My Mom lives in central PA in a valley called Big Valley. It has a large Amish population and excellent secondary roads and drivers who are accustomed to slow movers (e.g. horse-drawn buggies). So I try to take my bike back to PA whenever practical. The valley is bounded by Stone Mtn and Jacks Mtn. For several years I’ve wondered about trying to cycle up one of those mountains. But I’m not a young guy and I don’t train to do a lot of climbing. This past August I thought I’d give it a try. Although I needed two rest stops, I did make it to the top of Jacks Mtn, a climb of nearly 1000′ over 2.8 miles with one portion at 15 degrees grade. There was a person at the scenic overlook who was kind enough to take the attached photo.
Larry Smith
LMRA Bicycle Club
