After-School Joy Rides

There's few joys greater than the final bell ring on a spring afternoon, especially when it means mountain biking with friends. The past few weeks, Missoula Mountain Bike Coalition and Missoula Parks and Recreation teamed up with two Missoula schools, Lowell and Franklin, to get some kids out on trails.

Nic Hertzler, our Field Program Manager, gave a great recap of the two events:

The first week went incredibly smoothly and the kids were absolutely loving it! Everyone was pretty excited and a couple kids were asking things along the lines of, "Can we do this every Thursday?!" so I think it's definitely something to continue doing! The second day still had a crew of excited kids, but we had an upset stomach and two crashes that managed to be spaced out in exactly the worst way... but still a good time overall! Most of the kids were really happy to be out on two wheels.

In all honesty, an upset stomach and a crash (or two) isn't unheard of when I ride with my friends, and we are in our 40s, so it feels like a great ride report over-all. Add in the cheers and excitement and it's all a part of learning how to have fun in the woods, even when the trails and trail-mix fight back.

Here are some photos from the fun: