{"id":4071,"date":"2014-07-15T19:35:29","date_gmt":"2014-07-15T19:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gonesouthblog.com\/?p=4071"},"modified":"2014-07-15T19:35:29","modified_gmt":"2014-07-15T19:35:29","slug":"neinmeyer-to-featherville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rideeatcamp.local\/neinmeyer-to-featherville\/","title":{"rendered":"Neinmeyer to Featherville"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
As soon as we broke camp at Neinmeyer, a pair of cyclists rolled up to say hi. They had started in McCall and ridden the route clockwise. They warned us that the climb up Galena summit, which we’d be facing in a few days, was rocky and steep and would probably require some hike-a-bike. They however made no mention of the beast we were about to climb that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The first 15 miles of the ride were great. It was cool because we started early, the dirt road was in good condition, and the grade was more-or-less a false flat. Then we turned right onto Pfifer Creek Road. Immediately the grade changed from friendly to spiteful. After about a mile of over 10 percent grades, we had to stop to rest. Our only respite was the cool morning breeze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we continued the grade never relented. According to the Adventure Cycling map, the summit was at around 7200 feet. With every 100 feet of elevation gain displayed on the Garmin, I announced our triumph aloud. 5000 feet! 5100 feet! Only 2000 more feet to go! I tried to remain chipper as Carrie’s mood and left knee were turning sour. At one point we decided to walk our bikes for a bit to give Carrie’s knee a chance to relax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just before we reached the top the grade finally relented. We passed some friendly loggers who gave us some encouraging words and then finally, oh thank heavens, we started the descent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n