When Jaine and I crossed the Sierra Nevada we got our first introduction to the House of Pain.  With 2 doses of 40 miles of continuous up, we told ourselves that there's no need to 'tickle the dragon's tail' by taking a more challenging route if we can take an easier route.

When we got to Middlegate NV, we got the opportunity to test this philosophy.  Below is a map of the two choices we had to cross the mountain:

As one can see, there is an easy way and a hard way to get to Austin and we certainly didn't want to take the hard way if possible.  In fact, it's a no brainer...we're going to take the Carroll Summit Alternate.

By now, we sort have 'adopted' Josh, the young man who was also crossing America and as we talked about the route that evening,  he totally concurred with us,  a guy would have to be pretty dumb to climb Carroll Summit when a less hilly route presents itself.

The next day, Jaine and I rode to Eastgate, and I took the Carroll Summit Alternate.  At first, the ride didn't seem that bad, but as I started going up I started thinking "Man, this alternate route is tough, it just seems to keep going up."  I started later than Josh so I figured I'd eventually catch him.  Jaine, in turn, would be keeping an eye out for Josh in the car.  Finally after a lot of slow grinding to get to the top of the alternate route, I had some great downhill riding.  Jaine caught up with me and said Josh was not to be found.  Jaine and I talked about it.  "Poor Josh, he must have took the wrong route.  That route must be killing him right now."  For the  rest of the ride, I would keep and eye out for him and Jaine would go ahead in the car looking for him, but no Josh.

That evening we met Josh and asked him why he took the hard route when he could have taken the Carroll Summit Alternate route.  He said, "I took the easy route, the Carroll Summit Alternate was the hard route."

Suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks.  The Carroll Summit Alternate route is the hard way.  No wonder we didn't meet Josh.  To give you an idea how lost I was, I remember passing through Carroll Summit pass, not thinking I'm on Carroll Summit.

That's what happens when you take too many dumb pills.

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