February 22, 2024 - The Big Bighorn 100 Really Big Training Weekend

This weekend was my big kick-off training weekend for the Bighorn 100 ultramarathon. I spent a week in Rapid City for work, and would be spending the holiday weekend there. That gave me the opportunity to get into the mountains a bit for some big training runs and hikes. And, boy, did the weekend deliver!

I had initially planned to make the 250 mile drive to the Bighorn 100 course and spend a couple days recee'ing sections of the course. In particular, I was going to take on the big first 4,000 foot climb and then possibly drive out to the second 4,000 foot climb if I could figure out how to get there. However, when I arrived last Wednesday, it had started snowing. The snow forecast did not call for much snow either in Rapid City nor in the Bighorn mountains. But the forecast proved wrong, and the snow continued for 36 hours. What was expected to be just an inch or two of snow ended up closer to 10 inches. After much deliberation and speaking with more winter mountain experienced friends, I decided there were simply too many unknown risks in an area I had no familiarity with at all. I would instead head into the Black Hills for some long runs/hikes and forego the opportunity to familiarize myself with the course. Course knowledge can be so helpful and it's a shame to have missed the opportunity, but I placed safety first...and I wonder how much course knowledge one gains during snowy conditions that can translate to summer dry conditions?

My plan was to go for a run/hike on Saturday of 3 hours, ideally with a decent amount of elevation gain, but not too demanding. Sunday I would put in a long 6 hour hike/run, this time on a more challenging course, but hopefully leaving me fresh enough for one more session on Monday. And Monday would be another 3 hour day wandering around the hills in Rapid City itself. 

Saturday, I decided to head to Spearfish, a place I had heard about plenty (especially Spearfish Canyon), but had not yet had the opportunity to visit. On the drive to Spearfish, I realized I wouldn't be all that far from Devil's Tower in Wyoming, a place that had held a fascination to me since I watched Close Encounters Of The Third Kind with my father as a young child. So, a drive out to Devil's Tower was called for before heading to my first hike of the day, Crow's Peak.

Devils Tower

Devils Tower turned out to be both a longer drive than expected, and not as interesting or exciting as I had hoped. It did not feel like wasted time at all, I'm happy I've now visited it. Yet, it kinda just felt like a big, weirdly shaped rock sitting around other big rocks. There was certainly no feeling of the presence of the extra-terrestrial kind. But I enjoyed the visit and seeing the tower. And on the drive out, I had my decision not to go to the Bighorns confirmed. One a high plateau on the way to Devil's Tower, I could see large mountains off in the far distance, presumably the Bighorns. And they were completely blanketed under a thick sheet of snow, every bit of them white.

Crow's Peak

A couple hours later, I was back in Spearfish and driving toward Crow's Peak. Again, my decision to not go to the Bighorns was confirmed. Even here in the Black Hills, the drive up to Crow's Peak became challenging on snow covered mountain access roads. Not having driven in snow in a decade, I was concerned I would get stuck somewhere. Though this fear never materialized, fortunately. 

The climb to Crow's Peak gave me the first indication of how tough the sledding would be this weekend. The climb to the peak is about 3.5 miles long with about 1,500 feet of elevation climbed. Not extremely steep and I expected to be able to wrap up the 7 mile out and back relatively quickly, then head into Spearfish Canyon and run a couple trails there. I quickly learned how wrong my expectations were. The trail was under snow, every inch. Fortunately, one intrepid soul had already climbed the peak that morning, so I was able to largely follow their footsteps and was not breaking trail. Yet, it was very windy and much the trail had been drifted over. There were sections I was post-holing up to my thighs. By the time I reached the peak 90 minutes after starting, I was very aware that my plans for the weekend would have to change. The going was both much slower and much more difficult than anticipated. The weather was warming up, after having been below zero the prior two nights, and I hoped that it would get warm enough for some snow to melt off the trails before tomorrow's longer effort. Coming down Crow's Peak was much faster, and I was back at my car after 2 hours and 15 minutes. Enough time to at least go into the canyon, and get up and down the sharp and steep trail I had on my agenda.

Spearfish Canyon

Spearfish Canyon was as pretty as it had been described to me. A far more awe-inspiring experience than the few minutes at Devil's Tower. As I drove down the canyon to the 76 Trail (a roughly 1.2 mile trail with 800 feet of climbing), I paced the frozen Bridal Veil Falls and other sights along the way. The 76 Trail was exactly as I had hoped. Short, steep, a good final bit of effort to the day. And a nice view of the canyon at the top. But sunset was approaching, and the temperatures were dropping quickly. I even had to stop to put a second pair of gloves on. I was cold. It was windy. But it was also a quick 35 minute up and down. 

I then ran a trail along the creek at the bottom of the canyon to round out my 3 hour day. And that was it. Back to Rapid City to get ready for the big day of running and hiking in the Black Elk Wilderness in the morning. 

Mount Rushmore To Black Elk Peak

I woke up Sunday morning to a warmer day, though still plenty cold. The weather showed in the mid 20s while I ate my breakfast and prepared for my drive out to Mount Rushmore, where my run/hike would begin. The weather forecast did suggest the temperatures would rise into the mid 40s by the afternoon, and be quite sunny. The snow melt I had hoped for likely didn't happen given the colder than expected night, but I wouldn't have to freeze all day on the run, at least. 

I was going to follow a very lightly used series of trails from Mount Rushmore through the Black Elk Wilderness and finishing at Black Elk Peak. The trail GPX I had put together suggested this would be about 8.8 miles each way, with a total of about 5,500 feet of elevation gain and loss. Neither super long, nor super elevation gain challenging on paper. However, I was concerned about how challenging navigating would be given the snow fall and how little the trail got used even during the summer season. Fortunately, I have spent a decent amount of time in Black Elk Wilderness and figured I could find my way out to a road if I got lost on the trail. (I also had a GPX on my watch and my Spot X with me, so wasn't terribly concerned about this.)

I arrived to Mount Rushmore and decided to park about a mile outside the monument at some free parking. I figured an extra mile or so along road each direction wouldn't be a big deal since the roads were clear of snow. Got my pack set and the correct gear in place, and then I was on my way. Once I reached the first trail section just south of George Washington, the microspikes had to go back on. There had been people on this trail since the snowfall, but only a few tracks were apparent. But I was off and had a clear trail to follow.

That clear trail survived less than half a mile. I was on a small connector trail out of Mount Rushmore headed for the Centennial Trail. I would then follow the Centennial Trail to Horsethief Trail, and Horsethief Trail to Grizzly Creek Trail. The connector trail had clearly had some Mount Rushmore tourists on it, but by the time I reached Centennial trail, there was not a footprint to be found. This would be the theme of my hike out on the out and back. 

I broke trail through snow for the next 7 miles. Sometimes just 4-6 inches of snow, sometimes 10-12 inches. There was a small moment when the Centennial and Horsethief trails connected that some other footsteps arrived, but those were gone again in a quarter mile. Occasionally, the prints from wildlife would join the trail, then turn off not much later. Mostly, I was trying to spot a disused trail in fresh snow, and doing the hard work of cutting a path. It did not take me long to realize this would be a tough day. 

After one hour, I'd covered almost exactly 3 miles. Slow going, but on pace to reach the peak at 8.8 miles in the 3 hours allotted to get there. At hour two, I was almost exactly at 6 miles, again right on pace. But I realized a couple things along the way. One, I'd started nearly a mile farther away having not parked at Mount Rushmore. Add 10 minutes each way. Two, I was not where I expected to be on the trail. The actual trail was going to be quite a bit longer than the estimated 8.8 miles. I set myself two turnaround milestones at this point, because I really did not want to be out here much more than 6 hours. Milestone one, I needed to be on the final approach trail to the summit at the 3 hour mark. Milestone 2, I needed to be on the steps to the firetower at the peak by the 3:10 mark. Miss either of these, and I was going to turn around, no questions asked. 

Also around hour 2, I got my first real glimpse of Black Elk Peak. It felt too far away, but I also knew how deceiving distances can be when going up and down mountain ridges. I continued on.

Around the 2:30 mark, the trail changed. I was not yet on the final approach trail to the peak, but the trail had gotten much steeper, and the snow was now regularly 10+ inches deep. I had slowed to 30+ minute miles. The 3 hour mark approached and I still could not see the turn to the approach trail. I decided I'd continue to 3:10 before turning, but also knew I would turn back at 3:10 irrespective of where I was on the course. 3:10 hit, deep snow on steep terrain lay before me, and I found a log to sit on and eat a snickers bar.

And then it was time to head back. The day had warmed up, but in the shade and wind it was cold enough that I never felt comfortable removing my jacket. I now had a trail to follow, my own footsteps. This was a bit better than the effort of breaking the trail on the way out, but just barely. At least on the way back, I'd have 3 feet downhill for every 1 foot uphill I encountered. 

Asthma?

But I was having lung issues. Not badly, but every time I removed my Airtrim mask to eat or drink, I would immediately begin wheezing. The cold and dry air was really getting to me. My lungs were unhappy. That exercise/dry air induced asthma had arrived. Even though I'd been good about wearing the mask, just spending time in the cold and dry air of South Dakota was getting to me. (I need to put a little humidifier in the apartment where I stay when visiting Rapid City.)

I was barely moving faster on the way back than I had on the way out. Even though I was now moving downhill and with my own footsteps to follow, I just wasn't as strong as I had been in the morning. On the way out, I had to occasionally stop to check my GPX track and make sure I was on course. On the way back, I had to stop to catch my breath and to eat, because I was unable to eat while on the move. 

The run and hike had been a pretty one, but I was now not having fun. This was just hard work. It was lonely. I didn't even see any wildlife, though had followed a set of elk tracks off and on for miles and really hoped to spot it. I was elated when I finally spotted the face of George Washington through the trees. Mount Rushmore was near, and I was almost done. My legs felt good. The effort had felt hard, but not wildly so. But I was exhausted all the same, presumably because of the lung distress and breathing challenges. 

I finally popped out into the Mount Rushmore parking lot and breathed a sigh of both relief and satisfaction. My Bighhorn 100 training kick-off was completed. Yes, I'd planned to do another 3 hours the following day, but already realized that I had put in far more work than anticipated these two days and that I was certain to experience significant lung distress and needed to rest. While I'd be off the trails and out of the cold, I had no way of getting out of the dry air and no way for my lungs to recovery while in Rapid City.

Some Thoughts

This was a great kick-off to Bighorn 100. One realization, the climbing legs stick around a long time! I haven't done much climbing work at all since pacing at Hardrock last year. Yes these climbs felt easy, even in the snow. And I realized that I really do love getting out on trails like these, and doing it in solitude is extra special. I had the entire Black Elk Wilderness to myself. Even the wildlife left me to my thoughts (which were mostly a wondering about my lung distress.)

But I have also become concerned now about that lung distress. This is the third time I have experienced this. And it's lingered for days now. I have not really been able to run since Sunday because I'm struggling to breath deeply and quickly fall into fits of coughing. Even returning to Florida hasn't offered instant relieve. I was shocked when I arrived in West Palm Beach to find highs of 70 degrees and humidity of 48%. My lungs are desperate for some humid, tropical air! I intend to make an appointment with my doctor soon to discuss alternatives for dealing with dry air.

I also got to test some gear. Saturday I tried a pair of Merrell Agility Peak 5 shoes. While they're quite comfortable and capable, I could not get the heels to lock in. I had hot spots at the end of Saturday on both feet, a real problem. On Sunday, I tried a pair of used Norda 001s. These shoes were wonderful. They fit my feet so well. The heel hotspots did develop into open sores over the two days, but I do not believe that was the fault of the Nordas. I meant to tape up my heels after Saturday's hot spot development, but forgot to do so. I also broke another trekking pole! This is the third pole I've broken in the past few years. I seem to have a specialty doing so. Overall, gear was good other than the Merrells, though I'm struggling with how to assess the Airtrim mask's efficacy given where my lungs ended up. Perhaps without the mask, I would not have been able to finish Sunday's effort at all. Perhaps the mask did absolutely nothing.

But I am happy. As much as I want to have my lungs feel normal and as frustrating as this continued breathing difficult and coughing has been, these days in the Black Hills were just what I needed. Good stuff.