Mountain Magic

"The best dreams happen when you're awake...at 4:00 in the morning." -Maura Moloney 

I've really had to wrap my mind the last two days before I could blog about it. These past two days have been amazing...my favorite of the trip. On May 30th we woke up at 5:00 am in waynesville and began the process of heading to Tennessee. I am on trailer crew this week, so we creatively used our bike lights in the dark to pack up trailer moon. We all ate a quick breakfast and started heading up the mountain. I rode with Nyx, one of our team leaders. This was such a cool experience getting to know Nyx (who also shares my obsession with owls) and riding UP the blue ridge parkway. This ride was so scenic and literally the beauty of the parkway is indescribable unless you've experienced it yourself. It's different than seeing the parkway by car, which I've done a million times. Everything was moving so much slower (reallyyyy slow sine we were climbing.) I have never appreciated simple things in nature like I have during this trip. The sky is so magnificent and the trees are so lusciously green. It seems so small, but when you're climbing a mountain on your bike, it's so beautiful. Everything in nature has a meaning. I felt so close God during this ride and I could feel his presence all in my surroundings. 

The descent off of the mountain was hands down one of the best feelings I've ever had. When I was flying down the mountain at 30 mph I felt so free. 

After lunch, Nyx and I headed up another mountain towards Tennessee. This climb was the MOST intense climb I've ever done. It was straight uphill. We climbed for hours. Something really neat about this was that a butterfly followed us for hours. I felt like that butterfly was a good omen for us. 

When we reached the top, we were soooo happy and not to mention, ready to get down the mountain. The rain was coming in, so we made the decision to descent as safely and quickly as possible. For those who don't know, descending in the rain on a bike is very sketchy. Tennessee greeted us with rough roads, crazy drivers, rain, and bright lights of Gaitlinburg. It was super strange to be in nature ALL day long and fly off the mountain into Gaitlinburg. Gaitlinburg is like a giant state fair all the time. 

We had a lot going on after our 7,664 foot climb and had no dinner planned. It was really cool to see my team pull together and DM dinner from various places all over Gaitlinburg. What started out as nothing, became a gigantic feast and everyone was full. Thirty-one tired individuals came together to cook, call restaurants, and share positivity. It was really neat. 

The next day was also a 5:00 am wake up and we headed to Maryville. I rode with two guys, hunter and Evan. As were riding along, climbing hills, a group flags is down. We had gone 11 miles the wrong way! We stayed in constant contact with our leaders and waited for a reroute. 

Despite a frustrating situation, the team came together again. We headed back to Gaitlinburg to get our new cue sheets. The mileage had been changed to 41 and I felt like since I'd already done 22, I could definitely do this. The Tennessee back roads were gorgeous and the new route took us through some really neat areas. 

After bonking, which includes delirium and a lot of laughter, and a lot of chalking, we made it to the host! Yay! 

Now I am in Maryville with a day off. We are cycling the next seven days straight. I am nervous, but I have also learned on this trip that I can do anything. I love this team. They are such a positive group of people and I'm excited to ride with them through Tennessee. Here's to the next week of adventures... 

Xoxo

Try not to judge people at first glance. You never know what you're going to get. Keep an open mind and learn to embrace people. There's a reason for their presence in your life.