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May 16, 2007
Even Mountain Goats Fall, Too
I have the honor of living about 4 miles away from prime bighorn sheep habitat. Quite frequently, I watch them prance agile-y across literal cliff faces like they are out for an after-dinner stroll. Mountain goats and my border collie, June, belong to the same category of cliff dancers as bighorn sheep. Over and over, June leaves me in the dust on the technical terrain. I have to wonder how fast we humans could be out on the trails if only we had 4 feet. However, today I stayed upright while the 4-legged June took a tumble.
Today June and I made a jaunt to the top of Mount Baldy, located in the Bridger Mountains, outside of Bozeman, MT. I had such a good time in those mountains last weekend that I decided to go back for more. More like, I've decided to put in some good training time in these mountains this summer. Their trails are really, truly, a drool-inducing trail runner's dream.
We started at the 'M' trailhead. The 'M' is a monstrous white 'M' that sits on the lowest flanks of Baldy Mountain, so as to remind everyone that Bozeman is home to Montana State University. From there, one climbs 5 miles and 4300 vertical feet to the Baldy summit. Really, it's mostly uphill power-hiking. I probably ran about 1 mile of the climb, in short spurts where the trail levels out here and there. It's just that steep.
The trailmakers of the Bridger Mountains have seemingly forgot 1 element usually included in trails that gain and lose distinct amounts of elevation: switchbacks. The upside of this is that the trails are shorter. The downside is that the trails can be hell-a steep. The climb up was miraculously easy, and I tried to give it a decent push the whole way to get in a good elevation workout. After 1:45-ish, I was at the summit.
June and I sat there for a bit, taking in the view. And it was fabulous. To the north, Baldy Mountain connected with the rest of the Bridger Ridge, the high, knife-like ridgeline of the Bridger Mountains. This ridge is the proud stomping grounds of the Bridger Ridge Run, which I will race in just under 3 months. To the northeast, the tall, remote, and still snow-covered Crazy Mountains loomed stolidly. To the east, farms and ranches decorated the valley far below. Towards the south, the route I had climbed to the summit disappeared back into the trees. And finally, to the west, the expansive and rapidly developing Gallatin Valley (which contains the metropolis of Bozeman) opened wide and far.
After a time, June and I began our descent in the direction from which we had climbed. I intended to run this downhill hard. First, I wanted to get in a good downhill workout. And second, I wanted to get a decent time estimate for a hard downhill run, as this is the last 5 miles of the Bridger Ridge Run's course. I was able to maintain a steady downhill pace, but I never had the opportunity to open up and really run.
My main problem was that my poor dog was lagging so far behind! On some runs and hikes that have no water sources (streams, snowfields, etc.), she wears a dog backpack that contains the water she will drink on the hike/run. She wore her dog backpack today, and it really hindered her ability to descend this steep trail (Incidentally, on the few flat portions of the trail, she was her usual speedy self.). It changed her width and center of gravity, and it added a little weight. I really felt bad for her!
At one point, she made an unwitnessed tumble that I only heard and saw the aftermath of. My little mountain goat fell! I was briefly scared that she was hurt, because she just layed there in the middle of the trail whining. I had to pick her up and stand her back up again. Then she just took off like nothing happened. Perhaps she was just surprised that she had fallen; I certainly was because I had never seen her do so before. In all, it took a little under 55 minutes to return to the trailhead.
I was sad to look down at my feet at the trailhead and see that my brand-new trail shoes were trashed! A few weeks ago, I decided to try out the new GoLite Trail Fly trail running shoes (I would link you to the GoLite site, but I was having trouble getting the shoe portion of the site to load.). I love these trail shoes, but the upper tore at the crease that is made on the top of your foot when you toe off. Luckily, I bought them in Bozeman and so I went directly to the shoe store with my ruined, sweaty, dirty shoes in hand. They graciously took them back and ordered me a new pair. I'm going to try the same shoes again, with the hope that my experience was a manufacturing anomoly. I love those shoes!
Aside from the ruined shoes, it was a great day in paradise, and both June and I are still in one piece.
Posted by Meghan at May 16, 2007 7:02 PM
Comments
Simply fantastic. I felt like I was right there with you. Glad they ordered some new shoes for you too!
Jenny
Posted by: Jenny at May 16, 2007 9:00 PM
Simply fantastic. I felt like I was right there with you. Glad they ordered some new shoes for you too!
Jenny
Posted by: Jenny at May 16, 2007 9:00 PM
Simply fantastic. I felt like I was right there with you. Glad they ordered some new shoes for you too!
Jenny
Posted by: Jenny at May 16, 2007 9:01 PM
Meghan, Sounds wonderful. Are you sure the M isn't for Meghan - Queen of the Mountain? Or maybe it's for Michelle, calling me to the mountain. Whaddya think?
Glad to hear June is okay - she was probably just ticked that you had the pack on her and made her fall - she's secretly blaming you and that whining was really under-the-breath-bitching!
Posted by: backofpack at May 16, 2007 10:07 PM
Whoa! What a run!
Posted by: olga at May 17, 2007 10:54 AM
Sounds like you have one tough pup! I guess that's what she's your dog and you're her owner. :) Glad you guys had such a great run!
One question - where would one buy a dog water pack? If I could get Roxy to wear one I think that would be perfect!
Posted by: Beth at May 17, 2007 3:38 PM
Heyyy, Meghan. I know you specifically wrote this post to make me ultra happy to be moving to the Rockies, right? It sounded wonderful and good for you for taking those shoes back. Poor little June though! That must have been so heart wrenching. When I first started running (like 8 years old) we took our Great Danes. They would lag so far behind people gave us dirty looks like we were being bad owners. Anyway, your training sounds like it's in a really great, beneficial stage where you are once again having moments of rockstardom - it must feel good!
Posted by: Kendra Borgetty at May 18, 2007 12:01 PM
THIS trail sounds like so much fun, too! We really need to get up there and explore those mountains a bit too. Sounds like a fantastic view. And good steep hills for training? Even better. Thanks for this wonderful post! Great writing.
I am just envisioning your sure-footed dog, utterly confused at how she managed to end up tipped over :) "What the...?"
Posted by: anne at May 18, 2007 7:10 PM