No more worshipping from afar. This morning, my United flight gently banked to the right, and there it was — the whole darn Bridger Range. Nose glued to the glass, Trying to name each of the five peaks along the way. The mountains appear less threatening from up here, looked fairly tame actually. You can see the ridge from beginning to end. It rises from the plain 25 miles northwest of Bozeman then angles down to a not-so-gentle end at town’s edge.
It was great to see it! I couldn’t help myself, I jumped in my rental car and headed to Fairy Lake. I’ll be taking it easy most of the week, but wanted to check out the beginning of the trail, the roughly two miles that lead 1800 feet up to Sacagawea. As I drove closer to the peaks, their soft visage that i’d loved from the comfort of seat 9A evaporated into hard scrapple steepness that took my breath away. Being on the ridge line would be mind-blowing. But how in God’s name would I ever get up there?
The 7 miles of dirt road that are the last part of the hour drive to Fairy Lake are anything but fairy-like. My rental struggled over the rocks and potholes. I considered giving up and turning back, but then the camping area and trailhead miraculously appeared.
As pictured, the trail starts in forest, climbing a half mile or so without revealing what lies ahead. Then, after a large rock crossing, the semi-circle of peaks is exposed. Sac rises to the left, an unknown granite monster to the right, with the trail switchbacking up the middle. Yes, it is just a trail. Another trail climbing another hill/ridge/mountain. But after aiming for this more than a year ago, and training for it during the last six months, I could barely contain my glee at finally being here. I wasn’t supposed to do a run today, but my feet would sometimes disobey. And when I reached the 1400 shoulder, still 500 feet or so below the trail’s peak, I could not help but yell and shout.
Getting to the top of Sac on Saturday is just the first step, there will be 18 miles and another 4500 feet of uphill yet to tackle. But now that I’ve graced its shoulders, I can visualize it happening. And I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. The Bridger RIdge Run is going to exhilarating and terrifying, pushing me mentally and physically more than anything I’ve ever done. Definitely coloring outside the lines. I expect to laugh, cry, whoop, drink lots of electrolytes, and consume three energy bars and a half dozen Advil.
And I will be so alive.