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| Arial View of Ridge Run |
In a few short days, I will once again have the opportunity to head west towards Bozeman, Montana. This trip will feature an awesome race on the front end (Bridger Ridge Run) and then some highly anticipated R&R in the form of fly fishing and backpacking for the remainder of the time. In honesty, the Ridge Run for me will be more of a "bucket list" highlight to a great season, rather than a race.
A little less than two weeks after Voyageur, I feel like I am just beginning to find my strength again and my focus is truly on the Sawtooth 100. I guess we will see how that attitude goes once the bib is on. Experience tells me I will run as hard as I possibly can.
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| View from 1 of 4 summits |
What I do know from my July vacation is that this trail is a beast! With a little more than 17,000 ft. of total elevation within a touch less than 20 miles, its guaranteed to be a kick in the teeth. For all of the climbs, the payoff is views in every direction! I am fortunate (or unfortunate depending on how you look at it) to race in Wave 1, which is never awarded to 1st time racers. Experience has shown that my best chance of a good performance at altitude is through the shock-and-awe tactic. This involves arriving no later than a day before and getting after it. Everyone is different, but I am typically more sluggish 3-5 days into any adventure above 5,000ft of elevation.
As I mentioned, the rest of the week will be spent backpacking. The destination of choice this year is the Spanish Peaks, lying just shy of Big Sky, Montana. With plenty of high alpine lakes, most days will be spent hike 8-10 miles, setting up camp and then fishing. However, we do have a few peaks in mind to make it interesting! If we are lucky with weather and approach, maybe I will have a few pictures to archive from the top of Beehive Peak. This is a classic scramble that ends in a low Class 5 approach to the summit.
Once I return on the 17th, I plan to write a review on Bridger Ridge Run and also begin a series on lessons that I have learned from this season.
Thank you for reading!
