By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
About 50 local teens, plus their leaders and support staff, accomplished the bicycle journey of a lifetime last weekend. The group, organized by the LDS Logandale Stake, traveled via mountain bike cross-country from Caliente, Nevada, over and through the Mormon Mountain range, and ended near the Carp/Elgin exit at I-15.
The bicyclists, and support staff in following trucks, traveled along an old mining road covering about 88 miles, and traversed an impressive total of about 6,969 climbing feet. Medical support and mechanical support were also provided the entire distance as the group accomplished the trip over three intense days.
The group departed from Caliente early on Thursday morning.
The first day of the trip, by all accounts, was the most difficult. It included a total of 25.6 miles and 3,691 climbing feet traveled. Although the group took many breaks, the steepness of the road and difficulty of the climb proved to be a challenge for all.
Ten miles into the trip a rappelling activity was planned, but was canceled when the planned location for the activity was deemed too soft and unsafe. Instead, the bikers took a break and lunched on ham sandwiches before continuing the intense uphill climb.
Along the way, the boys were given several challenges and opportunities to prove themselves. The first came on Thursday afternoon with the uphill time trial. Boys were timed over an uphill stretch of about a mile, with the fastest time winning a prize. Hayden Redd took the honors for this first challenge and got a new tie to represent his accomplishment.
Boys and leaders alike were very glad to stop for the night. They camped at Sheep Creek. Dinner was provided for them by renowned camp cooks Oscar Henderson and Cliff Peterson and their team. The Logandale stake also provided plenty of snacks and water for the riders.
Day 2 dawned bright and early. The boys faced an easier climb of only 1,760 feet as they continued to the summit of East Pass. Reaching the summit, they parked their bikes and hiked to the nearby peak of Sawhill Summit. This was a highlight for some of the boys.
“The hardest part was climbing up East Pass, but the feeling when we got to the top was great,” Kashten Frei said.
After viewing the world from the top of Sawhill Summit, the boys faced another challenge: the Hill Competition. After accomplishing a tricky descent of switchbacks and hairpin turns, they were challenged to turn around and ride back up as far as they could. The winner would be the person who got the farthest.
After this challenge, they all rode to Sam’s Camp, where it was originally intended that they spend the night. When they got there, they participated in a biathlon. They ran uphill, shot at three clay pigeons, ran downhill, grabbed their bikes, pedaled back up and threw stones at targets, biked downhill and shot rifles at targets, and then biked back uphill to the finish line. The contest was divided into weight classes. Prizes were given to the first three in each class, so there were many winners.
After the group enjoyed a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, the boys decided that they would like to get a jump on the next day’s mileage and keep going. They ended up traveling an additional 16 miles that night before stopping to camp for the night.
This meant that they did not have to rise as early as originally planned. But they still got off early enough to reach the finish line near I-15 about two hours ahead of the anticipated finish time. There ice cream sandwiches were waiting for them.
With Saturday morning temperatures being high, the boys were all hot and exhausted. Nevertheless, opinions of the experience were surprisingly upbeat.
“It was fun,” said Carson Traasdahl. “I can definitely say the hardest part was going uphill and my favorite part was going downhill, but now that I’m done, I’m glad I did it.”
“It was difficult,” said Spencer Craven. “I learned that I could push myself harder than I thought I could. I’d definitely do it again.”
Leaders were very pleased with how the event went. Adult leader Bill Johnson said, “It was an awesome experience. The most amazing thing to me was watching the boys come together, make the decisions, and then accomplish their goals.”
“These boys really can accomplish hard things,” said Logandale resident Sam Aikele, also an adult leader. “They voluntarily took part in a challenging activity and came out knowing they can persevere and accomplish the tasks before them. It was great.”
Willie Frehner from the Logandale Stake Presidency said, “This was the first time we’ve done a trip like this and it was a tremendous success. We had an exceptional turnout and great participation. It was an opportunity for these boys to learn skills that were both physical and spiritual that they can use the rest of their life.”
