27.18 El Siscaro Lake, 7,800 feet altitude, Andorra: Going above and beyond the water on a Monday morning.
One of our favorite times to hit the slopes is a Monday morning. We remember many Mondays in places that were 'okay' but not where we really wanted to be after a weekend. Later in the afternoon and evening, there's time for work. We reached lake level after a solid climb and then went up to the pass above, another stiff ascent. After finishing brunch, we noticed a closely-bunched group of cyclists sprinting along the mountain top to which we had climbed. They halted a little away from our position and took a break. We could not help but overhear their chatter—the Queen's English. Having not spoken to many people in the language for a while, we walked over to introduce ourselves and have a few words. The group consisted of an English cycling guide and a friend who resides in Australia. The third fellow was a strapping young Welshman, a professional rider who develops mountain-bike tracks in different parts of the world and the fourth, his assistant. The other two co...