Jett and I swapped our road bikes for mountain bikes today, venturing into the reported mountain biking epicenter of America. Our start was anything but smooth. We felt overwhelmed and completely out of our depth—like a preschooler tackling their first tax return (speaking of which, I need to file mine!).

We decided on a sensible, beginner-level run with the humiliating name, “Tweety Bird.” The catch was that the trail started at the summit, demanding a lengthy, wooded ascent on a more advanced rub. This climb was strewn with thin slat bridges, root-filled pitches, and narrow tracks bordered by steep drop-offs. It was a heart-in-your-throat kind of ride.

Exhausted and defeated, we stopped at one point, only to be effortlessly passed by three guys happily “hippity hopping” along the trail. Sheepishly, we followed their path. When we finally caught up with them at the end, Jett asked them for some cycling advice. Their response completely floored us. John, Scott, and Brian immediately took charge. They spent a generous amount of time going over the finer points of balance and handling. To cement their instructions, they even rode several challenging runs with us.

The impact was instantaneous. Jett and I rode with significantly more confidence and, though the experience unlocked a level of physical exhaustion that left me wheezing and spent, we both left with a new passion for the sport. Jett and I are truly indebted to these guys for sharing their time and skills; we haven’t stopped talking about it since!

And if that wasn’t good enough, we returned to find that Matt was in the process of preparing the ultimate steak and potato dinner for us.  We rarely prepare meals, mainly because we are so mobile – relocating almost every day – so we have no real way of keeping food refrigerated and unjostled.  As well, there seems to be an endless list of things to do each day when we put away the bikes.  Still, though we have had many memorable restaurant meals along the way, none have been more satisfying than having the full group sitting down together at our private gathering and eating something that we all helped prepare in some way.