Thankful Thursday: Wonderful High Altitude Mountain Bike Trail

Near the end of our alpine trip in August, we camped close to an amazing alpine mountain bike route. When we thought about camping there, I wondered if there was any chance that I could do the ride. I had read that it involved a long and extremely steep hike-a-bike. Not only did I have my usual spine issues but I had a freshly fractured rib.

We asked some locals about how hard the hike-a-bike was, and they destroyed any wishful thinking that I'd be able to push my bike up it. Then, the Runner said that he'd "like" to push my bike up it for me... At first, I said "no", not wanting him to give up a day of running adventure to push my bike. But he insisted. So he accompanied me to where the hike-a-bike started and pushed my bike to the top of the mountain for me!

It was a very steep and long climb - there was no way that I could've pushed my bike up it myself. We finished at the top of a tall mountain, almost high enough to reach the clouds. The weather was looking a little scary... and beautiful at the same time.

I hung out briefly watching the Runner and the Labraduo run down their side of the mountain (I'd be descending in a different direction).

Then, I turned to the trail that I'd be riding. If bad weather hadn't been bearing down on me, I would've sat up high to enjoy the views for a long time! The wind was whipping across the tundra, and I was getting very chilled. Soon, I hopped aboard my bike to start the descent.

It was almost too good while I was above treeline to stop and take photos. I did stop a few times, though, when the beauty was too much for me to keep riding. This was a view shortly after I'd started descending. I was looking behind me up toward the top of the mountain. The golden tundra, the stormy sky, and the sinuous trail were a glorious combination.

A little further down, the tundra was a deep red color. With the freezing wind, this color reminded me that it really was autumn up above 12,000'.

When I looked more closely at a small patch of the ground, the colors were as vivid as wildflowers.

Alas, before I knew it, I had descended far enough that I was down in the trees. The views were over... but I did manage to find a few flowers to admire. These were some Arnica, still blooming up at high elevation!

This is Thankful Thursday, and my thanks are to the Runner for making it possible for me to ride such an incredible alpine trail. There is no chance that I could've pushed my bike up the steep and unforgiving tundra.