As riders we have been given a unique gift. We are inspired by the wilderness, the urgency for the wild. Our days are marked by chainring grease centered around our right calve. We don’t measure time by minutes or hours in the day but instead we measure it by comparing the new relationships we made on the trail and the time we invested in local building efforts. Our idea of happiness doesn’t stem from the typical American dream. We dream to be free in a way where all we see are the landscapes in front of us and our comrades lined up behind us.

There are more important things in life than chasing after the next fad. We value others. Our family knows that the only way we can keep continuing forward is to invest in the next generation … and that is what we do. We are not satisfied by the status quo but make it a point to push beyond; to further the limits of what it is our bodies are capable of.

We are not a perfect family. We don’t always get it right. Sometimes we lose members and yet we carry their names in our hearts on every ride. To many our way of life doesn’t make sense. We are seen as too intense or extreme … well … that’s the way we like it. We live our lives to squeeze out all the real and raw juices that mother nature can give us. Our quest for experiences binds us together in a day and age where everything is chaos.

This is who we are; friends, riders, family. Though many of us will never have the opportunity to ride together, we know that as we descend, every rider is with us, leaving their mark in the dirt behind us.

Words by Sam Thomas, Loam Coffee intern. Photos by Deanna Campbell.