Day 13 - Holy Hill

Day 13 - Sula, MT to Jackson, MT - 68 miles - 3461 ft of elevation gain

Last night we cooked by the fire pit and had a delicious meal of steaks and chicken, corn on the cob, and potatoes. This morning we headed back into the kitchen in my cabin and I made a frittata (the boy’s were like a what?), some fried potatoes, omelettes, and some frosted mini wheats that I hand spun (a joke of course). It was a crowded and cozy breakfast, but oh so good!

Right out of the gate we started a 13.7 miles ascent over Lost Trail Pass. It was a steady climb that wrapped around the mountains. My Hammerhead Karoo (bike computer) said it was in the mid-60s, but I was sweating like it was 90. I had the idea to do a staggered start for the hill climb. Group one left around 8:45am and the second group at 9:15am. I was part of the first group, as my short person wheels are smaller than everyone else’s which means more revolutions needed to go anywhere.

Once at the almost top, we refueled took some pictures and then continued on for the next mile left of the climb. We took a group picture to commemorate the moment (no real sign saying you’re at the top). We did touch the Idaho border again, but turned towards Wisdom, Mt. The descent was a nice fast roll, with a few bumps in the road that made me hit the brakes twice. I reached just over 40 mph, not the group record.

For the rest of the ride we were surrounded by mountains. Snow capped and rolling hills, with cattle farms dotted along the way. The heat and the climb started to get to me towards the end, my legs were threatening to revolt with a charley horse. We stopped with about 10 miles to go and I stretched them out. Thankfully there was no revolt!!

We are staying in Jackson, MT at the Jackson Hot Springs Lodge, where guess what? There is a hot springs pool! Like a huge pool of hot water! We all took our turn wincing as we lowered into the 100 degree water. My muscles were so happy with the hot water.

This lodge opened just for our group. They are normally closed on Tuesdays. So we are dining across the street. The owner told me at the cantina that he’s running out of food. Don’t tell the boys 😉!