From the locked access gate, I proceeded via mountain bike over easy terrain for about 10 minutes. Just past an outlet stream of Pyramid Lake, the real work begins. An unrelenting grind up the steep access road makes one wonder if it would be faster and easier to just hike the 12km to its end. At about 20 minutes up the road, I heard some noise in the trees on my right. After stopping and looking around, I spotted a small black bear scampering away in the trees. Other than that, progress up the steep access road is a real grind. At some spots, I even jumped off and pushed my bike up the hill! I did not encounter anyone else on the way up except for a maintenance worker passing by in a truck. Finally after more than 4 hours, the microwave service tram comes into view. This tram makes its way up the east face of Pyramid Mountain leading to the microwave tower (uggh) on top.
Having finally arrived at the end of the access road just after 2pm, I had lunch and
contemplated the summit attempt. However, with a mostly cloudy day, the summit obscured by clouds
at times and a sizeable snow field, I decided not to attempt the summit. The return back however
made up for the grind up. What had taken more than 4.5 hours on the way up, took just over 1/2 hour
on the way down!
