Am I on another planet? Rock formations bigger than skyscrapers, endless trails that would satisfy the hunger of any explorer, and air so thin every breath lacks the oxygen my body is used to.
I take a deep breath of mountain air as I remind myself that this is my first time mountain biking. Moments later, I'm leading the group down the trail. I start to think to myself,(mistake number 1 "don’t overthink") “how am I doing this? I am bombing down a mountain, over, through, and down rock formations. The trail is as wide as my bike tires. Trees are flirting with me as they brush my shoulders down the trail, and my mind is analyzing thousands of moves within milliseconds.” Yet, I’ve never felt more in control in such an uncontrollable environment. I realize, "this must be what it is like to be dialed in."
I stop at the next gap to wait on everyone. I’ll admit, I was feeling pretty damn confident (mistake number 2 "don’t get overconfident")! After a few moments everyone catches up ,and we decide to continue down the second half of the mountain. Within seconds I am once again, "dialed in". Field of rocks, no problem, soften the knees and grip so you absorb the bumps. Trees lining the trail waiting for you to make the slightest mistake, no sweat, keep your eyes on the trail and trust your instincts. Huge drop with a ledge that drops as far as the eye can see……. Honestly I don’t have any advice for you here, but somehow I made it!
YES! I made it down the mountain and I have never felt more alive! I’ll never forget my first time mountain biking...Well I forgot some of it, but we are getting to that…. So, as we are headed back to the trail head on this nice man-made sidewalk I thought to myself, “I have to capture this moment and these feelings!” As the group heads off in front of me I pull out my phone (mistake number 3 "don’t ever pull your phone out"). Holding my phone in my right hand, I click record as I attempt to share the experience I just had……ERR!!! BAM!!!!...... What’s that sound? Just the sound of me hitting the front brake and my face cushioning my fall on the concrete (last and final mistake "don’t record with your right hand"). From this point I can only share the description that was given to me by my friend Chase, but from what I was told I had no clue where I was, where I was going, or why I was even on a bike #ConcussionProtocol…..Luckily the memories of me bombing down the mountain in Aspen Snowmass weren’t lost, and I think we can all agree, that’s all that really matters.
Let’s recap:
Don’t overthink
Don’t get overconfident
Don’t ever pull your phone out while mountain biking
If you must record a video, don’t leave the hand to the front brake on the bike. Better yet, don’t get your phone out period.
So, those of you that thought this moment sounded #InstaWorthy, I’m with ya, but let’s stick to 2 hands on the handlebars so that we can experience many more "dialed in" moments!
- Sean Pfalzgraf
- Wanna Be Adventure Athlete
- Always in search for Dialed In Moments