Rising to New Heights in Bighorn

August 2, Day 31 of TheHopeLine Tour of 2014

August 2, 2014 is a day that Debbie and I will never forget. We knew we had our work cut out for us. We were 90 miles away from services, and the Bighorn National Forest—and a 9,600-foot mountain pass—stood in our way. We’ve never cycled above 7,000 feet. What’s more, we had just bicycled 156 miles in 90-degree heat the previous two days.

An early start to the day was imperative. For some reason, my cell phone, which doubles as our alarm clock, was a...