Chapter 5. OR Persistence

Near where I live, there's a notorious mountain biking trail with a hill called Beer Mountain. I have no idea how it got its name, because you've got to be stone-cold sober to even contemplate going down. As far as I know, it's never been cleanly climbed (or climbed without stepping off of the bike). Most think it's ridiculous to even try. The hill is long and has an insanely steep gradient. It's covered with loose rock and lots of ledges. I must be too bored with the rest of my life, because I've been working to climb that hill for two and a half years. A hill like that one looks to me like a difficult programming problem. I have started over many times, trying different approaches to the many ledges and boulder gardens on the way to the top. To climb Beer Mountain, I needed to improve my bike, my technique, and my conditioning.