You'll quickly find a theme here; mountain biking in Evergreen is my number one summer fun activity. We are lucky here in Evergreen with places like Alderfer/Three Sisters, Didesse, Elk Meadow and Bergen Peak all within a reasonable distance. My first time up Bergen Peak was back in 1996 or '97, and I was on a fully rigid (meaning no shocks or fancy technology) mountain bike. It was love at first ride.

Serendipitously, I met my husband-to-be in '98, who lived in Evergreen, at a mountain bike festival in Winter Park and we had our first date at Alderfer/Three Sisters. It was love at first ride.

Life has many twists and turns and like for most of us, it's totally unpredictable. How I have landed as a manual therapist and movement trainer is like one preparatory stepping stone to the next. While it's tough to narrow down the best of 17,155, and counting, days on earth, here are my top 4.

Wedding Day

On a rainy day in August, during one of our drought-stricken summers, I was married to the guy I met in Winter Park some 5 years prior. To get to our place of ceremony, my cousin unconditionally agreed to ride a tandem mountain bike in the rain from Vail to high up on the mountain somewhere outside of Beaver Creek. Guests arrived, the sun appeared, we feasted and celebrated well and off we went down the mountain, newly married. Seventeen years and lots of adventure later, here we are still in beautiful Evergreen.

Breckenridge 100

After having completed many mountain bike races over the years and a handful of distance ones to boot, I figure, why not attempt the hardest one in Colorado? Breckenridge 100 anyone? This one made me dig deep. This one was well over 12 hours full of physical and emotional ups and downs with some incredible views, elevation gain and 6 or so years of post-race hamstring recovery. It was ultimately what lead me to Rolfing Structural Integration. And truly, it was one of the most amazing days of my life.

Graduation from RISI

Fast forward through many years of physical therapy, MRI's, massages, injections and the like, I found Rolfing. This modality of hands on therapy was unique in its approach and yet complimentary to all the other work I had tried. The work was impactful enough that I eventually changed careers from graphic design. The challenges of anatomy, physiology and intensity of class work made graduation day from the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration insanely sweet and a great honor.

Certification in Movement

With 9 fulfilling and insightful years in my private practice, I have had the honor to work with many people on their journey through life. For the past 6 years, my continuing education has been geared towards the science of pain. As it turns out, it's a REALLY complex and individual experience!! One thing kept poking at me through my own experiences and that of others, movement. Movement, for most but not all, is pain relieving. It's an analgesic. This is why the field of physical therapy is based on "physical". Through colleagues, I was introduced to yet another weirdly named system of work called the Gyrotonic Expansion System. It is an incredible movement practice that gently gets the spine working in ways we thought were all but lost. That mobility leads to strength, stability and the resiliency needed to meet life's demands. It nudges us into moving more like we did as kids.

Commuting to my office in Bergen Village via a ride through Elk Meadow is all part of a perfect summer day. Whether it's riding a bicycle, hiking the local trails in Evergreen, paddling on Evergreen Lake or taking a drive through the breathtaking scenery, we are one fortunate bunch to be able to call Evergreen home.

Evergreen Movement Studio is located in Bergen Village and provides one-on-one movement lessons designed specifically for you! If you want to learn more, peruse over the website and give me a call to discuss your needs and goals. I'm happy to help you move like a kid again. evergreenmovementstudio.com, emstudio@comcast.net, 303-807-4980.