Hopkins 4K for Cancer

May 30, 2005

Bedford, PA
Today was our first big day of trekking up the Appalachian Mountains. Not many of us knew what to expect except for three large climbs that we were warned about during our morning meeting. That was the main thing on my mind as we left Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. Little did we know that many other things would occur to the group of four riders I went with – Cheng, Rodrigo, Mark and myself, Trang. We nicknamed ourselves the problem child group. By the end of the day we collectively had two flats, one brake problem, three chain problems, and two falls. Although these were rather unfortunate occurrences, it definitely brought us closer together.

Now, back to the climbs, since those were definitely on our minds the whole day. At first, the inclines would look innocent enough, not too steep. However, they would go on and on forever. When we first saw the mountain ranges, we commented how the route couldn’t possibly take us to the top since that looked impossible. Once we did finish a climb though we would look over the edge and stare in amazement at the beautiful view from the top. Yes, the impossible was possible and we had done it. The help and the encouragement we got from the support van drivers made a tough day a lot easier. When we finished the last of the three climbs, we gained new energy knowing that the day’s destination was near.

It was great to reach Bedford and happily find members of the Bedford Presbyterian Church outside welcoming us with big smiles. They graciously volunteered to shuttle us to the high school for us to take showers and cooked a delicious meal with awesome desserts. I have never eaten so much in my life. Now on to a good night sleep and another day of climbing the Appalachians.