Engineering

Jeny came to town for the long weekend, and it was our solemn responsibility to take her on the best ride we could dream up.

So we climbed Engineer Mountain on singletrack. A few thousand feet to climb with no warmup. Perfect.

My legs responded 10 times better than last time, confirming what I surmised — this is a most excellent climb.

A climb that takes us above treeline, which is a BIG reason to smile.

Rarefied air and enormous views, just a couple reasons high altitude = giddy. For me, anyway.

Time up here is rare indeed.

Strategery at altitude. Climb to 12,500′ and Rolling Mountain Pass, or stay lower and contour around?

Had the hailstorm that pelted us hit five minutes earlier, we might not have chosen to go for the high pass.

When in doubt, go higher. Right?

When in doubt, push your bike up steep hills. Everything seems a little clearer.

I think we made the right choice.

Storms passed, elk floated across the far ridge, silhouette on gray cloud.

We climbed. Deep breaths of life, deep muscle burn.

Deep canyons, deep life.

Color and texture beyond imagination. That imagination struggles to comprehend.

The top! And Eszter drinking water (a rare sight).

Down.

Lots of down.

Storms passed. More climbing, more rocks. Pieces we walked bikepacking turned out to be rideable, with Jeny at the lead.

Let us go into the mountains and be happy.