We didn't set out purposefully on a training trip designed to maximize our performance in upcoming events. For us running has always been about enjoyment. We both really like trail and mountain running, so we naturally seek out new trails and destinations in the mountains as ideal places to run. This was a one week vacation and both us had upcoming races which we want to do well in (since doing well is fun too). For Lindsay it was the world mountain running championships in Alaska and for me it was the Victoria Marathon. These events on the horizon meant that we would be fitting runs into the schedule and the following describes what we ended up doing.

Day 1
Driving- Calgary to Waterton. Attempted to run just outside of waterton on the Yarrow canyon trail. Found a gate locked on the approach road so we headed to Waterton instead, found a campsite (Crandel Lake campsite) and went for a lazy run up the hiking trail to the lake and beyond. Ran about 40-50 minutes all together with a few picture stops (out and back, up then down). One part of the trail was over-run with ptarmigan, who did not feel that larger humans had any valid claim to any part of the trail.

Ptarmigan: "This is my trail"

Lindsay in Waterton

Brews at Lake Crandel contemplating a swim

Day 2
Logan Pass- Glacier National Park, MT- Highline Trail
Feeling a little more energetic we drove to Glacier Nat'l Park and were astounded by the scenery from the road. We were tempted several times to don our shoes and running apparel as quickly as possible and set out on one the many beautiful looking forest trails. However, we kept driving up the road to the Logan Pass Visitors centre to see if we would be able to run above tree line without having to work for it. Despite the discouraging words of the ranger up there (who informed us that 1. the end of trail was closed due to a forest fire and therefore we would not be able to do our planned point to point run using the shuttle bus and 2. there would be a lot of hikers on the trail which could be a downer for trail runners), we set off on the Highline trail from the visitors centre with a modified out and back run planned. We did find that there were quite a few hikers on the trail, but this was not really a big problem as the trail was wide enough for passing in places and people were friendly and would happily make way in areas where it was narrower. The trail initially descends and then traverses an exposed ledge on a cliff.

"Look Ma no hands!"

The trail is rough and rocky on this section but we felt no need to use the garden hose hand rail which has been installed for those who might be a bit more intimidated by the situation. After that the trail is remarkably flat for the terrain that it covers. It is considered an easy-moderate hiking trail. The views along this section were constantly spectacular even with the smoke in the air that obscured the distant peaks.

Lindsay in the purple bushes

Traversing the smoky mountains

It traverses a slope for about 5-6 k until it switchbacks up to a pass. The climb is not a long one (5-10 min) and after a brief reprieve at the pass ascends a bit more on a diagonal traversing line on the other side.

High above tree line in Glacier

We turned around shortly after this after about 45-50 minutes of running (with quite a few picture stops).

Running back we were again rewarded with great views and rolling terrain. Although starving by the time we got back, we sprinted up the hill to the visitors centre to end the run (about 1:30 total running time).

Day 3 - Driving- Milltown, MT to City of Rocks, ID

Day 4-6- City of Rocks Idaho
Set in the high desert (about 6800 ft altitude) of southern Idaho, the City of Rocks is a geologic anomaly of granite outcroppings in rolling sagebrush hills. It is a US National Reserve, which as far as I can tell means one step below a national park. The amenities there consist of beautiful roadside campsites, a few outhouses and a manual water pump at the "Breadloaves" area. The rock outcroppings make it a rock climbing paradise, which was our primary reason for choosing this as a destination and three day home.

Fish face rock

A rock called "The King on His Throne".

Lengthening shadows in the evening in "the City"

A top a climb called "Raindance"

Linds on the final moves of Raindance

As it turns out though, the rock climbing guidebook author is a runner as well and conveniently enough included some suggestions for trail running in the "City". We have both found that post climbing runs are often either postponed or fraught with diminishing energy reserves and therefore opted for first thing in the morning runs of modest length. I arose each day at 7 am (almost to the minute) and with some mild coaxing got Lindsay out of the tent shortly thereafter. We ran each day from the campsite. The first day we went up a newly constructed hiking trail. It ascends about 500' in total until we went through a gate, said 'Hi' and 'Moooo' to a herd of skittish cows (who had undoubtedly never seen a runner before, let alone a human at this early hour). Shortly thereafter we turned around, parted the bewildered cow herd and descended back for breakfast (35 minutes).

The following day we arose with a few more sore muscles and aches in our upper bodies from the previous days' climbs but set out on a run again, while most other camper/climbers were slumbering or leisurely preparing for the day. We started off downhill and wound our way through the labyrinthine maze of the rock formations on the climbing approach trails, which provided a lot of short ups and downs for an enjoyable 40-minute loop.

On our last day in the 'city' we arose a bit more slowly as the two previous days of climbing were starting to give us deep fatigue in some of our muscles. Preferring not to think on this day while running, we headed out of the 'City' to a planned out and back route along gravel roads. We encountered a long downhill, a long uphill and then the reverse after switching directions giving us a considerable hill work out.

Lindsay energetically attacked this hill first thing in the morning.

I would keep going but ok lets stop and get a picture.

Day 7 Sun Valley, Idaho
After a short and fun third day of climbing we departed the 'city' and drove about 3-4 hours up to the Sun Valley area. Our plans for the area only came together when we fatefully found the Sun Valley Brewing Company brew pub and engaged in a mountainous feast, with a judicious sampling of the fine malt products produced by said establishment. At that point we had no idea where we would stay that night or what to do the next day. Fortuitously we picked up the local free newspaper at the pub and there was an ad from a local hiking store describing what sounded like a great hiking loop. The accompanying map also showed a couple of national forest campgrounds in the area.

Our lucky find in the local paper.

Fully replete, we set out to find the campground, which was nestled in an aspen grove in a deep valley. The gurgling stream near our campsite droned us into a very restful food-induced coma interrupted only briefly to re-inflate my leaky thermarest.

Equipped with our newspaper map we found the trailhead for an 8.5 mile loop (2500' elev.gain) on the corral creek hiking trail. We figured that it would be better to get the worst of the uphill out of the way and therefore picked the side of the loop with the switchbacks to start with. We started climbing the trail and climbed and climbed and climbed, after 45 minutes of forest we thought we were at the top when we reached a clearing, but we were fooled and had another 5-10 minutes to go to the top at an elevation of 9500'. At the top of this sunny hill was a rather unique back country hut. This cabin was built in 1932 and had a whole 71 years worth of graffiti inside and outside its walls. After scribing a brief excerpt to 'Run like Hell' by Pink Floyd (the most appropriate thing we could think of off the cuff),

The end of a 50 minute climb eating Lindsay's dust the whole way.

And she looks fresh as a daisy to boot.

we looked around for the trail down to complete the loop. After a brief search we found the trail and made our way through more open terrain and some steep down hills until the trail reached a ridge in a meadow which brought the trail directly back to the parking lot. We were grateful for the direct descent when the skies opened up and thunder-boomers shook the ground.

On the descent.

Oooh! Dark clouds up there.

We arrived back at the trailhead wet and sore legged and hungry. Our total running time was about 2 hours. This run had certainly been the highlight of the road trip for both of us both in challenge and scenery and we would highly recommend it.

A long drive back to Calgary the next day was looming in front of us so we were eager to take a chunk out of some of that distance that afternoon. However, on my last trip to Sun Valley in 1991, I had visited some hot springs at the side of a babbling brook which were an extremely pleasant way to shed some road and trail dust. When I mentioned this to Lindsay we had an enthusiastic consensus to try to find them again and engage ourselves in a proper soaking. Alas after an hour of driving up 'Warm Springs Road' we found the place where the hot spring fans would gather years before. However, the stream by the side of the road out of town was now in town, amongst gigantic 'cabins' and chalets of absent millionaires and the idyllic pools of steaming water were inaccessible. Disappointed, we headed out of town much smellier than we had hoped. When we saw a sign in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area for the Easely Hot Springs we thought we had found our retribution. Although clearly a commercial hot springs pool we were keen to get cleaned off and would settle for the more sterile environment provided it had the steamy sulfurous water we had been yearning for. Unfortunately, the springs should have been called 'Easely Tepid Springs' since the water was not even comfortable enough to soak in with the cool fall air that afternoon. A hot shower would have settled us fine however we were stymied again by the same luke warm water undoubtedly from the same source. Anyway, we were clean and we started our drive north.

After a driving four hours through the wonderful terrain of northern Idaho our little truck made it up 'Lost Trail Pass' and into Montana were we found the first roadside campground and pulled in for the night.

Day 8
We arose early again and got on the road to Calgary. We felt we could afford a break for a run at some point in the day and were hopeful that a beautiful trail by the roadside would reveal itself somewhere between Missoula and Great Falls. Since there were a considerable number of forest fires burning in the area and we didn't have any kind of a map for the area we were out of luck for a mid day run. We continued on to interstate 15 through the barren Montana plains toward Canada. After a 45-minute wait to cross the border we both felt a run would relieve some stress and figured the coulees of Lethbridge would be a great place for that. We found a very nice 45 minute loop from the west side of the river near the university, which went down the river bank, upstream along the river, across and then back downstream, across the river again and up the bank. Spirited by the run I tried to set a new Lethbridge to Calgary speed record for a 94 Toyota 4 cylinder pick-up. It was looking good until we got to Calgary and the Deerfoot was closed. We eventually arrived home after a cross Calgary tour, tired but very satisfied with a fun filled, action packed one week running/climbing road trip.