I moved here from New York City in fall 2012, and one of the things on my Vermont bucket list was to learn how to ride a mountain bike. It was literally a combination of being terrified — the intimidation factor was real — and excitement. I felt like a little kid.

It’s been an honor working with the board of directors and other staff to maintain and enhance the 38 miles of trails that are so well-loved in this community, and I look forward to another great year of working with this organization.

Stowe Trails Partnership’s collaboration with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports has not only made the mountain biking trails at Cady Hill Forest accessible to bikers of all abilities, but it’s also become a case study for accessible biking in Vermont.

Indigenous people and communities are alive and well today in Vermont, yet many in our local communities are unaware of their existence, history and contributions, our relationship to the land we reside on, and where we recreate.

Witnessing the sheer ubiquity of mountain bikers whipping through the singletrack, powering through muddy back roads, getting tricky on pump tracks or bombing down snow-free ski resort trails, it might be easy to forget that, just 30 years ago, these knobby-tired riders were considered persona non grata at a lot of places now embracing the sport.

In literature, dragons are usually depicted as winged fire-breathing monsters who must be conquered or tamed.

Vermont mountain biking events!

If we haven’t already met, I’d like to introduce you to your local land conservation organization: Stowe Land Trust.

IMBA launched its Rules of the Trail in 1988 to educate mountain bikers and serve as a pro-bike advocacy tool, and these guidelines for trail behavior are now recognized around the world.

Biking a harrowing run of singletrack can be exhilarating, but some people just prefer a casual walk, a flat run or a place to push the baby jogger.

There’s a certain sense of hard-won pride in pain when it comes to many mountain bikers, where the pedal pushing slog up a long, winding climb is seen as the price one must pay to be able to experience the exhilaration of the downhill.

Stowe Trails Partnership manages three distinct trail pods: Cady Hill Forest, Adams Camp and Sterling Forest, in addition to several connector trails, including Alex’s Trail in Dumont Meadow. Many of the trails are situated on lands permanently protected under conservation easements held by the Stowe Land Trust and owned by the town of Stowe and Trapp Family Lodge.

Do you remember where you were and who you were with when you made a life-changing decision?

When Chandra Richter and her family decided to move to Vermont five years ago, she never imagined the adventure she would find peddling her way through the Green Mountain State.

I love riding bikes. I have always felt that way. Each time I get out on a ride, it im-proves the joy in my day and makes me feel more connected to my mind, body and soul.