Day 3 - Placerville, CA to Woodfords, CA

51.5 miles / Day 3 of 54 / Placerville, CA to Woodfords, CA

We woke up rested (we got to sleep on beds! - Thank you David and Pam) and departed on full stomachs (Thank you David and Pam).

Packing up the gear at the beginning of the Mormon Emigrant Trail that goes through the Sierra Mountains in California.

Our route called for us to head south to Somerset and then cut back east to meet up with Highway 88 through the California Mountains.Thanks to a few locals at the Raeley's Grocery Store - we diverted off of our maps and cut due east. Our new route had us going on 31 miles of the Mormon Emigrant Trail through El Dorado National Forest. The trail led through the heart of the Sierra's and climbed 4000 feet (!) in 30 miles. And our new route was completely unsupported, not even one water spigot on the route.

Lesson #12: It's never about how many miles you have to pedal.
It's about how many feet you have to climb because of the elevation.

Climbing. Just keep swimming.

David very nicely dropped us off at the head of the trail and we packed up our bikes and started climbing up. Straight up. As we labored through and went 5 mphs uphill on our bikes for 30 miles I was stuck thinking about David. He was nothing but kind and giving. He opened up his house for us, provided us beds / showers, and gave us a great breakfast. David said a nice prayer for us before he left the head of the trail. Not being the most religious person I found great comfort and calm in his prayer that wished us safe travels and encounters with kind people along the way.

We wanted this view to last longer so we took a picture.

Lesson #13: The most important thing is how we treat each other as people.

From a young age I've watched a lot of people including myself get caught up in the nitty gritty specifics of our religious beliefs. David didn't have to tell us what he believed. He showed us. He believed in being kind. He believed in helping others. He believed in being a loving father and spouse. Thank you for being a great role model for us David.

The climb was worth it.

It took us 9 hours to bike 41 miles (including stops and lunch) to go from 2,000 feet above sea level to Carson's pass at 8,500 feet. It took us 45 minutes to ride 10 miles down the other side of the mountain pass. We we're flying. Our sweat dried as we bombed hill after hill. That last 10 miles was better than any shower I've ever had. We went from spending a full day going 5 mph to flying down hills, trees wooshing by with snow capped mountains in the background at over 30 mph.

Started the day a little of 2,000 feet in elevation.

Today was our toughest day yet. We set up camp behind a secluded bluff in a mountain valley.

Lesson #14: Sleep is everything. Go to bed early. In the city I am distracted and resist sleep. Our here I have not distractions. Sleep is wonderful.

Thank you to David for dropping us off at the head of the trail today.

Thank you to our three new friends we met 2/3 through the Mormon Trail, you guys were great inspiration. We didn't want to go any farther. Thanks for distracting us.

I'll climb for days if it means I can grown a mustache like our dude in orange here.