Manayunk Hill Climb!

[Eden]

Can someone please tell me what happens on a hill like this if you are clipped in (I have SPD's) and you cannot go forward anymore; like it's too steep??

thank you.

If it gets too steep for you to go straight up - "paperboy" - go side to side across and up the hill to cut the grade a bit - like skiing in reverse. If it really does get too steep you can with some practice get out of your pedals and get a foot on the ground without tipping, but if you are wobbly it is likely you will fall... Slippery cleats won't help - recessed mt bike ones are pretty safe.
There's a hill I've been dying to go and try out again over on Vashon Island. A surveyor told us that its 26% and with my old bike it was steep enough that I couldn't keep my front wheel down on the ground and had to stop - I'm thinking my new better fitting bike (I can get over the front of it much better) and improved fitness I'll be able to make it up the thing now.
The hubby and I did some "impossible" hills in the area up above Issaquah yesterday - a coworker of his claimed they were too steep to ride a bike up, so of course we had to go and ride them.... we took pictures to prove it. I'm not sure how steep they were, but they were pretty good ones. Definitely not impossible.