The "dreaded steep part" where I must remove my heavy saddlebags from the bike and walk them up the hill separately.

This little hill doesn't seem like it should be any tougher than other steep stretches of the trail, but I just can't get any traction here. My feet keep slipping back when I try to push the bike up.

Last year I made it up this hill by zigzagging back-and-forth across the trail, stopping in the grass on either side where there is more traction. The bike was unwieldy enough last year, but it's even heavier today, so I won't even bother trying that trick again. Removing the saddlebags from the bike and carrying them up to the top of the hill separately turns out to be an easy solution.

The bike is still down there on the ground hidden by the two tiny manzanitas growing in the middle of the trail. I'll go back down and get it after I take this photo.

(No, I don't know why there's a piece of powder-blue ribbon tied to that manzanita tree in front of me...)

Wow, it's 19h12 and I've been on this 1.6-mile-long trail for about three hours now, and I'm still not quite at the top! It didn't take me as long to get up this trail on my two previous trips here (with a slightly lighter bike).