Baker Lake 50k FA

 

Baker Lake 50k was canceled this year, due to the coronavirus, but I decided I'd run the course anyway, as I've been doing this every year since 2004. One year I'll stop, either due to a request from the body, or due to family obligations, but this weekend was free, and I was glad to get out and see the trail.

I showed up around 6:30 AM, and ran into Terry and their cute new dog. We talked a bit, and then I headed off alone, up and over the dam, and onto the trail. The trail was quiet, and I took my time starting out. I carried a hydropak and food, as well as a pole, for helping my ankle along if need be. It rolls so often now that I'm a little bit more fearful about longer treks alone on trail. I knew I'd see people eventually, but nevertheless.

The day turned out perfect, one of the best in recent memory. Views were long and the trail was clear. Running was eay--I'm in better shape than I've been the past few years, though only marginally so. I saw a few familiar faces who had the same idea through the day--Susan, Reed, Matt, Betsy, Delores. Smiles. There was also a hive of wasps which went after a number of people, but I fortunately escaped unstung. 

The trail itself was pretty busy--lots more backpackers than usual, and long dayhikers. People are escaping to the trail, for social distancing. It was pretty awkward passing, in the narrow spaces, as I'd pull my mask up and groups would turn sideways, with limited space to do so. That kind of encroached on the solitary experience of it all, but it was a fine day. The views of Baker were outstandin

I went faster on the way back, and but the feet felt it by the end. 8:27 round trip, and I think I was around 4:15 going out. Afterwards, I went to Annie's and picked up a pizza, and we sat and watched television.  Good day.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is dear to my hear--near and dear I'd say, but it's not near enough, and so I haven't been there in some time. It was so good to go back, after all these years.

In 1988, I quit a job as a circulation manager for a newspaper so that I could go and visit Yellowstone and that area of the country.  I went with intentions of working at the park for the summer, as I had heard jobs were easy to find. Unfortunately for me, that summer the Park had a historic fire season, and so most of the inns and facilities were running at limited capacity, meaning no job for me. I was young, and so I stuck around, sleeping in the back of my pickup in different spots, exploring the park. I didn't have much money at all--I had to save what I had for gas money to get home, but I remember feasting on 3 for $1 hot dogs and soaking ramen in a bowl. I parked the truck and hitch-hiked all over the park, and down to the Grand Tetons as well. It was great adventure.  

I went back a few times after that with family members and friends, and did a few hikes, but it has now been more than 20 years since I last visited. I really wanted to go there with Deborah, and enter via the NE gate and Lamar Valley, and so we did.

It was a bit of a whistlestop tour, but we saw most of the classic spots in the park, and there was less traffic since it was September. We spent a night in West Yellowstone, just outside the park, which by the way is kind of spendy for what you get. Our other stops on the trip were half the price.  

For me, the highlight was seeing a big grizzly bear. This bear was a bit of a celebrity, as someone shot a video of it killing an injured bull elk in the Yellowstone River, and then dragging it to shore. The bear sat on top of its kill for several days, eating it and shooing away wolves and another interested grizzly. We came upon the site a couple days after the kill, which was across the river on the road. People were lining up to take pictures--your typical Yellowstone traffic jam, but seeing a grizzly this close with a kill is a bit unusual.

We also saw tons of elk and bison, a lone wolf or coyote, and a herd of antelope up by Gardiner. We spent some time at Old Faithful, visited the Roosevelt Arch, and took a short walk at Artist's Point for Canyon. Lots of geothermal sites--Mammoth, which is incredible, and then many other hot spots. There simply is no place like Yellowstone. I hope to get back sooner next time.

 

Beartooth Highway

 

After the Montanan Marathon and Little Bighorn, we made our way to Yellowstone via the Beartooth Highway, to Cooke City and the NE entrance and Lamar Valley.  I've always wanted to make this approach, but its more typical to enter via the West or North entrances, coming from Washington State.

The Beartooth Highway is one of the country's scenic highways. On the Montana side, it Red Lodge is more or less the entry town--a nice mountain town. The road starts in the high prairie, and then climbs into the Rockies. The high point for Beartooth Pass is at 10,947.  Weather conditions close the road all the time. It was closed.a week or two before we went, and then a week later. The road is open from Memorial Day to October 12 or so.

On the Wyoming side, there are long views across a sea of peaks, and then Pilot Peak marking the skyline for some time. Eventually the road finds its way to Cooke City, another pretty cool little mountain town, which is right before the Silver Gate (NE gate) to Yellowstone NP.

The road trip and the pass was a pleasure to drive int he rented Dodge Charger. The car has some giddyup, going up mountain passes and on the long straights in Montana. 

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

 

On the afternoon after finishing the Montana Marathon, we drove an hour or so east of Billings, and visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This is the location of Custer's famous last stand, which he didn't fare well in, nor did his men.

When I was a kid, we had this record, 40 Funky Hits, and it has this song on it, Please Mr. Custer, which is  about a guy who doesn't want to go to this battle. My Dad, an ex-marine, used to talk a lot about battles, and every now and then General Custer came up. Later, when I was in college studying Northwest history, the professor went on about how wonderful his visit was to this battlefield. That always stuck with me, and so I wanted to check it out. The only window of time was in the afternoon, after the race, but the driving is very easy in Montana on the freeway. Little Bighorn is 934 miles away from Mt. Vernon, says the map. I didn't want to miss my chance, as I don't know when we'll be bakc this way. It was totally worth it, at least for me.

That said, it's not like a whole lot was going on at the momument. Some people were wandering in ($25 entrance fee, I think, yikes), but it was quiet and the Visitor Center was closed. But there was something about the big sky, the grave markers, and the quiet that was moving.

The site has a cemetery, which is a lot like Arlington, and holds veterans of wars up to the Vietnam War, if I'm not mistaken. Then there's Last Stand Hill, where the U.S. soldiers were surrounded, with white markers placed where soldiers fell. There's a big memorial there, with Custer's name on the top. Markers are placed throughout the monument grounds. Most of them are white, saying "U.S. Soldier, 7th Calvary, Fell Here, [Date]."  There are also brown markers where some Cheyenne warriors fell. It is a solemn place.

We saw a herd of horses, that we think were wild. Wild horses, we'll ride them someday, not. Beautiful.

Afterwards, we visited the Crow Restaurant and Gift Shop, run by the Crow tribe. The food was very good--the "World's Best Indian Taco" for me. While there, we spoke at length with tribe members about Covid, treaties, and other things. I appreciate how cordial and informative they were. I took Native American law in school, and it was a challenging course--very non-intuitive, due to all the treaties and odd Supreme Court decisions. One gentleman there spoke at length with me about some of these. It was a memorable afternoon. 

There's more to this trip, but I've decided to string it out in a few posts, so I can have a few more thoughts and pics to look back at here, whenever I do. Wishing well to my friends.