Climbed a mountain yesterday...by accident!

[Melalvai]

oh, Sorry, i didn't know you hated hills. with me it's a love hate relationship. I hate them until i do them, then I love them, but the next time I see them, I hate them again.

Hills are like babies. A downhill is a sleeping baby. An uphill is a crying baby. I love a baby most when she is sleeping, and even more when she is crying.

[firenze11]

Yay! What an awesome accomplishment. A mountain! Awesome! It's funny how you can just kinda stumble into great adventures. There was a quote about this on a Starbucks (fourbucks as they call it up here ) cup. Basically it said that real adventures never start when you think you're going to have one, the just unfold themselves. I didn't really get it at the time. I thought, of course you can start out on an adventure and have one. Then I stumbled into my own bike adventure a few weeks ago and it changed my mind. The best adventures just happen.

But it wasn't a mountain!! Wheew, great job!

[KathiCville]

Thanks, everybody, for the congrats!! LOL, I can't picture tackling that stretch THREE times in rapid succession, but I *do* look forward to giving it a whirl again in a few weeks or months to see if I can make it to the top without stopping next time.........I'm now scouting out topo maps for Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway so I can, yikes!, actually PLAN my mountain-tackling adventures in the future!

[RoadRaven]

Well... from a tortoise on hills... well done all of you who embrace them...

I seek them out, I do reps on them, but I cannot say I love them, enjoy them, or look forward to them.

I like the fact I have completed my reps and that tomorrow will be a rest from hills...

[Starfish]

THREE REPEATS?! COME ON!!

Hey, I know from being intimidated by hills.

All I'm saying, is if I can go from 4 years ago being thrilled to finish 10 pancake flat miles on the Burke Gilman Trail, to planning on 16,000 feet of climbing next August in the Shasta Super Century...I'm just saying climbing can be addictive and you can really surprise yourself if you keep at it.

Actually, this thread really reminded me of my own experience with the 5 mile stretch on Hurricane Ridge road from the visitor's center up to the Heart of the Hills station. The first time, I got maybe 1 mile up. Then, it was a red letter day when I finally made it all the way, but with lots of stops, gasping, red as a beet with legs of jelly. Amazingly, I can now do repeats on that section of road, after going to the top of the Ridge first. If you had told me that even a year ago, I would have died laughing at you.

I mean this as total encouragement. I am overweight and slow, but it is amazing what can happen. If I can do my hill, she can definitely work up to repeats of hers! (If she wants, and if it even matters to her...we're all different).

[Scarlet]

Great reading this and I was with you all the way (from the top to the bottom) I hate the hill on the climb and love it on the way down


Scarlet
x

[sgtiger]

Congratulations CathiCville! That sounds like an awesome ride. Sometimes the best things happen unplanned.

[KathiCville]

Wow, Starfish! 16,000 feet of climbing! I confess that I can't imagine doing that, BUT on the other hand, a year ago, if you'd asked me if I would ever be on a bike on Skyline Drive in early December, I probably would have hooted with laughter!..........

My cycling BF, who is proud as can be of my little accidental "mountain" adventure, keeps telling me that by next summer I'll be right back up to where I was in my late 20s, early 30s---pretty comfortable doing 30-40 mile rides (note, rides, not races!), on rolling roads. (I'm turning 50 in April.) Anything more in terms of length or difficulty will be sweet icing on the (birthday) cake!

As I was looking up at that (to me) daunting stretch on Saturday, I was definitely grateful that I'd pushed myself recently to do a little bit of "hill work" at one of our local parks. Just a stretch that is at most a 1/2 mile long, but steep enough at the mid-point that I really have to hang on to make it from bottom to top. (At which point, I'm always saying to myself: "WHAT was I thinking???" or "Whose bright idea was THIS?")........If I hadn't enjoyed the "success" of that small climb a half dozen times or so, I almost certainly would have wussed out on even trying the climb on Saturday. So, the lesson is that every little bit of positive experience DOES count in fueling the "Hmm, let's give a shot! What have I got to lose?" mindset.

Now, if I can just get my 50-year old buns and my new Terry saddle to make friends!

[Starfish]

If I hadn't enjoyed the "success" of that small climb a half dozen times or so, I almost certainly would have wussed out on even trying the climb on Saturday. So, the lesson is that every little bit of positive experience DOES count in fueling the "Hmm, let's give a shot! What have I got to lose?" mindset.

Now, if I can just get my 50-year old buns and my new Terry saddle to make friends!

You are so right. Take enough baby steps, and keep on taking 'em, and you will surprise yourself. You only have a very small handful of years on me, and before I started riding my bike, I had not ever ridden as an adult. Not since I was a child, under 10yo. I hear you about the saddle, too!!

I love your enthusiasm. It is going to be great fun hearing from you as you keep on having fun and surprising yourself.

[IFjane]

As I was looking up at that (to me) daunting stretch on Saturday

Kathi, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I know those hills intimately and hate them every time I climb them. What an awesome accomplishment! Not only were you climbing big hills, but you were climbing them on the TOP of the mountains - where it is decidedly colder than down at the bottom in town. Keep it up - we'll plan a ride up there in the spring and I will whine every pedal stroke of the way with you.

[IFjane]

Oh yeah - what overlook did you start from? Did you climb up to Big Meadows?

[KathiCville]

Hi Jane! Welcome home!.....I entered the Park at Afton (Milepost 105), parked at Beagle Gap Overlook, mile 99.8, just north of Milepost 100, and headed north. Gentle downhill for first four miles. I think it was Sawmill Run Overlook, at around 95.3, where the climb started. According to the sign at the overlook the elevation is 2190'. I hit the top somewhere between Wildcat Ridge parking lot and the Crimora Lake overlook, where the elevation is just shy of 3000'. Once I hit the top (whew!), I kept going for almost two more miles--the stretch was relatively "level" there. (Emphasis on "relative".....) I turned back when the Drive was about to take a huge dip again---I think the spot was just beyond Riprap Overlook at 91.4.

When I got back to where I'd parked my truck, I actually went past the spot for just a little bit going south, because I thought mayyyyybe I could hit 20mi for the day. But between fatique, dropping temps, impending sunset, not to mention hints of a wicked downhill stretch that I was going to have to climb to get back to where I had parked, I cheerfully and contentedly tossed in the towel at that point.

I should have mentioned that part of the reward of that terrific ride was driving back down the Parkway five miles to the exit, thoroughly enjoying a beautiful Valley sunset from the comfort of my cozy, WARM truck, LOL!!! Gorgeous!

[IFjane]

Thank you Kathi!

I realized after I posted on Thursday that you would not have climbed to Big Meadows because you would have started from Rockfish Gap (Afton) instead of Swift Run Gap (where Rt. 33 crosses the mountain). DUH!

It sounds like a wonderful ride and I hope to be able to do it with you soon.

[Kristi]

Good for you for sticking it out and not being to scared to take it on.
I must say, I haven't mastered the hill thing yet, but you give me inspiration to try and take one on.

Any pointers with the gears?

I see many more accomplishments like this in your future.
YEY YOU!!!

[KathiCville]

Hi Kristi......Happy Holidays! Thanks for the congrats on my little adventure. I wish I could tell you that I was doing magical things with my gears as I climbed, but the truth is I was just hanging on in my small ring and next to lowest gear, LOL!

If you search around here on TE you'll find some very wise advice about gears from more serious, experienced riders. I know that Starfish is training for a very hilly century next summer, so some of her posts/threads might be really useful reading.

One thing I have started working on since that ride is learning to "spin" at a higher rate (cadence). I swapped out my original Cateye computer for one with a cadence monitor. I'm working on keeping my cadence in the 75-85 pedal strokes per min. range, by switching gears as needed to maintain the rate. (Except on big hills, where dropping down to about 3/4's of normal rate---60---is apparently fine. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.....) At first, it felt strange to be pedaling so much faster than I'm used to (and with less apparent effort), but it's starting to feel "normal" as I get better at matching the @80 cadence with a gear that feels "right." Not too easy, not too hard. So far, in general terms, spinning at the higher cadence *does* seem to make my rides overall less tiring. By spring I hope the higher cadence will feel so natural I won't have to think about it any more.

Good luck! Lots of great stuff to learn here on TE!