This was my third ride with the group and my first trip into the mountains. To say I was excited was would be an understatement; I literally couldn’t sleep the night before and when my alarm woke me up at 4:00 am I almost ran out of the house.
The trip up white pass was really nice. I spent most of the time catching up with Aaron, Les and Dwaine. The conversations took me right up the mountain and before I knew it we were at the top. When we reached the top and I saw the sign reading “Entering Yakima County”, it struck me that I had just climbed my fist mountain pass. I was really excited by this but I had to play it cool because I was surrounded by such accomplished cyclists.
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| Our group ascending White Pass... |
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| Photo next to the White Pass Ski Lodge... |
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| Les and Adam... |
While I was feeling great about climbing my first mountain pass, I knew the descent was coming up next. As a newer rider I face every descent with a mix of excitement and fear. The latter of which was only intensified when Mike reminded us of the need to be careful. I started the descent near the back in the group watching the others and gathering my confidence. I quickly became comfortable and moved to a spot behind Aaron and Dwaine; those guys can absolutely fly. That descent was really fun!
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| On our way back to the vehicles to restock after climbing White Pass... |
The trip to Paradise started much the same as the trip up White Pass. I spent most of the first climb getting to know Mario. However things changed as we crested Backbone Ridge. Once again I found myself on a descent behind Aaron and Dwaine but this time I tried to hold on. That was really fun but once we got to the bottom Arron didn’t slow down. I found myself breathing hard and just trying to hold the wheel that was in front of me.
Eventually Aaron relented and I found myself out front as we started up Steven’s Canyon. I got into a zone on that climb and quickly found myself alone in the front. That climb is absolutely beautiful. At several points on the way up I wanted to stop to take a look. As we reached the beginning of the switchbacks, Les, Aaron, and Dwaine caught me. I’ve noticed they have a way of sneaking up on me when I’ve been out front for a while. Then I was reminded how strong these guys are when Dwaine took off at the turn on the switch back. Les looked at me and said "go catch him" and thought to myself yeah right. At the top of the switch back we reached Reflection Lake and I was ready for a break.
While resting and refueling at Reflection Lake I made the decision that I wasn’t going to have enough time to complete the third climb of the day. So when the group started the final climb to Paradise I took a spot at the front with Mario. I was happy to let him lead us through some unexpected construction zones that had left the roads covered with gravel. But when we got to the intersection with Longmire road and I knew we had just a mile to Paradise I decided to give it one last push for the day.
As I approached Paradise I noticed some strange looks from people getting out of their cars. I’m not sure if these looks were due to my Lycra clad appearance or in recognition of the fact that I had just ridden up the same mountain that they had driven. Either way they only added to my sense of accomplishment for having just completed the climb.
Our stay at Paradise was nice and despite the clouds the parking lots were full and there were lots of people enjoying their day on the mountain. I’m always surprised by the number of international travelers that make the trip to Paradise. It’s a good reminder of how lucky we are to have such an amazing park just hours from our homes. While at Paradise the group took a few minutes to fill our water bottles, refuel, and take a few pictures before heading back down the mountain.
The descent from Paradise was amazing. I’ve never experienced anything like it before. Once again Dwaine and Arron were out front and I tucked in behind Mike and we flew down the mountain. It was pretty cool to watch those guys descend. I’ve learned a lot by watching the way they pick their lines through the corners and open it up on the straight aways. I even saw a few bunny hops over drainage grates while going down Stevens Canyon at 30 + MPH.
The final up and down over Backbone Ridge flew by as I was still energized by the descent from Paradise. We got to our vehicles and I headed home as Mike, Les, Dwaine and Mario prepared to climb Cayuse Pass. While I wished I had more time to finish the ride I was pleased with what I had already accomplished. This was my first ride in the mountains and I can see what keeps the group coming back.
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