Some Like It Steep

So many memories light up on this climb. Low-Key Hillclimbs. Capturing a great photo of a club member who is no longer with us. Racing it. Watching the pros race it. Seeing a brand-new calf.

It's been several years since I last tackled this hill. I stopped, once, to ease my suffering (translation: get my heart rate to drop a few notches). Only four hardy souls joined me, today. We chatted a bit with a ranger stationed in the tiny parking lot at the summit—that's something new (and unusual).

The winding descent down the backside affords a view of the Calaveras Reservoir. There was still some water there. (Some.)

To report that I climbed 2,115 feet over 17 miles doesn't really capture the nature of biking up Sierra Road. Nearly all of that ascent is in a single stretch, less than four miles long.