Uncategorized
Wanderer at Rest: Headwaters or bust, part one
Published
10 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Jamie Balke Explore Big Sky Columnist
I never thought I’d participate in a three-day, 232-mile team relay race from Three Forks to the source of the Missouri River – near the Montana-Idaho border – but it happened the last weekend in July.
My Headwaters Relay team was called the “Bozeman Goats,” comprised entirely of compassionate, intelligent, and hilarious runners. The Goats managed to turn something difficult and uncomfortable into a fantastic adventure.
I should have trained more, and harder. During the three-day race, I ran about 18 miles, and for the serious runners it seemed to be about the athletic endeavor. For me, it was more about having an adventure in beautiful parts of the state I’d never seen, involving more running than I normally find enjoyable.
The night before the race began, the Goats met at the Headwaters State Park campground. Like any high-performance athlete, I had spent the previous evening preparing superfoods like lasagna and banana chocolate-chip bars to fuel up for the coming venture.
The race began early on the morning of Friday, July 25 with each team’s first runner required to submerge some body part in the river. One bold runner jumped fully into the water and swam around before springing into action to start the race.
In the chilly morning and under gray skies, we began an enjoyable ritual of hopping into a truck and driving to the next exchange point, yelling encouragement to the other runners along the way. It was interesting to spend the majority of the days driving on breathtaking backcountry roads, hollering at running strangers.
Before long we started encountering other teams at the exchange points. The Goats and the “Bitches” had an immediate kinship, as we believed ourselves to be competing for last place. It’s hard to explain how comforting it was to have a car full of the opposing team pull up alongside me at various points along the way, yelling encouragement and asking if I needed anything. I will always love the Bitches.
The first leg I ran was 3.6 miles and predominately downhill. While mentally preparing myself to start running, I overheard another runner working out his plans with a teammate. “This should take 18 minutes,” he explained. Intimidated, impressed, and clearly in over my head, I amused myself by yelling, “See you in 18 minutes!” at my fellow Goats for the rest of the race.
Suffice it to say none of my legs were completed anywhere close to 18 minutes. In fact, one serious looking runner yelled, “I’m going to verbally coach you!” as I began my first run. His demoralizing, yet well-intentioned advice was actually helpful.
After my first leg, I was off the hook until the end of the day, when I ran the last stretch toward Beaverhead Rock. I spent most of my day gawking at beautiful scenery, attempting to stay hydrated in the heat, and desperately planning bathroom stops in places with no bathrooms and few trees or bushes for cover.
The final leg of the race involved running while drinking a beer within a certain distance, which felt like a quarter mile. If successful, I was told that I would shave a couple minutes off my time for that leg. I thought, “How did the race organizers know I would be running the last leg?”
As I slowly jogged toward Dillon, dehydrated and exhausted while trying to choke down a Pabst Blue Ribbon that somehow tasted sticky, I was feeling less jovial about the “beer leg.” I was successful, but I’m not sure it was worth it.
The race had started at 5:30 a.m., and we finished up for the day sometime after 7 p.m. The next day was scheduled to begin even earlier, at 5 a.m. As I crawled into my sleeping bag, only to be awakened several times in the night by nearby trains, I wasn’t feeling overly optimistic about the coming day.
To be continued…
Jamie Balke is glad to have participated in the Headwaters Relay, but at this point feels like letting out a primal scream and running (slowly) away when her fellow Goats talk about next year’s race.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
The Waypoint
50 Ousel Falls Rd