Frosty Wooldridge
BICYCLING THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
A Slice of Heaven, Taste of Hell
“This story runs deeper than an amazing ride down the Continental Divide of the United States. The riders take their courage and faith to new heights as they compare their struggles up 12,000 foot passes to their bedridden friend struggling with cancer for his life. Along the way, you meet John Brown while learning about his bravery. You laugh at their exploits on other world tours with stories told around a campfire. This bicycle adventure offers the best for cyclists and armchair travelers.” Charles Blackmer
“Ever ride a bicycle along a cliff face? Have you sweated your way up a Rocky Mountain pass? Have you rubbed shoulders with Lewis and Clark on their Corps of Discovery 1803 expedition? Did you ever meet the famous mountain man Jim Bridger? Have you set eyes on the Grand Tetons? Watched Old Faithful explode into the sky? How about water falling up? Can you imagine a natural rock bridge 103 yards long? On this ride, you’ll see all these historical figures, natural wonders and much more. This is a funny, compelling ride along the Spine of the Rockies.” Paul Warneke
“This bicycle dream ride carries a bit of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The author mixes hope with adventure, pain with courage and bicycling with mountains. John Brown, a friend left behind to battle cancer, provides guts and heart for his two friends who ride into the teeth of nature’s fury. Along the way, you’ll laugh, cry and gain new appreciations while pondering about the meaning of life. It’s a great read!” Jeff Rockford
Living in Colorado, Frosty Wooldridge is an environmentalist, mountain climber, triathlete, dancer, Scuba diver, skier, writer and photographer. His features articles have appeared in national and international magazines including: BICYCLING, ADVENTURE CYLIST and FREEWHEELING. He is the author of “HANDBOOK FOR TOURING BICYCLISTS”; “STRIKE THREE! TAKE YOUR BASE”; “AN EXTREME ENCOUNTER: ANTARCTICA”; “MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE TO ALASKA”; “BICYCLING AROUND THE WORLD”; “BICYCLING THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE” ; “RAFTING THE ROLLING THUNDER” ; “ARCTIC CIRCLE, NORWAY TO ATHENS, GREECE: BICYCLE ADVENTURE WITHOUT LIMITS” ; “THE NEXT ADDED 100 MILLION AMERICANS” Website: http://www.frostywooldridge.com/
From where we stood astride our bikes, we faced a 4,000-foot climb to the top of 9,400 foot Dunraven Pass. Denis figured three hours. We began in a slight mist which gave way to overcast skies, but no rain. The road led up and up--still further up. We cranked upward at four miles per hour. We gained altitude from 6,000 to 7,000 to 8,000 feet and beyond.
We pedaled through the woods as the road meandered along the side of Washburn Mountain--still moving upward.
"I've just about had all the climbing I can take, Denis," I said
"Keep pedaling forever and you will succeed to the top,” he replied.
At the pass, rain clouds opened up. We descended in a cold monsoon!
"You crazy man," I muttered to myself. "This is miserable. I'm freezing. My glasses are fogged, nearly blinding me, my feet are soaked, my fingers feel like icicles, my butt hurts like my doctor had shot up both my cheeks with penicillin, my legs feel numb, I'm 52 years old, I've got a runny nose, my shoulders ache, and I'm flying down a 9,400-foot mountain on a bicycle in a heavy rainstorm."
Even I had to pause at times wondering why I willingly tortured my body. Was it fun? Yes! It is the stuff of life. It is struggle, courage, tenacity, victory and fulfillment that make it spiritual, and oh, so satisfying. I love that first bird singing in the morning and the last chirp at night not to mention the coyotes howling their songs.
How could I deny myself these pleasures of the spirit in this overly mechanized world?
Yes, Jack London, I too, am a meteor--blazing happily, white-hot with searing excitement across the sky of my life.
But at that moment, I felt miserable. It sucked!
Shivering like a naked man in a snowstorm, I thought back to how I got myself into that predicament of bicycling the Continental Divide….
