I didn't sleep well. We went to bed right after dinner around 10p which is earlier than I normally would sleep. It isn't a problem for falling asleep but it does usually mean I wake up in the middle of the night, affecting the quality of my sleep. Well that didn't really happen as I never really felt like I went to sleep until early the next morning. I'm sure I was getting some sleep but I guessing it was very light. Because of overflow sleeping situation, we all did the best we could and there was really any flat ground in that area. I had my tent angled correctly so I was only tilted down but the ground was angled enough that I kept sliding. I probably didn't get solid rest (of a few hours) until the last bit before waking up around 6:30a. I didn't eat that much for breakfast. I had what was left over from my Breakfast Skillet dinner yesterday that I wrapped in tortillas. I only had two for dinner and one for breakfast. Yesterday, Karoun was offering everyone mooncakes and I still haven't eaten the one he gave me. When we got going, my legs didn't feel any better. Originally we considered combining day 2 and 3 but my legs wouldn't have been able to do it, not before sunset anyway. Daylen was only planning to do the first two days so he could get home for the Giro de SF on Monday. Ali wasn't feeling great either and contemplating leaving early too even though she really wanted to do the whole thing. As much as I was looking forward to this weekend, I wasn't 100% focused on being there as I had some important packages that were scheduled for delivery while I was on the trip. I was preoccupied by that and wanting to leave early myself. We had a fun descent back down to Truckee to grab lunch but there was a steep loose section that got a little sketchy for Karoun. Lukas' bike doesn't have dropper post and he has file tread for his rear which aren't great for this situation. I'd been giving Karoun some tips on riding the rocks and now some tips on what to do to maximize traction given the limitations he had. He has ample bike handling skills and fitness so he was crushing it despite this being his first time riding someone else's bike, fully loaded, and on unfamiliar terrain. We took the Martis Valley Trail to get into Truckee proper and it is a fantastic bike path. Really all the trails and paths were great. We got lunch at Cornerstone Bakery & Kitchen. Their pastries were excellent - Vanilla Bean Pull-Apart and Everything Croissant. I ordered a Short Stack with a side of sausage. The pancakes were good but they had an interesting texture. They were quite crumbly and I couldn't quite figure out what to compare them to. Once we got going again, it was already starting to get hot. We lucked out yesterday that it was quite pleasant the whole ride. Daylen got a Gatorade before we left town and Ali and I regretted not doing the same. We started off on some nice paths and trails and eventually got onto Donner Lake Rim Trail which started off paved and then became singletrack. It was quite chunky and technical. I was struggling and already at my limit so any technical bit, like a climbing up over a techy rocky bit, pushed me over. About halfway up, I knew I was in trouble. We were fairly exposed on the left side and I was weaving around the rocks but just barely in control, not quite having the necessary strength anymore. I felt like I could accidentally weave myself off the side of the mountain. Ali had been riding with me the whole time while everyone else was gone up ahead. Ali was looking at bailout options to get some Gatorade but I really didn't want to miss out on the rest of the trail. I mean I could totally do without the climbing but I wasn't going to have suffered through all the climbing we'd already done and not get to enjoy the descent. So we kept on going until we regrouped. I downed an entire bottle of Skratch but wasn't feeling hungry at all. If anything I was feeling a little dizzy and nauseous. I wasn't sure if it was the altitude or the heat. It was probably both plus not sleeping well and starting off fatigued. I forced some Fritos down and then got going again. Before regrouping, Ali and I had been passed, and we passed back, repeating several times, a couple on e-MTBs. The woman said she was new and not comfortable on the tech. The man, while more experienced, didn't seem to be picking great lines when I was following him. The problem was they were a bit faster climbing and I was faster descending. E-MTBs is where it's at that though. Especially for the trails we were on. The climbing felt endless but the views were spectacular and once we got to the top, the descending was SO much fun. We hit a lot of great trails that I would've loved to have done without being loaded up. Instead of fully flowing, there was some wallow. :) Still, as the ride title states, as much as I was suffering on the climbs, I was filled with that much joy on the descents. At the end of each run we were so stoked by how much fun it was. It reaffirmed my earlier thought that I would've regretting missing out on the descent by bailing to get a Gatorade. I can't remember all the trail names but Lower Mother Lode had Flow Trail vibes to it. My only complaint were the speed controlling uphill parts of it were too steep and did too good a job of taking away all my speed. Before getting to Lower Mother Lode, there was a point were Peter and Karoun were up ahead and missed our turn. I don't think either of them had the route to navigate by. I yelled for them to come back. While we were stopped there, we were contemplating which way to go since continuing they way the went was a bit of a short cut but was also a climb. I regret not looking at the map to see the difference. The trail we would've done had lots of switchbacks which can only mean lots of fun. Not that we would've known what to expect but that trail was Upper Mother Lode. So if it was like Lower Mother Lode, the climb would've been worth it. In the end we followed the route because I didn't want to do more climbing. I think it would've been about the same - one was descending and then climbing vs. the to other way around. On one of the descents, there was some technical rock drops that I stopped to take photos. Peter, knowing I was taking photos, took it a little HAM and went off the trail but stayed upright. After, while I was following him, he overcooked it in a right hand sweeper and locked up the rear. Only instead of coming out and helping him in the turn, his rear tire wanted to overtake him on the inside. Not sure how he managed to get around the turn and stay up but he did. It was hilarious to see. Later he let me pass in this turn that had two options and I didn't know it until it was too late but he gave me the more advanced, technical, stair step path. Looking back, it might have been intentional steps made of rocks for hikers. We actually did detour to the market (Z Market) about 3/4 of the way down the descent. It ended up being a life saver and I knew at that point that I was going home early. I just didn't have the legs for anymore let alone two more days. Before we got to the market, we found this trail side hut with a random Miller Lite. Daylen decided to crack open the warm beer and he and Peter claimed it was good. Emily even thought so. We found some more fun trails to get back to the car and it was such a great way to cap off the trip. In hindsight, I really only got to hangout with Ali which was nice but I only had some small conversations with Karoun, Peter, Daylen. Sadly, I didn't really get to talk to Emily very much. Nonetheless, thanks to Emily for the trip planning and amazing route! Ali for the company, Karoun for the vibes and mooncakes, Peter for the file-treaded chaos on two wheels, and Daylen as my descending buddy. The times that we descended together he was doing really well on his gravel bike. Footnote - on the way to Z Market there was a big swing in the middle of this crossroad of trails. Ali and I discovered Daylen and Karoun swinging on it when we got there. Peter had had an issue with his handlebars pointing a different direction than his wheel and Emily stopped to help him. When they returned Emily and Ali got on the swing while Daylen pushed. I didn't hear what he said exactly but something about it being hard to push them. :) So Karoun joined in but the two of them were pushing different amounts causing it to swing unevenly. Emily then said very timidly, "I don't like it." :) We also then noticed that the hinges connected the chains to the wood were flexing quite a bit ie. they weren't tight to the wood, and the whole structure was also swaying. Kind of crazy since the swing, based on the dedication, was only about 4 years old.