Grind up Humboldt Mountain

I've never done this, but I've seen others do it in my Strava feed, so I figured it would be a great training ride. I was a little bit apprehensive about it; I just wasn't sure how my legs would be doing the day after a Friday commute. I know I need to get used to putting in good efforts on consecutive days, so I just had to go for it.

I committed to it and roped my buddy Marcus into driving to meet me and make the climb.

We started from the intersection of  Cave Creek and Pima and began the grind up Cave Creek which turns into Seven Springs Rd. It was a rude start to the day to be sure. It's not a steep climb but it is consistent. There are a few steep punchy climbs and descents to break up the monotony of the road grind. Marcus had to stop and stretch out and I slowed down and held up for him.

This is a true grinding training ride. No sweet singletrack... just roads and dirt roads and then a service road to the top. Having never done the route, we were trying to figure out which mountain we were going to the top of. Eventually, we saw a mountain way off in the distance with a bunch of towers/communication equipment on the top. It looked daunting to me to be honest. It felt like forever away. Keep grinding.

We ended up going through some really nice areas - neither of us had ever been back here via any means of transportation so it was cool to check out a new to us part of the state. I will take my truck back there and scope some stuff out for sure. Anyway, we kept grinding away and the towers would come in and out of our view.

We finally got to the service road 562 which heads UP UP UP. I knew it was going to be steep based on the elevation profile, and it was. It's cool though because the traction is abundant due to the asphalt surface. Just pedal and pedal and try not to blow up.

It took about 50 minutes to get to the top once we started. I was just concentrating on keeping my breathing in check and not let my heart explode. I did a good job of that actually. I ended up stopping to rest/wait for Marcus a few times. On my last stop, I was taking some pictures and Marcus said something and then kept going without stopping. He got a decent lead on me, but I was able to catch up to him on the final approach and then we were there. We were treated to absolutely stunning views of Horseshoe and Bartlett lake, plus an amazing expanse of mountains all around. We also rode into a cloud at the top - we were above them. Pretty cool.

We hung out at the top for a bit, but it was honestly getting chilly and we knew we were gonna get colder on the descent. Marcus led the way and flew down. I played it a bit safer as there are quite a few potholes on the way down, plus that's just how I roll anyway.

We got back down to the main road and began the return back to our vehicles. We thought it was mostly downhill, but man there were a steep couple of climbs that we had to fight to get over. The final return on the road was fast on the final down hill. I just couldn't catch Marcus. I was spun out on my 32 chainring. Marcus has a 34 so that explains that.

I know I mentioned I want to try to hit this every weekend, but now after doing it I'm not sure I can. It's a big time commitment with the drive, and it's also a big effort to try to do every week. I will try to get out regularly though.