Today we had a early 4:15 wake up in Chewelah where we were staying in a cozy home, so spirits were low when we had to finally leave. With the opportunity to pack most things up the night before because there were no tents, the group rolled out fairly quickly and we were on our way to a market 31 miles away. The ride was scenic with nice views and up close looks at how forest fires rip through large amounts of land far to left of the road. Kettle Falls, WA was our breakfast destination getting there around 7:30 and everyone had lots of food and drinks before we started our mountain pass.
The group spread out a good deal because on pass days many like to do it solo and some leave in a groups of two or three. I left with Wyatt and started up the pass with the others close behind. The pass was not so bad for the first ten miles with amazing views of the mountains near by and about a 3 to 5 percent grade. The grade became much steeper and did not have any slight flats until the top which gave little opportunity to rest. With temperatures rising up to 100 the day became very hard and staying hydrated was tough.
The hills seem to never end but slow and steady we came close to the finish. I ran out of water with 5 miles to go which did not help my case and made it very tough to continue at the same pace I was at before. Seeing many signs around us we spotted one that said “Peak Stop 1/2 mile” leading us to believe that it was the end but it was not, pushing us onward to a steep winding road. About a mile up that road we finally reached the end bringing great relief to the whole group. Most were eager to go down the epic decent. With a 6 percent grade the crew went very quickly down the decent which lasted about 10 miles and at the bottom there was a gas station where everyone got some much needed food and drink. Then we went to a fair ground campsite and relaxed and propped our legs up to drain the lactic acid. A few different groups went to dinner staggering out over the night but everyone was back by 7 at the campsite, setting up tents for the night. With many tired the evening wound down and everyone relaxed and went to sleep early to be prepared for tomorrow’s pass not far up the road.