(Continued from previous page.)

We turned around at the bridge across Lower Sheep Creek, site of one of the aid stations in the race.

The creek is very high right now, twice its normal width or more, and running fast. On the first half of the creek (the overflow), Karen Powers and her Bighorn course crew have recently lashed two logs together to keep them from washing away. They've added a waist-high rope along the wider log on the other half over the main stream.

Shortly after this bridge the trail gains approximately 3,000 feet in elevation in about 5½ miles to Horse Creek Ridge. Since Jim is tapering for whatever distance race he's running on Saturday, we didn't go any farther today.

I took the remainder of these photos on the way back. Jim ran/walked ahead at his own faster pace to the trailhead and I followed more slowly, enjoying the scenery and details.

 

 

 

 

There are lots of flowers in bloom right now and everything is very bright green from all the rain. The canyon is just gorgeous! We saw some lupines in the meadow area we traversed at the 4,700-4,800  foot elevation range. 

Yellow arrow-leaf balsamroot blooms contrast nicely with bright orange lichens
on a rock (above) and purplish blue lupines in a meadow (below).

Note the trail in the distance as we dropped farther into the canyon:

I took the next three pictures looking back at the rugged canyon walls:

There's one of the course markers.

 

Runners approaching the aid station at the canyon trailhead on race day can see the "eye of the needle" formation for about a mile on the course if they're observant and not just watching the rocky trail:

 

 

 

We got back to the trailhead faster because we were going more downhill through the canyon and I was taking fewer pictures.

I hiked the whole time; Jim did some running but his knee hurt more when he ran. He's pretty sure he'll drop down from the 50-mile race to the 30K, not the 50K.

As we drove back along the canyon road to our campground in Dayton it was hard to believe this calmer, flatter stretch of river was the same raging stream we'd been hiking above for the last two hours:

When we were done, we were glad we came back to the Bighorns. We love this area.

YOU SILLY GIRL!!

Since Karen offered the 30K option to Jim yesterday, it got me thinking . . .

I enjoyed this hike so much I decided I'd like to do the 30K, too! Pretty ironic for someone who 1) wasn't all that psyched up to come to the Bighorns this year because of the poor course conditions and 2) thought she'd never enter another foot race because of her bum knees.

Ha! My heart and soul belong to the mountains and this race, even if I can't run. Damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead.

Well, not exactly full speed. I'll have to walk 95% of it, but I've got 11 hours to go 18+ miles on terrain I'm very familiar with. If any of the 30K is rerouted, it will be the addition of a couple miles at the beginning; the rest of the course will be the same from Dry Fork to the park in Dayton.

Two factors give me pause:

• I'm not fully trained for quite that many miles yet this summer -- or, as I quipped to Jim when I told him what I was considering, "If I'd known I was going to do a 30K race, I would've trained for it!"
• And the 30K is mostly downhill. It'd be better for my bum knees if the point-to-point race went up 4,000+ feet from the finish to Sheep Creek Ridge instead of down from it.

Despite those two things, however, I'm confident I can do this without hurting myself. I just have to go at a sustainable pace, rest when I need to, and be careful of foot placement on the steeper downhill sections so I don't put too much stress on my knees.

I'm totally pumped up about this after today's hike on part of the course!

I gained special permission to enter the race this afternoon while Jim and I were helping stuff hundreds of 30K packets.

It's the first time I've called in a favor at this race (the 30K fills very early). It comes after many years and many hours of volunteering so I don't feel guilty about it. I paid the late entry fee and will earn the privilege by working hard stuffing packets today and handing them out on Thursday and Friday. Jim and I will be spending a lot of time on our feet right before the race but it will be fun.

We are grateful that Karen, Michelle, and Cheryl value our volunteer contributions enough to extend these perks to us this year. Thank you, ladies.

Next entry: let's go see why the upper part of the Bighorn race has to be so seriously re-routed this year

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, and Cody the Ultra Lab

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© 2011 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil