Climb Every Mountain

I bicycled to the top of Hoosier Pass (11,539 ft) today. My mountain legs and lungs are finally kicking back in today after climbing three of the four mountain passes surrounding Frisco. I gained about 3,000 feet of elevation today. Once again I really struggled the last four miles, stopping twice per mile to get my heart rate down to a reasonable level. These mountain roads always seem to get steeper as you approach the summit. I rode in granny gear (the lowest gear combination on the bike, smallest chain ring on the front and the largest gear on back, almost a one to one ratio) for most of the 10 mile climb from Breckenridge to Hoosier Pass. Progress on these climbs is really not best measured in miles but in elevation. The miles tick by so slowly while climbing. I watch the elevation more than the miles knowing I won’t be done until I reach the elevation of the summit. Steep switchbacks signaled that I was getting close to the summit. Finally seeing the familiar Continental Divide sign felt wonderful. I remembered a quote when I reached the top of the pass, “I don’t stop when I’m tired, I stop when I’m done.”

I did not get passed by any cyclists today. Well, I was the only cyclist. I shared the road with many vehicles, especially a lot of trucks. Breckenridge is sprawling to the south of town where I rode today. Breckenridge is also sprawling to the north. I wonder if someday Breckenridge and Frisco might join together. The development is sad. People come here for the quiet peaceful forests and mountains. Eventually the reason people came here in the first place for disappears. Back in 2007, I traveled into this area from the south, coming up over the other side of Hoosier Pass from South Park. Yes, South Park, the fictional town in the cartoon is named after that town. We then came back down from the summit into Breckenridge. I remember the ride being very fast with very few vehicles. Then we cycled past Frisco on our way to Winter Park via Loveland and Berthoud Passes. On the way to Frisco that day in 2007 there were very few vehicles. Today there was a constant stream of vehicles between Breckenridge and Frisco. I know you can’t stop “progress” in areas like this. The United States is fortunate to have so many National Parks, National Forests, and protected wilderness areas.