Tuesday, July 1, 2008 – Day 9

Rest Day: Missoula, Montana
Miles: 0.00 Total Miles: 628.56

Today was our second rest day. We spent it in Missoula, Montana at the University of Montana in dorm rooms. The day started with getting things organized for our next few days of riding. It is amazing how quickly our bags get disorganized when we are living out of a tent and are on the go constantly. So, we take this down time to get things a little organized. Then it was off to do laundry.

Around noon, I decided to hike Mount Sentinel. This is the mountain that you see the big M on when you are coming into Missoula. A little history behind the M was on a sign at the base of the mountain.

If you look closely at this picture, you will be able to see the switchback trail that leads up to the M. The M is located 620 feet above Missoula and once you get to the M, it is huge. It is made of concrete and is 125 feet long and 100 feet wide.

Once at the top, the view is incredible. You can see the entire city of Missoula. It was a great hike. There were clouds blocking the direct sunlight most of the way up, which was nice. There were a lot of people on the trail and I was impressed that quite a few people use the trail as their morning training run. During my time on the trail, there was one person that ran up and down three times.

Tomorrow, we begin our climb into the Rockies. From looking at the map, it looks like we will cross over McDonald Pass on Thursday. The elevation is approximately 6,300 feet. Oh boy! The bright side is the downhill on the other side.