Ran The Beaten Path trail from the Cooke City side to East Rosebud on Saturday August 8, 2020. My wife did the trail the other direction and we did a car swap. I left Bozeman, driving, at 4:30 am, got to the trailhead at 7 then started running around 7:30. After seeing the packed parking lot, I left my bear spray in the car and took two full bottles and 12 gels.
The weather was perfect. Clear and cool at the start, trail conditions were dry and creek crossings easy. Lots of friendly folks on the trail. Having lived in Montana for 25+ years, of course I saw about 10 people I knew during the run and had brief chats with each one. I crossed paths with my wife below Fossil Lake and we talked for about 5 minutes. I stopped once for water, but made the mistake of experimenting with iodine and could not choke it down. I could have used more water, but I was fine.
All in all, a super fun and beautiful day on a wild and iconic trail.