the Devil's Backbone is a very challenging out & back 50 mile race along the Gallatin Crest, it could also be run as a relay with two folks each running a 25 mile leg- that's what NH and I signed up for.  their motto,emblazoned on the t-shirts- Unmarked, Unsupported, Unequaled!  We decided to run from Windy Pass cabin to Hyalite Lake, from Windy Pass you get 2.5 bonus miles as the trailhead sits below the pass, the miles don't count but it's a good warmup 

at the pre-race meeting my lucky streak continued, I was again the first name drawn out of the hat and won a pair (my choice) of La Sportiva shoes, Al's luck continued as well and again wasn't drawn for anything

after the race we had to shuttle a vehicle to the finish line and then enjoyed a big pasta dinner in Bozeman, alarm set for 4:00 AM

the race director had anyone who was going to start at Windy Pass to grab a bag of food/provisions to take up to the cabin (the cabin is available to rent out form the Forest Service, we may try to snag it next year) as this is the only aid station, the turnaround point for the 50 milers

the climb up the cabin/pass is steep, climbing about 1300' in the 2.5 miles, we dropped the provision bags off at the cabin- Al discovered there was some good eats in there

you're on your honor to note your starting time and there is no designated start time for the relay runners- we got started shortly after 8, the weather perfect- upper 40's to start and overcast

when got to the first junction Al pointed the way, I told Al that we were headed north, but if he wanted to explore Yellowstone to head that way 

the views right away were gorgeous, numerous drainages headed both ways off the crest

although your cruising along the crest, there are plenty of ups and downs (~ 6300' of gain, double that for the 50 milers!)

here's Al finishing up a climb

here's Al at the top of the climb

Al's not much of a complainer, but was complaining about the climbs- I told him he was in luck as I had some honey with me and that he should dab a little on each ankle, he asked what that would do I said it would keep the bees away from his candy ass  

Normally at this time of the year there is plenty of snow on the ridge, not this year and as your on top of the ridge there are no water sources until you descend into the Hyalite Basin- 18 miles in from Windy Pass, I carried a 2.5 liter bladder, Al had a 1.5 liter bladder and a handheld.  The weather was so perfect (cool and overcast) that our water lasted the entire route

we kept a pretty good pace throughout, but the views were so nice and so plenty, we spent a lot of time gawking around- the little cirques at the heads of the numerous drainages were generally open and grassy, a good spot to see a grizzly or elk, we didn't see either, but I think w/ a little patience and some optics you'd have lots of good wildlife viewing

taking a breather

as we closed in on Hyalite Peak we knew we had a tough climb ahead, but also knew it was the last climb and then a long 7 mile descent

from the saddle below Hyalite looking at the ridge we came across

if you look very hard, you might be able to make out Al coming across the face of Hyalite

finally descending into Hyalite Basin

as we descended there were dozens of beautiful water falls, this is Apex Falls

when we arrived at the finish line (7.5 hours later) there was little fanfare, so little in fact that there was a folder with instructions to right down your bib number and time   if you haven't gathered this a pretty low key event, put on almost entirely by a husband and wife- their love of the mountains and wanting to share it with others, is what motivated them to organize this race- it's definitely a keeper!

post race meal at Burger Bob's- 1/2 pound burger of grass fed Montana beef, four different slices of cheese, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, fresh veggies and a homemade bun- dubbed the Cardiac!  nice wide variety of micro brews to wash the burger and fries down

it was really an enjoyable two weekends (Al not slacking at all squeezed in a four day backpacking trip between! ) and a lot of fun to finally meet up with one out forum members!  hope to get to meet some more folks in the future

Mike

I think there were about 20 50 milers and about 20 relay teams; we got to see all of the 50 milers as they start at Hyalite and then travel to Windy Pass where they turn around and got to see some of the relay folks as some also start at Hyalite

poles would have been handy for several of the stretches, I think even more handy last weekend

Good stuff Mike. Nice to see you're also never gonna let the facts get in the way of a good story! 

I looked up the my time from several years ago and I somehow shaved 5 minutes off. I told you the downhill route was so much easier! 

Interesting that we had that much climb (6300) plus the additional 1300 before the actual start.  Nothin' to it!

For the record I actually was carrying 90+ ounces of water and still had some left upon finishing. We were lucky to have had almost perfect running conditions. Never felt dehydrated, depleted, or suffering (well the last two climbs did work me over). Helped to have a vague memory of the course.

All in all a perfect little vacation for me with 2 great mountain runs sandwiched around a 5 day backpacking adventure. Thanks for putting up with me.

Good stuff Mike. Nice to see you're also never gonna let the facts get in the way of a good story! 

 

facts just get in the way of a good story  

I see Harrier still hasn't shaved yet!  Aren't beards supposed to be a winter thing?  Or is he just embracing the true spirit of being a mountain man?

Nice job, Bros.  Looks like yet another gorgeous mountain race that I'll have to add to my list for someday.  Glad you two had fun together!

Congratulations, seems to be an exciting and challenging race!

I like the "warmup" idea, and the "flying" start. Very laid back.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures, those mountains look gorgeous. Although a bit cool for me, but perfect for mountain running. Way to crank out all the elevation, that's a lot for 25 miles!