Why I like to ride my bike up mountains!

I can’t tell you why other people like to climb but I will tell you why I like to climb on my bike.
I actually like to climb mountains in all ways - hike, rock climb, train run.  Climbing to the top of a mountain on a bike versus just hiking up somehow is special.  You and your bike must work together.  I am always grateful for my bike when I get to the top.  That and to get off my bike and appreciate the view.  When you are at the top, you can say, “I came from down there?”  When you are the bottom, you can say, “I am going up there?”
Hills and mountains add variety and intensity - they are like truth - you are laid bare - you can’t fake anything on the mountain.  You either have trained, are lean and are ready to go, or you aren’t.  And Mt. Washington is the most unforgiving of all.  Many people quit in the first mile.
Riding your bike up a mountain is just hard - and being a good descender takes some skill and some courage.  There is an incredible sense of accomplishment when you reach the top of a mountain.  And then there is the view.  It is a kin to flying - when you look out, you feel a sense of freedom of mind.
The actual climbing - there is a rhythm to it.  There is some pain - or discomfort so it takes mental and physical toughness and focus.  There isn’t necessarily speed, depending on the steepness of the mountain but it is amazing how fast 9 mph can feel after going 4 mph for quite some time, if you hit a less steep part.  When you are riding up and you look out and can see for miles, you do feel like you are soaring.
I love the rhythm and the sense of accomplishment that I feel when I have been able to push past the pain, focus on my breath and squeeze as much speed as I can out of my body to ascend to the heights of a mountain.
My favorite hill climb of all is Mt. Graham in Arizona.  On the way back down, after several hours climbing from 70 degrees to snow (which was amazing in and of itself) and from the back of the mountain to the front of the mountain, we came back down - no cars - whole road to ourselves and got to fly down these amazing switchbacks.  At one point we stopped and looked down the mountain and could see the road we were going down snaking down the hill like some tweaked sports car add, except it wasn’t an ad and we were just as fast on our bikes as a car would be.
If you read the book we have about hill climbs, the author (who escapes me at the moment) says he just doesn’t consider it a bike ride unless it has a hill in it.  I used to hate hills because they beat me down every time.  Now I am stronger and smarter (I use the right gearing, now matter how big it needs to be to get me to the top) and have figured out how to relax even when it is tough going, so I know I can climb anything.  Anytime.
I love knowing that.
If you want to climb something local that will give you a good idea of what a thrill hill climbing can be, go climb to High Point State Park from the back (north side up).  Better yet, send out an invite and we will all go with you!
Jennisse