The Passes of Washington State

For the sake of my archive, this is what we've climbed over the past five days:

8/17 - Flowery Trail Pass - 4,046 ft - 2,000' up, 2,500' down

8/18 - Sherman Pass - 5,575 ft - 4,300' up, 2,000' down

8/19 - Wauconda Pass - 4,310 ft - 1,800' up, 3,500' down

8/20 - Loup Loup Pass - 4,020 ft - 3,200' up, 2,400' down

8/21 - Washington Pass - 5,477 ft - 3,300' up...

8/21 - Rainy Pass - 4,875 ft - 6 miles from Washington Pass - 4,600' down

**NOTE: Anson observed it was 41 degrees at the top of Washington Pass, and 43 degrees at the top of Rainy Pass at the time we arrived. We rode through light drizzle, and were thus wet, but later riders found themselves riding through light snow. My toes became numb on the ascent of both, and for the three miles of downhill before climbing to Rainy, my hands became cold and numb almost to the point of not being able to grip my brakes. Other riders were cold to the point of barely being able to speak. Many of us (Anson, Bobby, Isaiah, Ian, and myself) flagged down a passing truck carrying an RV, who let us warm up inside the RV. Though many riders decided to brave another 17 miles of potentially debilitating downhill cold, Sharon, Ian, Isaiah, and I accepted their offer of a ride down the hill to our van. Our bikes were left at the top, and Ian and Isaiah eventually returned to the top (via our van, as it drove to warm up other riders), but I did not want to risk my safety to go down that hill, so I did not complete 17 miles of the ride that day. In fact just the thought of completing that hill was enough to push me to tears. It was not worth it, and others agreed with me. Besides, the climb was what REALLY counted, and I've probably done more than enough extra miles earlier in the trip to make up for what was lost.