On the John Muir Trail, going up over a pass meant almost a day of elevation gain, through several different sub-ecosystems, ravenous hunger and unending thirst, and light-headedness at the top. On the way to Crested Butte, going over a pass meant lower gears and hard turns. And though the pass in Colorado was pretty, the hard physical work of the Muir passes was directly proportional to the grandeur and unrivaled natural beauty of the back country. Such is life; struggles sweeten.
-llg