Hopkins 4K for Cancer

July 24, 2006

Yosemite, CA
66 miles

I started today a little nervous. We knew that the first part of the day was pretty easy but then ended with an 11 mile climb up Tioga Pass into our campsite in Yosemite. The climb would take us to an elevation of 9935 feet. I was nervous because my riding buddy, Kaylin, was feeling under the weather and decided to ride in the van for the first part of the day. She hoped to feel better by the time we reached the foot of Tioga Pass. I guess I felt a little bit like a kid who goes for a sleepover without her baby blanket. No comfort zone.

But I started the day riding with Joe. We saw an awesome rattlesnake on the road and stopped to take pictures/video footage of it slithering around. I was feeling bold and threw handfuls of pebbles at it so that Joe could get the rattling sound on his camera. In retrospect that probably wasn’t a good idea. We then continued on in the heat. We were surrounded by red rock, dry and barren dirt. The bushes were pathetic and shriveled. There were a few painful climbs when I had to tell Joe to stop riding with me and let me go at my own pace. He apparently likes company and I don’t; everyone copes and struggles in their own way. By the time we arrived at Fumi’s water stop at the top of a hill, we could see stunning views of Yosemite and the mountains ahead.

The ride from the water stop to lunch was incredible! Our surroundings suddenly changed and we were cruising downhill through tall pines trees and stretches of road that smelled misty, leafy, earthy and green. There was grass all around us and an enormous lake where tourists stopped for photos. We could see areas that had been afflicted with forest fires, but for the most part, we had emerged from the painful desert into lush tall woods.

All the 4kers met at lunch at the foot of Tioga Pass. We spent nearly two hours relaxing at the luxury Mobile gas station. You may wonder how a Mobil gas station can be “luxury”, but when there are steak fajitas, grilled salmon and herb roasted chicken salads prepared on-the-spot, you would call it gourmet too. We sat at shaded picnic tables and waited for the other riders. In shifts we set off for Tioga Pass – 11 miles – uphill. I made Joe leave without me, and by then my “baby blanket” was back on the road. Kaylin and I set out feeling well fed and relaxed and ready to conquer the Pass.

It was very slow moving up that Pass. After the devastating effects of singing (overly emotional) songs to myself riding into Cedar City, I decided to count myself up the hill instead. Rhythmically and very slowly I counted to 4 and started again with each pedal stroke. We stopped often for pictures of breathtaking views. We cheered on riders behind us. On the way up we ran into Raffi, riding back down the hill to do it again. We read up on the history of Tioga Pass, the highest, longest paved road in California. And we took pictures at the summit sign.

There is nothing like a downhill after a mountain climb. It’s funny how a few moments of chilly downhill breeze can make the pain and agony of hours of uphill go away. Within minutes we were downhill at our campsite and the sweaty, hot, breathless climbing was quickly forgotten. I thought about my friend Rachel today who is going to begin high-dose chemo for her Hodgkins Disease. I am hoping that her recovery will feel like the invigorating downhill, though the treatment will be a long painful uphill. I hope she experiences eternal bliss after so much fighting.

-Nicole