Santiago Peak - we killed it!

Weather forecast this morning was supposed to be 50% chance of rain. So there was a decent chance ride wasn't going to happen. In fact, the ODC (outdoorsclub riding group) cancelled their ride in the morning. Nino and I didn't fret too much about it, the only thing that was going to stop us this morning was 1) snow or 2) 5 inches of rain. 6:30 a.m. Alarm goes off, not a cloud in sight. These weather people are just so good at their job . We were on the trail by about 7:20, it was long haul, but very clear and beautiful. 13 miles up and then 13 miles down without much undulation. We got to the peak in under three hours. In fact, on the way back down, there was only a single 1/4 mile section where there was any climbing left. Elevation gain was about approx 4500 ft. The peak was about 5700 ft, a whole mile up. I must say that as we got to the top, the air got pretty darn thin. Clouds started coming in quickly as we peaked and the rain came down as we descended. Overall, it was a very cold cold cold ride. Santiago Peak View from Modjeska Peak.

This is the first time I've felt good about my conditioning in three months.