F GO WITH THE LOW

MOUNTAIN BIKING THAT'S DEFINITELY YOUR SPEED

By Nancy DePalma

Maybe it was a shiny red Schwinn, or maybe it was a rough-and-tumble model with dusty tires. Either way, you never forget your first bike. There's just something special about that moment when you swing your leg over the seat and your sneaker meets the pedal: There is a palpable sense of hope and excitement when you set off on a bike ride.

As a kid, bike riding was all about the journey. But somewhere along the way, we grew up and started disregarding the beauty of the journey, focusing instead on the destination. Mountain biking forces a pendulum shift. It's the grown-up version of the devil-may-care rides of your childhood. And at Paws Up, we've taken the mountain biking experience to another level (pun intended).

You end up with the Flow Trail, a 2.5-mile adventure course that snakes through the woods, high in the hills on the Paws Up property. Masterminded by Bozemanbased Integrated Trail Lab, the trail was designed to take advantage of the beauty of the setting (and yes, the vistas are worth every bead of sweat from the uphill climb). It was also created to appeal to everyone from hard-core enthusiasts to Peloton lovers who want to take their ride outside.

The team spent days walking the land to determine the best route that would be as jaw-droppingly beautiful as it was thrilling. They dropped flags and sketched out a rough path and then started digging. It took six weeks to build from start to finish, and most of the trail was done by hand. The trail opened to riders last summer, with Paws Up Assistant Activities Guide and co-designer Jake Kvale making the first tracks.

"We designed it to be physical—you’ll be climbing up hills—but depending on your skill and comfort levels, our guides will bring it to any level to make it a successful experience," says Will Smith, General Manager of the Wilderness Outpost. It’s also a workout just to get there, since it’s a two-mile journey to the start of the trail. Riders can take their pick from Trek Roscoe bikes along with a full fleet of electronic bikes designed to ensure that all riders can experience the thrill of biking up and over the hills and through the woods.