RE: Climbing a mountain before breakfast…
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Cycling trips can be hard, I imagine even more so doing them solo.
The worst day I ever had cycling had to do with a mountain climb too. After getting lost in the mountains (no phone service = no GPS), a friend and I spent hours cycling. Finally we came upon a sign showing the distance to our location and it was like 140 km away still.
Eventually our plan was to cross the mountains in the middle of Japan, and at that moment, the other destination on the sign was across the mountains and the same distance, so we decided to get the mountain crossing over with.
It rained all day and we had a head wind. The ascent was endless. We were pedaling, but at times, it seriously felt like we weren’t moving at all. It was absolutely brutal, both physically and mentally.
As we got closer to dusk, we began to worry about running out of light and having to stay overnight in the mountains and in the rain. Had it only been 4 degrees, like it was for you, we would have really been in trouble.
Finally, though, we did reach the top. And then we had this incredibly beautiful and relaxing descent that went on and on for probably 30 kilometers or more, right down to the ocean.
Was it worth the struggle? I don’t know, but without the struggle, we wouldn’t have gotten to the point where we were able to have such an incredible experience.
That sounds awful and like a very exciting experience! Especially when it all comes together, 140km by themselves would be already a mission, and then life adds up mountains and rain... and only a limited amount of energy and daylight. Do you go for cycling trips from time to time?
That's what I wonder too, each time. And then I see how it slowly changes me, my mind, how I think or how I take things in life and then I feel like, yes, it is definitely worth the struggle, in the long run!
Years ago, I used to talk day trips, but I’ve only ever done one extended long-distance trip. To say it was an adventure is an understatement.
I put a flimsy rack over my back tire and tied a mountain climbing backpack to it and left without even knowing how to change a tire. 🤣
After the third day, I ended up in the hospital with heat stroke, and on day five I rode another 140 kilometers and then climbed a small mountain (on foot) at the destination because my friend and I arrived 10 minutes after the cable car shut down for the night.
It was wild, but well worth it. I definitely hope to do it again in the future.
That's the kind of stories I want to talk about to people!!😂 Or thats the people I want around me, that are able to tell stories like that. Either way that:
...sums it up pretty well.
They may well be all around you. If you met me, you probably wouldn’t think I have stories like that to tell just by looking at me.
Starting families (read as having kids) means that a lot of things change. 😊
Before having kids, I dreamed of continuing to have adventures like that and to do so with a family, but I haven’t yet figured it out. When you have to account for your spouse’s likes and dislikes, and the personalities of your children (which you don’t get to pick), it can feel pretty complicated. I say feel, because this might just be an issue I have. Maybe doing so is easier than I think.
A good reminder not to judge too much from the looks:)
Hmm yes, that is something, that would go together in my life, (in my head, so far) then on the other side it is already quite hard to do even when you only have to consider yourself...
It probably feels easier after you have done it? And I bet that it would definitely take some time to figure it out. On the other side a family is quite another adventure of life all together, I imagine?