The last week of work in Arizona has been a wild ride! It all started with the van landing in the shop and having to book a last-minute flight to Phoenix just to make it happen 😅 Once I made it to Payson, I spent 6 days adventuring deep in the Arizona wilderness, with the undisputed highlight being 3 incredible days on the completely revamped Highline Trail with @hermosatours . The other trails I rode around Pine, Strawberry, and Payson were all throughly enjoyable too, and an impromptu visit to Tonto Natural Bridge was a true delight.
I’ve long admired @thewideeyedworld ‘s incredible photography and content work, going all the way back to the original days of MTB Project. So getting to work with Leslie (and getting to know her) over this six-day trip was an absolute treat!
While the travel was harrowing at times, it usually pays off, and it definitely did for this latest trip to Payson.
Stay tuned for professional photos from Leslie and in-depth coverage on @singletracks …
I just spent three days out on Moab’s Peaks and Plateaus loop, covering 136 miles of brutal terrain. Frankly, it was WAY harder than anticipated, but it proved to be a good beatdown and gear test for the Colorado Trail. And I found PLENTY of gear that I was using that won’t make the cut for the CT — stay tuned for some negative reviews 😉
Almost quit halfway through after straining something while hike-a-biking on Steelbender, but glad I persevered!
Night two was maybe the worst night of sleep I’ve ever had in a tent, due to horrendous wind. I got maybe 3 hours total, and not all at once.
I followed that up with one of my most intimidating and high-commitment days of riding ever on Lockhart Basin Road: 48 miles, 5,500 feet of climbing, tons of technical hike-a-bike, no bailouts, and no water resupply available. To cap it all off, I got caught in a thunderstorm on one of the high points, with lightning cracking overhead and hail pounding down!
It was definitely an adventure 😅
Quick trip to California for my first Sea Otter in 9 years 🤯
The best thing about Sea Otter is always the people and never the gear, so thanks to everyone that I got to hang out with!
My second highlight from the trip was all the other shit I did around the region that I haven’t done before. It’s a gorgeous area, and it turns out Laguna Seca and Fort Ord might be one of the ugliest parts 😂
Fun times in the desert with my favorite person, @te_of_teener , celebrating 6 years together over spring break! 😘
1. Subway Cave, Sedona, AZ
2. Full Sail, Flagstaff
3 & 4. Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO
5 & 6. Navajo National Monument, Kayenta, AZ
7 & 8. Subway Cave/Boynton Canyon Hike
9. Chimney Rock, Sedona
10. Sedona
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#mtb #mountainbiking #mountainbike #mountainbikes #mtblife #bicycle #bicycling #cycling #arizona #arizonalife #desertrat #arizonadesert #getoutside #lifeofadventure #neverstopexploring #outsideisfree #outside365 #vanlife
I’ve officially checked off my first major riding goal of the year: #drawingredlines from the Mexican border through Durango and north to Silverton! Connecting my home in Durango with towns in Arizona where I’ve collectively spent close to a year was a major feat, and it feels good!
Specifically, I finished connecting from Sedona through Flagstaff, finishing at Black Mesa on the Navajo Nation, where I had previously finished while working from the north.
This is the first major connection of my eventual goal of section riding all the way north to the Canadian border. I definitely won’t be pedaling the easiest or most direct route to get there, but it might very well be the most interesting!
Next up? It’s time to dive deep into training for the Colorado Trail — summer is coming FAST!
✈️ Here’s how to fly anywhere in the world for FREE, in just 3 text messages 👀
Right now is the perfect time of year to be planning and preparing for big trips and for me, that always includes figuring out how to earn enough miles that I can fly there for free. I LOVE helping friends figure out the travel hacking game too, and a friend reached out to me recently for a bit of advice. In just 3 text messages, I was able to tell them how to easioly earn enough points and miles to fly to Europe for free, and probably just about anywhere they want in the world.
Check out the three slides, and let me know if you have questions!
If you want links to the specific cards I recommend, hit me up in my DMs. And for more info, head to Outside365.blog and check out the articles in the “Travel Hacking” menu.
Happy travels! ✈️
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#travelhacking #outside365 #pointsandmiles #awardtravel #mileslife #frequentflyer #creditcardhacks #businessclass #travelrewards #flyingforfree #loungeaccess #signupbonus #firstclassfree #hotelpoints #prioritypass #elitestatus
Got ridiculously lucky and perfectly nailed Northern Idaho’s biggest storm of the season! 55” of snow over 4 days had Lookout Pass skiing stupid deep 🤯 Spent most of the time just trying to go as fast as possible and not get buried but damn, it was worth it! I haven’t skied snow this deep in years, and it’s probably the deepest I’ve snowboarded.
Capped it all off with a bluebird groomer day up at Schweitzer 🤩
Thanks for the fun times @ajheil !
Starting 2026 off strong 💪 First 50-mile MTB ride of the year in the bank!
The miles do tick over quicker in Farmington, but I had a blast checking out a slew of new trails built by San Juan County and Dirt Tek Trails. Trail building all across the Four Corners is on a rampage 🤘
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#mtb #mountainbiking #mountainbike #mountainbikes #mtblife #bicycle #bicycling #cycling #getoutside #lifeofadventure #neverstopexploring #vanlife #mountains #outside365 #PivotCycles #irideforpivot @pivotcycles #singletracks #newmexico #fourcorners #farmingtonnewmexico @sanjuantrails farmingtonareasingletrack
My quest to draw red lines from Mexico to Canada goes on! This 66-mile ride from Mexican Hat, UT to Black Mesa, AZ was surprisingly tough. Partly because it came on the heels of a previous 69-mile day and partly because it was uphill and into a headwind almost the whole way 😪
Still felt pretty incredible to pedal through this area of the Navajo Nation, past Monument Valley, and plenty of other absolutely surreal rock formations! While I don’t know if I’d do it again, I’m glad that I did it.
