The group guided by H2Obsession takes on House Rock and makes it through perfectly. A super ride!
The above story is one example of the many touching and shocking stories of the disabled war verterans who joined us for this leg. Christopher Gross from Pompeii's Pillar, Montana retells the events that led to his injuries in Afghanistan in 2007. He joined us today with help from Woudened Warriors, a support program for disabled veterans, and Team River Runner, which "gives military veterans and their family members an opportunity to find health, healing, and new challenges through whitewater boating and other paddling sports." The group was an inspiring and moving addition to the Challenge and also led to highlight some of the needs of disabled and handicapped people.
Kayaker Lilly Duford, though kayaking today, wanted to highlight the concerns of winter enthusiasts. In particular she explains the need to keep cross-country ski trails open and groomed for cross-country and nordic skiiers, snowshoers, and folks walking their dogs in the winter.
Kayaker David Schroeder explains the needs of whitewater enthusiasts along the Gallatin River. The Lava Lake Take Out and the Quake Lake section of the Madsion River, which may be slated for hydroelectric power, were his two main concerns.
Kerry White from the Citizens for Balanced Use explains about his route and shares a little about the challenges of route finding.
Marianne gets on the West Yellowstone Foundation Bus. This bus is a service for all residents and tourists trying to get around the area provided by the West Yellowstone Foundation. Their ridership consists primarily of elderly and disadvantaged folks. Thursdays the bus travels to Bozeman and back for $10. The bus was able to drop Marianne at the Buffalo Horn trail head so Marianne could meet up with the dirtbikers who will take on the next leg of today's trip. See you all in Bozeman at the end of the day if all goes well. 
Kate Willson, West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce Recreation Coordinator explains a little more about the need for public transit to West Yellowstone.
After sipping some gatorade and munching on bananas provided by the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce, the group gets an education from the Director, Mary Sue Costello. Others in attendence included Mayor Pierre Martineau, several guides from Yellowstone Park, and Kate Willson, West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce Recreation Coordinator. Everyone had great input about needing better public transit between Big Sky and West Yellowstone. They also shared ideas about improving the area's recreation infrastructure.
After the hot slog down Highway 287, runner Montague was more than happy to turn the Challenge over to Mike Harris, Open Lands Coordinator for Gallatin County, when Citizens for Balanced Use member, Kerry White arrived with a four wheeler. The gohst trail along Highway 287 was certainly well-used, though, and it was clear that more than just cars get access to West Yellowstone along this unofficial route.
Ada Montague, planner for Gallatin County, takes off running to complete the final stretch of Day 3, ending in West Yellowstone. The entire last leg along Hebgen Lake and bordering Yellowstone National Park is through prime bear and bison habitat. The conflicts that can arise between wildlife and recreationalists is another challegene that needs to be considered. In addition, the final part of the route was entirely along Highway 287. While the shoulder was sufficient for safety, the experience was less than ideal. The thought occured that possibly a trail connection between the Hebgen Lake community and West Yellowstone might be a good idea. However, it could increase the amount of wildlife conflicts.
Kerry White from the Citizens for Balanced Use explains how his trip down the Oil Well Trail went.
Not many people know about recreational pilots. These folks enjoy flying around to remote areas and landing on primitive airstrips. In the clip above Mike points out one such landing strip. While they are a user group that is often overlooked, their participation in parks and trails planning should not be.
Mike explains a little about the history of private public partnerships to resolve user conflicts in the past. At one time, here in the Taylor Fork Drainage, an access dispute on a highly utilized public trail across private land threatened recreational users. While the owners of the Nine Quarter Circle (private land owner) could have easily closed out the public an agreement between the private land owners, Forest Service and user groups created a compromise that maintained recreational trail access for the people of the valley.
Excellent views and access for great hiking, biking, horseback, and motorized use.
Ben Macht the Lead on this leg
Sphinx Mountain in the Madison Range
The ride was not without its obstacles- flat tires, down trees and horse (& elk) hoof potholes for long stretches. The team persevered with their telltale modest cool.
Smiles all around
Updating the blog, sending out news releases, and tracking the route, the team keeps busy as the Grizzly Racing Team makes their big push.The Grizzly Racing Team assesses their upcoming portion of the Challenge. With national racing trophies under their belts, these guys are no strangers to extreme racing conditions.
The Grizzly Racing Team pose for a pic before taking off on their 23 mile, 4,000 vertical foot ascent and descent into South Taylor Fork. The group anticipates a four hour trip. With still 65 miles to travel through rugged back country to get to West Yellowstone time will be tight. Let's hope all goes well! 
The runners make it to Ousel Falls where they are greeted with coffee and snacks provided by the Big Sky Community Corporation Trails Committee. The Big Sky Community Corporation is a non-profit whose efforts have been critical in creating the amazing trails and parks in the Big Sky area. It's thanks to coordinated, citizen-initiated volunteer efforts like these that make the dream of trails a reality.
Playing in Big Sky is easy with its large variety of trails. In an effort to make the trail system more accessible and to inform visitors, the Big Sky Community Corporation has put together a local trails map, shown above. Here Steve Johnson, from the Big Sky Community Corporation Trails Committee, points out where the Community Park is located.
Day 3 of the Challenge starts bright and early at the Big Sky Community Park where Sanderson Stewart steps up to sponsor the run to Ousel Falls. Wendy Weaver, a local long-distance runner joins the team in the above clip. Other locals involved include John Amsden, owner of Pub 317. The run is made easy with a great paved and natural fines trail along the road all the way to the park.
After a long day of bouncing around the county, the group is treated to a beer at the Lone Peak Brewery by Carol Collins. Morning Owl played as Mike concluded that, yes, all trails indeed must end somewhere. More tomorrow....
A member of the Bozeman Master's Velo Cycling Team and another volunteer brought the Challenge into Four Corners. The two, both over 50, made the hilly, ~16 mile treck in just over an hour! The section was not without excitement and its own set of obstacles. Mike explains a little more about the specific needs of this increasingly popular sport.
The GallEP group lives up to its name giving their horses their head and cruising along the Madison River Road in the road right of way. While their trusty steeds did cover 18 miles in four hours, they did not quite make it to the Black's Ford Fishing Access in time to meet the road bike race team from Bozeman Master's Velo. The support vehicles collected the weary travlers and delivered them to a dip in the Madison River while transitioning to the bike section.
While traveling along Madison River Road the horseback group encountered deer flies, hot sunny conditions and a lack of access to the Madison River on state lands. Mike explains a little more in the above video clip.
The Headwaters Trail goes from Three Forks to the Headwaters State Park. It is a prime example of a successful collaborative effort Federal, State, County and local government to construct a multi-use trail that accommodates the concepts of both recreation and transportation.
Leaving Three Forks this morning, the group of riders from GallEP learns getting around on a horse even on a trail can present its own set of challenges.
Canada Thistle, a noxious weed in Montana, seen here en route to Belgrade near a new subdivision. Integrated Weed Management (IWM), which uses all appropriate methods to contain, suppress, and/or eradicate weeds has been shown to be the best method of weed control. Below, Three Forks Mayor Gene Townsend further explains how multiple avenues are necessary to tackle the issue of weeds in trail maintenance.
