I love my eMTB(s) but they are double-edge swords. Since it had been raining, we opted for a non-muddy ride of the historic Old Ridge Route which, though dilapidated, is paved. The plan was to ride the Ridge Route and then climb the fire road up into Mt. Liebre to the snow. Close to 40 miles. I was on my older Haibike, converted to bike-packing, with panniers and lots of gear, including a collapsable rifle, and a spare battery. But it seems my batteries aren't what they used to be and was loosing battery fast. The cold winds coming off of the mountains weren't helping that either. I rode as far as the foot of Mt. Liebre while my buddy kept going. I returned to Tumble Inn and waited for him there. Though I wasn't going to do the whole of the planned 38-40 miles, everything was good and we started back. When it came time to change to my spare battery, I was in for a shock – I had left the battery lock key at home. :( What to do? The Old Ridge Route is usually gated off, but for some reason the gates were open today. So my buddy rode back to fetch his SUV and come pick me up. Meanwhile, I kept riding. I rode further than I had expected on 1% battery, and then suddenly, it felt like my tires had gone flat. No more assist. I figure my bike with all that gear was over 70 lbs. Maybe even 80 lbs. So I rode on, mostly in 32T/50T, often zig-zagging up hills to lower the effective grade. I surprised both of us how far I got. I rode about 10 miles with 800 ft of climbing in this condition. OK, I'm lying a little bit. At mile 25 we ran into each other and from time to time on the steeper hills, I'd hold onto his vehicle for a tow. I wanted to make it all the way out on my own, but it was getting late in the day, so I cheated. I am tired.