Last year, I left my car in the mid 40s, and the summit was at 20 F, not counting wind chill. I rather froze on the way down. This year, I was much better prepared, the weather was significantly warmer, and consequently there was much less suffering.
I rolled away from the car with temperatures in the upper 60s, and clear blue skies with a warm sun. I was carrying extra layers, more water, and about twice as many bars.
The 30 miles up to the top can be divided into three sections, the first has a little up and down and is quite sheltered by trees and ridges, so it is the warmest part. After crossing over to the other side of the ridge, the temperature drops, and the road is much more exposed to wind. This part is the long, grinder of a climb. A steady up and up. The last third has some descents, so it is easy to get chilled here. The last 5 miles feature some of the steepest sections on some switchbacks, and within 2 miles, you can see the ramp on the summit looming over head.
Instead of the frigid temps last year, today was only 48 at the summit, rather pleasant. After turning around from the summit, I wanted to be able to just descend back home, but there are still two climbs over the next 10 miles. Finally, with about 20 miles to go, the descent opens up and you can just fly down the switch twisty roads.
It took 2:45 to get to the top, 15 minutes of sight seeing, and then 1:45 to get back down.
Some great riding down here in North Carolina.
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