|| Hitching a ride home in the back of a truck happens year round. Rarely comfortable and often cramped, this ritual of riders or skiers making their way home en-masse is one for the ages. Out in Brian Head, where this shot was taken, you have to worry less about the police taking interest, and more about freezing your face off before you hit the campfire. During the winter in Big Cottonwood, you discover the fine art of duck-and-cover in order to avoid highway patrol, but that’s for lust of snow, not dirt. In this particular shot we were three deep in the bed and countless deep in the cab, with six filthy, muddy bikes across the back after riding Dark Hollow in Brian Head. You can see my foot in the lower right of the frame, jammed between the wheels in a desperate attempt to stretch out as we made our way home. Hardly the most technically impressive, this photo captured for me what that trip was all about: community and dirt. ||

|| Flip it over, spin the wheel, listen for the noise; the grind, click or clink that leads to the demon in your bike. From muddy ride to hot campfire, the day progress until you’re leaning over the fork, headlamp burning to light up the dark and reveal your ride. The midnight mechanic doesn’t sleep until the work is done, and even then it’s hard to sleep without a ride. ||

Art and Steve prep their kit for the morning’s festivities. Shot with a Canon 5D Mkii and a steady hand.