I just woke up. It’s dark and -10 degrees outside. Last night, after a day full of adventure, I must have fallen asleep almost immediately after work. While I rested, the world seems to have moved on. I do remember having an awesome dream, though.
In my dream, I was geared up for an extreme bike ride up to Miller Peak. Suddenly, I started hearing voices. “Bill… come… come hike with us, Bill…”
“What the?”
“Come to Cherry Street and hike with us, Bill.”
I recognized the voice but couldn’t place it. Curiosity got the better of me, and I headed over to Cherry Street. My studded tires crunched over the icy streets as I made my way to the trailhead at Jumbo Mountain. There, I saw a familiar figure stepping out of her car. I waved and went to lock up my bike. Wait, lock up my bike? For what?
“I didn’t know we could bring boys,” one of the girls said, a hint of irritation in her voice. I began to wonder what I was doing here. But the voices…
“What, I was just… and a voice told me to come hike…” I couldn’t find the words to explain, so I stopped and breathed in the frigid five-degree night air. Why was I here? Four angelic figures approached me – the Dirt Girls, a group of Missoula women mountain bikers. Never before had a “dude” infiltrated the Dirt Girls. And now, here I was, surrounded by this Missoula legend.
The leader of the group explained that she had called me to join them. It dawned on me that I was about to hike with them. Frolicking with the Dirt Girls, I thought I must have died on a big bike ride and now stood at the gates of Heaven. Hey, I didn’t even believe in heaven, but here I was, with angels of the night, passing through a gate. Yep, I must have died.
We climbed into the heavens on the backbone of Jumbo Mountain. I tried to turn back a couple of times, but they gestured for me to continue. I felt like I was being escorted to another place, beyond the world I knew before “the event” that ended my life. I wondered what had killed me. The Dean Stone climb on Sunday? The blizzard on Miller Peak on Monday?
When we reached the top, I pushed away these thoughts as one of the angels swooped up behind me. Surely, they were angels because no one could hike so quietly and swiftly.
“You failed your mission on earth. You tried to find love in a place where love does not exist,” one of them said. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“She hates me.”
“And SHE… killed you. You have a choice now. You can go back; this doesn’t have to be the end. There are others who care about you, and you’ve let them down. You’ve taken chances, giving nature the opportunity to devour you. Do you want to continue?” the Dirt Girl explained.
“Do you know if I will ever find…” I started.
“No, it is not our place to know such things. We are just a bunch of women who love mountain biking. It was your inner wish to be taken to heaven by us… when you left Earth.”
“No, no. I don’t want it to end here. I do want to go back. I’ll allow the people who really care in. I think I’ve learned something here.”
We hiked back down Jumbo, and upon reaching my bike, I suddenly felt cold again. I was feeling. Throughout the entire trip up the mountain, I had been unaware of the cold, sharp wind and extreme conditions. I stood at the trailhead parking lot, shivering, all alone, and cold. I jumped on my bike and rode to a friend’s house. I wanted to be around the very people who loved me, those who had to endure years of worrying whether I would return from the woods.
A dream? Maybe, more like a message. In any case, it’s time for work, and I must check my emails. One catches my eye – a friend. I quickly read it because I’m almost late for work. They were worried about me last night…
Boneshakerbike 
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