But moosefish does not live by hiking boots alone. It's not often that we get on our bikes, but with avalanche danger too high to head into the hills this was a perfect opportunity to take Henry on his first mountain bike adventure.

The Olallie Trail is very new. It didn't open until the Fall of 2017. It's about 2.5 miles from the trailhead, but that was quick and easy since it's an old railroad grade. The real fun didn't start until Henry started up the trail. He climbed all of about five feet before he stopped. Shifting on the fly is a new skill, but one worth learning now that he understands what happens if you try to climb in a high gear.

After making it up that first bit of steeps the trail settled into a relentless grind. Pedal pedal pedal. Stop to breathe heavily. Pedal some more. I won't deny I was getting bored. It'd different than hiking uphill, somehow. It seems like it should be the same, but maybe it's the focus on not pedaling off the side of the trail that meant we didn't get a chance to look around. If I was getting bored you know Henry was, too. We kept it interesting (for both of us) by breaking up the climb.

For example, "Hey! That looks like a neat hill that might have a view." (It didn't.) Or, "Let's eat this bag of M&Ms." Or even, "Let's stop for must a minute because my butt hurts." (The truth hurts. So did my butt.)

After the climb came... the descent. (I think there's a saying about when something goes up blah blah blah down. I didn't pay that much attention.) Surprisingly, Henry wasn't so sure about this part. He's usually the one that tries all the... interesting things when we're out adventuring. He even once asked why he always had to be the stuntman. Duh. It's because he's always doing crazy things that the rest of us won't do. This time, though, he was a bit timid.

We took turns leading the way and wearing the GoPro. I was pretty much focused on not crashing. He was able to both narrate his ride and avoid crashing. Mostly. Check it out.

So yeah, there was a crash. And there were a few bits of skin left along the trail and a drop or two of blood lost. It's pretty clear that if he wants to keep doing this, and becomes more comfortable with the downhill, he's going to need a whole protection kit. For now, though, he seems ok with just a helmet.

Although we only climbed about 1,200 feet over 7.5 miles (of a possible 16 miles and 3,000+ feet) it was the perfect way to introduce Henry to the rigors of mountain biking. Even after all that, he's ready to go again. I just need to find another trail and wait for my butt to feel better.