2014_01_01 New Year's Day At "The Climb"

Author:  Mike Hassur

 

Happy New Year to all of our blog readers!!  The weather forecast for today (New Year’s Day) predicted a high around 46 degrees (F) and little to no rain.

Our intrepid group arrived at The Climb at about 9:15 AM.  The group included Leon, Kurt, Nick, Rob, Mark, and me.  The temperature at the base of The Climb was around 35 degrees (F), and the roads were slightly damp.  Nick arrived early and drove his car to the top – tapping his brakes as he went to see if there were any slick spots.  Thankfully, everything seemed fine.

View from near the top of "The Climb"

In Puyallup, it was a gray and dreary morning.  At the base of The Climb things had brightened considerably, and you could tell that it was even clearer up toward the top.  Our group headed up the mountain together (I was lagging due to a rear wheel issue that got fixed but made me a “loner” on that first time up  - at least most of the way as Leon was kind enough to circle back to escort me for the final 2k).  It was cold, but the climbing made it comfortable.   As we got closer to the top, we got above the clouds/fog, and the view was spectacular with patches of sunshine and low clouds filling the valley below.  Heading down was cold, but we were dressed for it, and we survived pretty well. 
Thankfully, the road was not slippery.



The longer we were there, the warmer it got so that it was in the low 40’s by the time we were ready to leave.  That may sound cold, but it felt pretty “comfy”.  We got in 3000 to 4000 feet of climbing and A LOT OF VISITING.  I suspect that we got more of an aerobic workout from the chatting than the climbing!!

Looking forward to our next opportunity to ride together.

Best wishes to all.