Pulling and pushing my bike up to Temple 65.

Ruth: I knew in advance that most of the 350 meter climb up to Temple 65 occurred in the last few steep kilometres. I taped my knees, loaded up on more sugary treats than normal, and started the day full of confidence. After stopping at a lovely henro hut for second breakfast with Gord, I headed for the temple. Although the route was marked and I had a backup record on my phone, I somehow missed the car route I was planning to take. Facing an intersection where I had to choose between a road on which I would lose much of my hard earned elevation, and a paved path marked as a henro route, I asked a local farmer and he gestured up the path. Not the best advice, given my bike and trailer. As I pushed my bike up the path it became narrower and so steep that I was sliding backwards. It was a challenge to even find a flat place to park the bike. After texting Gord to let him know of my predicament, I unhitched my bike, left the trailer and continued up the steep path with my bike. Even without the weight of the trailer I was still  sliding down. After a slow and painful count of 90 steps I walked back to pull the trailer up to where I had left the bike. Sucking back the jello sweets I was given this morning as osettai I repeated the cycle again for another 90 steps. Fortunately I made it up to a road where I could continue my climb using my legs rather than my arms.