DAY 30

Lee Vining to Tuolomne Meadows, Yosemite National Park

Wow. This was hard. Luke calls it the toughest climb of his life (loaded or unloaded, anywhere, including New Zealand). We climbed Tioga Pass, which rises 3500 ft from Lee Vining to around 3,000m above sea level. A real accomplishment. We did it at an absolute snails pace, all of it done in our granny gear, most it broken up into 500m blocks before we simply had to stop. Yes, even the unhandicapped Eamonn and Alina. The views all the way were amazing. We spent so much time resting/eating/talking nonsense that it took forever, but in riding time alone, it took three hours to ride 20kms! After finally summiting we officially enter Yosemite, then fly like an eagle down into Tuolomne Meadows past jagged mountains, granite cliffs, boulders and thick forest. Stunning. We wash and sunbake on the rocks by an idyllic stream, loving life. We also spot a Marmot and a Steller's Jay. We made Yosemite, we climbed Tioga. Mission accomplished.