Stuck halfway up a hill of boulders, I squeezed my clutch with my right hand to keep my bike from shutting off and with my left pressed the front brake to keep my tires from sliding backwards into oblivion. Unwilling to risk a massive tumble, I stayed frozen in that pose for probably three full minutes, blocking the progress of my brother behind me. He shook his head in mostly-joking admonition.
A rather finicky machine, my bike had stalled repeatedly as I tried to rev it up the hill while standing at its side. Eventually, my dad – a much more experienced rider who’d cleared the boulder challenge with relative ease – walked back down to help us. “Glad I didn’t have to walk up the hill,” my dad said after he rode both of our bikes up, rubbing his skill in our noses.
Nearing my two-month mark as The Monitor’s summer intern, I had yet to find time to explore Jefferson County’s natural beauty — until my brother and dad visited last weekend for a motorcycle ride through the Elkhorns. We planned to ride the old McCarty Creek Trail to Elkhorn ghost town, then take the Skyline Mine Trail up to a scenic viewpoint between Leslie Lake and Crow Peak. Needing to get back to Helena in time for my grandpa’s birthday dinner, we were up against the clock, as well as nature.
