt. Before boarding the boat, we had enough time in the townsite to get a sandwich for lunch.



Aboard the 4 p.m. boat, we took a seat on the top deck and enjoyed the cruise south along the lake, viewing the logged swath and obelisks on each side marking the international boundary. Once off the boat, we walked a 1/4-mile path to the Goat Haunt ranger station and checked in with the border agents before returning to the camp adjacent to the dock.



That night, storm clouds moved in - a preview of the weather in the forecast for the next day.

More photos from Goat Haunt are here.

Day 3: Waterton Valley Trail to Fifty Mountain



The first day of the backpacking portion of our trip, we woke to cloudy skies, and soon after eating breakfast and packing up at Goat Haunt it began to rain.

We've learned from past experience - Scotland, Olympic National Park, Glacier, Iceland - that a good rain coat, rain pants and pack cover make all the difference, so it didn't really faze us. Having checked in with the border agents the evening before, we set out south through the forested Waterton Valley.



The first 6 miles were fairly uneventful - mostly hiking through the forest with little elevation gain, occasional creek crossings, and views of the mountaintops and the river. Occasionally, we got a break in the rain. At about 2 3/4 miles, we detoured west a little more than 1/3 of a mile and back to see Kootenai Lakes. At 5 miles, the trail over Stoney Indian Pass joined from the east.

The trail began its ascent toward the Continental Divide at a little more than 6 miles, switchbacking a couple of times before rising steeply to the southeast along a brushy mountainside. After turning east and switchbacking into and out of forest again, the trail reached its high point - a saddle above tree line at about 10 miles. Here, the clouds broke and we got our first real glimpse of the surrounding mountains.



A little more than a mile downhill from the saddle, across snowfields and slightly into the forest, we reached the camp. It had started raining again, so we quickly set up our tent. After dinner and some card games, we called it a night.

Here are more photos from the Waterton Valley Trail.

Distance: About 11 3/4 miles one way, with detour to Kootenai Lakes.

Trailhead: Goat Haunt, reached by boat at the southern end of Upper Waterton Lake.

Day 4: Northern Highline Trail



The next morning, I woke at sunrise - as is my habit when camping - and found the rain had stopped, but the sky was still filled with clouds. I wandered to the meadow above camp in time to see the first bright orange rays of daylight cresting Cathedral Peak.



In the camp's food preparation area after others woke, we watched a grizzly sow forage on a ridge near the saddle we hiked over the previous day. While we heard the bear had a couple of cubs with her, we never saw them.

After briefly questioning whether we should hike back to The Loop early instead of staying for another day of rain, it became clear the clouds were lifting. As the multitude of surrounding mountains came into view, we set out southeast on the northern Highline Trail for the day.



About 1 mile and one switchback above camp, we turned back northwest for a little more than 1/3 of a mile to the Sue Lake overlook. This notch in the ridge between Mount Kipp and Cathedral Peak provides views down to Sue Lake and over Pyramid Peak into the Mokowanis River drainage.



Back on the Highline, we continued southeast again, across rocky slopes and a handful of small snowfields into the Mineral Creek drainage. In the distance, we could see Swiftcurrent Mountain, the Garden Wall, the basin feeding Bird Woman Falls and Heavens Peak. About 2 1/2 miles from camp, we turned back.

That afternoon and evening, we relaxed by flying a kite and, after dinner, taking in sunset in the glacier lily-filled meadow.



See more photos from the northern Highline Trail.

Distance: About 5 3/4 miles round trip.

Trailhead: Fifty Mountain campground.

Day 5: Flattop Mountain Trail to The Loop



On our final day in the backcountry, we ate breakfast and packed up under scattered clouds.

After leaving camp, we hiked downhill southwest to Kooteani Pass, a low spot on the Continental Divide, then briefly followed Kipp Creek before rising a short distance up Flattop Mountain at about 2 miles.



The trail south across Flattop continued, rising and dropping slightly along the way, through forests of gray snags left after the Trapper Creek fire of 2003. At about 4 1/2 miles, we passed a series of ponds in an unburned area, then dropped into the Flattop Creek drainage, where tall stalks of beargrass bloomed among more snags.

A little more than 6 miles along, we detoured less than a 1/4 mile to the Flattop campground for a break. Back on the main trail below the camp, we descended steeply along the creek, past several waterfalls. After a series of switchbacks and several snags that had fallen over the trail, we reached the valley floor at about 10 1/4 miles. Here, Swiftcurrent Mountain looms to the east and Heavens Peak to the west.



A short distance later, we crossed Mineral Creek and continued about 1 2/3 miles southeast through the McDonald Creek Valley to a junction, then turned back northwest and hiked uphill toward The Loop. About 3/4 of a mile up, we reached the junction with the trail to Granite Park, turned southeast again and arrived at The Loop - and our vehicle - at 13 1/4 miles.



Our feet weary from all of the downhill, we stopped along the Sun Road to soak them in McDonald Creek on the way home.

Here are more photos from the trail over Flattop Mountain.

Distance: 13 1/4 miles one way.

Trailhead: Fifty Mountain campground.

A smoky run up Stuart Peak

Wildfire smoke filling the valley last week didn't deter a friend and I from getting out on a long run Saturday morning - in fact, an early start provided a short, clear window on our way up 7,971-foot Stuart Peak in the Rattlesnake Wilderness.

Looking up from the main Rattlesnake National Recreation Area trailhead we could see blue sky, but on the way down summer's heat and smoke from out-of-state fires set in.

We started out somewhat early following the main trail, Trail 515, north for 2/3 of a mile. From there, we followed the shadier Trail 517.1 up the east side of Spring Creek for about 1 2/3 miles, then crossed over to Trail 517 on the west side and continued. After the Wallman Trail veered off at about 3 miles, the trail began a steep section, reaching at junction with Trail 24.1 from the west at about 4 1/4 miles.



From the junction, we continued northeast on 517 up a couple of long stretches and a couple of series of switchbacks, the forest thinning and beargrass increasingly blooming as we rose. At 7 3/4 miles we reached the top of the switchbacks and the Rattlesnake Wilderness boundary. From there, we continued 1 1/4 miles on a flat to slightly uphill stretch to an overlook of Twin Lakes.

The final stretch followed a steep, rough trail along the ridgline to the southeast from Trail 517 about 1/2 mile to Stuart Peak, bringing our elevation gain to more than 4,200 feet. Most days, you can see south to Missoula and the Bitterroot Mountains or north across the wilderness to the Mission and Swan ranges. With the smoke however, we could see only the lakes below and other mountains in the immediate area.



After stopping at the top for some photos and to eat, we backtracked to the trailhead, finding it hotter and smokier than when we left about 4 hours and 15 minutes earlier.

Beating the heat at 3 Bitterroot lakes

To beat the heat last Sunday, we took the dogs on a hike to to a trio of lakes that lie just below 10,157-foot Trapper Peak, the highest in the Bitterroot Mountains. The trail to Baker, Middle and Gem lakes is short and steep, but worth the view.



The trail begins uphill to the south of the parking area, then switchbacks steeply west to Boulder Point at a little less than half a mile. After a short section through the forest, the trail crosses a south-facing slope, descending slightly and passing through several open stretches filled with beargrass. The trail then climbs into the forest to Baker Creek, where fallen trees block the way. From here, it's easiest to walk uphill over the flat rock along the creek to the shore of Baker Lake at about 1 1/2 miles. Several campsites are available here, and Trapper Peak stands above the drainage to the west.



Rounding the lake on either side - we went north, through a small boulder field - the trail continues along a marshy stretch of creek though the forest about another mile to Middle Lake, entering the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness along the way.



From Middle Lake, the trail stays north of the creek and rises steeply out of the forest onto more flat rock and along a cascade about 1/3 of a mile to Gem Lake. The clear pool of water sits with snow at its edge even in July, with the false summit of Trapper Peak directly above it to the west. The water was so cold, in fact, that the dogs opted not to swim at Gem.

After a short break - mostly spent swatting at mosquitoes - we made our way back downhill to the trailhead.

Here are more photos from Baker, Middle and Gem lakes.

Distance: 5 1/2 miles round trip.

Trailhead: From Darby, drive about 4 1/3 miles south on U.S. Highway 93 and turn onto West Fork Road. Follow West Fork Road south for 7 miles, then turn northwest onto Pierce Creek Road. (While this turn is listed as being signed in guidebooks and on websites, we found none; the road is adjacent to mile marker 7 and has fenced pastures on each side.) Drive uphill northwest through an intersection; at a second intersection about one mile up, continue northwest as directed by a sign 9 miles to the Baker Lake trailhead.

Sheep Mountain marathon before the marathon

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.)

The road home through Yellowstone

After the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Run near Sheridan, Wyoming, we turned back toward home - but as with the drive down, we took the slower road and came through Yellowstone National Park.

On the first of day of our two-day drive, we came west through Cody and the east entrance, over Sylvan Pass, past Yellowstone Lake, north to the geyser basins along the Firehole River and down the Madison River to West Yellowstone. The second day, we drove back up the Madison, then the Gibbon River to the Norris Geyser Basin, departing the park on the north at Gardiner. Along the way, we saw full rivers and waterfalls, colorful thermophiles, bubbling mud and steaming pools - and got stuck in summer wildlife jams, first for bison and then for a bear.

Since it was a tour of roadside attractions, I decided to put my photos together in a slideshow.

Big canyon, bighorns, wild horses on the state border

On our trip to Wyoming recently, we took the longer, more scenic route south and camped for a night at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, which straddles the border with Montana north of Lovell.

While it's perhaps better known as a boating destination, we found a couple of short trails with spectacular views of the canyon's colorful cliffs, as well as wildflowers and wildlife. (I was taking it easy before the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run, anyway.)

The day we arrived, we drove the main road north from our campsite at Horseshoe Bend along the west rim of the canyon to its end, stopping at a few spots along the way.

Devil Canyon Overlook



The first was Devil Canyon Overlook, where you can look down 1,000 feet to Bighorn Lake from a fenced-off parking lot. Below, Porcupine Creek enters the lake from the east.

That evening, we returned to the overlook and found ourselves amid a herd of grazing bighorn ewes and lambs. We also caught the last daylight rising up the canyon walls and lighting the rocks at the top.



Location: From Lovell, drive about 2 1/2 miles east on U.S. Highway 14A, 15 1/2 miles north on Wyoming Highway 37 and 1/2 mile east on the overlook road.

Sullivan's Knob Trail



A short distance north on the road, we pulled over and hiked the Sullivan's Knob Trail, rounding a rocky outcrop and dropping slightly to the edge of the canyon.

Along the way, we found an abundance of prickly pear cactus in bloom, as well as birds.

Distance: 1 mile round trip.

Trailhead: From Lovell, drive about 2 1/2 miles east on U.S. Highway 14A and 16 miles north on Wyoming Highway 37.

Ranger Delight Trail



After driving to the Barry's Landing boat ramp at the end of the paved road, we turned back and stopped south of the overlook at the Ranger Delight Trail.

Here, the trail climbed to the canyon edge above a large bend in the lake and provided a view back to the red rocks near our campsite.

Distance: 1/2 mile round trip.

Trailhead: From Lovell, drive about 2 1/2 miles east on U.S. Highway 14A and 14 miles north on Wyoming Highway 37.



Before we departed for Sheridan the next morning, we made another quick drive up to the overlook. On the way, we found a few wild horses just inside the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range near Crooked Creek.

More photos of Bighorn Canyon are here.

50 miles of muddy running in the Bighorns

Mud and snow. Sun. Sweat. Thunder, lighting and rain. More mud. Oh, and a lot of junk food.

That about sums up my first 50-mile ultramarathon, the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run last weekend in Wyoming. Sure, it was difficult - but it was fun and I'd do it again.

After a couple of months of preparation - and a stop at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area with Jen - I woke early and drove with friends to the Jaws Trailhead near 8,800 feet in the Bighorn Mountains west of Dayton before sunrise. It was in the high 30s - not as cold as anticipated - so I didn't bother with gloves or a warm hat.



At first light, and after a brief moose sighting at the trailhead, we were off, starting out on singletrack through forest and meadows, with plenty of mud and short stretches of snow. After about five miles, the terrain was mostly open, descending through grassy slopes and the occasional stand of trees, and crossing several streams. I had to take care not to start too fast as I have done in other races - there was a long day ahead. The canyon closed in around the Little Bighorn River and we returned to the forest before reaching the Footbridge checkpoint at about 18 miles.

After eating, changing my socks and grabbing my trekking poles from a drop bag at Footbrige, I made my way up The Wall, rising from about 4,800 feet to 6,300 feet in three miles. The going was slow, and clearings along the way provided opportunities for brief stops to take in the view of the Little Bighorn drainage below and the surrounding cliffs. Above the Dry Fork of the Little Bighorn, the singletrack continued up and down through forest and meadows for about seven miles. As the day warmed, the trail turned to a double track and opened up, climbing again to the Dry Fork checkpoint at about 34 miles and 7,600 feet.

A meal, sock change and pole drop later, I continued from Dry Fork back up to about 7,900 feet then down the Sheep Creek drainage. Here, the trail returned to singletrack and the last real ascent, a few hundred feet up The Haul at 7,600 feet. On The Haul, clouds moved in, rain fell, and thunder and lighting struck overhead - disconcerting when you're on an open pass, but also cooling in the hot afternoon. Unfortunately, the rain turned the trail to mud again, which stuck to my shoes and made it feel as if I were wearing bricks.

About five steep miles down through open meadows, the singletrack trail reaches forest again and continues along the Tongue River for a couple of miles to a trailhead at the end of Tongue Canyon Road. There, family, friends and others are allowed to follow runners, and Jen arrived on her bike with perfect timing while I was at the final aid station. She rode around me for a bit, falling back and going ahead to take some pictures.

Five more miles brought me back to Dayton and the finish in a park along the river at about 3,900 feet. After passing an encampment of people under a Run Wild Missoula tent on the final stretch, I crossed the line at about 52 miles in 11 hours 33 minutes and 42 seconds, 39th out of 117 runners. Ten feet beyond, I cooled off for a few minutes by sitting in the river.


In the days that followed, I had a few realizations - random and revealed by the information from my GPS:

At the aid stations, I ate a lot more food than during training, some healthy and some I haven't had in at least a decade. In addition to the water and gels I carried and consumed on the trail, here's what I remember eating and drinking:

• Orange slices (usual favorite)
• Watermelon slices (perhaps new favorite)
• Pineapple slices
• A plum
• Red grapes
• Almond-pistachio-dried cherry mix 
• Green olives with pimentos (surprisingly good)
• A peanut butter cookie (probably had sometime in the past decade, but don't remember when)
• Cheez-Its (probably had sometime in the past decade, but don't remember when)
• Cheetos (don't know the last time had)
• Fritos (don't know the last time had)
• Ruffles (probably had sometime in the past decade, but don't remember when)
• Hummus, vegetarian "pepperoni," sriracha and tortilla wraps (homemade training food packed in drop bags)
• An American cheese, yellow mustard and tortilla wrap (I like mustard)
• An American cheese and tortilla wrap (different aid station; out of mustard)
• A slice of mushroom and spinach pizza (wary of melted cheese, but so good)
• Heed
• Sprite (don't know the last time had)
• 7-Up (don't know the last time had)
• Ginger ale (probably had sometime in the past decade, but don't remember when)
• A green apple freeze pop (while running with a couple of miles to go; don't know the last time had, but perfect)

While I feel like I hiked more of the uphill stretches than I did during training, I had less non-moving time than on those same runs. On my longest training runs - 26 and 31 miles - I had about and hour of non-moving time, compared with about 45 minutes during the 52-mile race.

My fastest mile was the last mile, at about 8:45. I had been told the last stretch of road was a grueling march for many, but vowed I would only walk a couple of small hills on it.

And, most of all, Missoula's enthusiastic and supportive running community was reinforced with the large, loud crowd under the Run Wild tent at the end.

On the way home, Jen and I took a couple of days to drive through Yellowstone National Park, so you'll likely see some pictures here. And back in Missoula, I removed the dried clumps of mud from my shoes, socks and compression sleeves using the garden hose with the nozzle on the "jet" setting.

I'm already on the run again and need to start thinking about The Rut 50K in September.

The run down to Bighorn

The taper has begun!

I've run my longest weekend - more than 54 miles, with a 31-mile Saturday and 23-mile Sunday - and longest week - 83 miles - and am in my last couple of weeks of preparation for the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic 50-mile race.

A few statistics for Jan. 1 through June 1:

• Number of runs: 96
• Total miles: 1,123
• Total elevation gain: 134,667 feet

In the middle of that period, I literally ran until my shoes fell apart - after more than 750 miles on that pair, the sole ripped in two places and peeled away during a race.



Missoula's particularly cold and snowy winter made for some challenging runs, even on roads. After a springlike weekend run through Hells Canyon on the Idaho-Oregon border in late March, I turned more to local mountains, but still managed to find lingering drifts and get caught in a late storm.

While the high-country snow is holding on, mountains around town have traded flakes for wildflowers. A friend and I even managed to get in a marathon over three of the city's iconic summits: Mount Sentinel/University Mountain, with the "M"; Mount Jumbo with the "L"; and the North Hills/Randolph Hill, with the peace sign.



If all goes according to plan, my long back-to-back weekend runs will be compressed into a single 50-miler through the Bighorn Mountains near Sheridan, Wyoming, on Saturday, June 21.