The Montebello Country Store sits unassumingly on a country road high atop the Blue Ridge Mountains in Nelson County, Virginia. Life is noticeably slower here, with no cell service to be found, but plenty of horses and cattle.
Articles by John Andersen
Crashing into a deer at 30mph wasn’t on my morning ride agenda. One second, I was enjoying the peace of a solo ride in the predawn darkness—then, in an instant, I was airborne, ejected over my handlebars.
Winter has become my favorite season for running, largely attributable to the dark, pre-sunrise skies. I live in a small, mountain town on the East Coast and am beyond fortunate to have a solid 4:30–5 a.m. running crew most days of the week. Although we don’t necessarily articulate it, when we go on our early morning mountain runs we are, to some degree, traveling back in time to a simpler space.
I have come to realize that the true magic moments at Hellgate are indeed the “I have made it this far so that now I may suffer” moments. To have put yourself in a position to really test yourself. Most people don’t ever make it to the beginning of such an exam.
I find myself more and more inextricably tied to the challenge and beauty of running in the mountains. Whether climbing gravel roads, traversing single track or just exploring, mountains become the ultimate test for the...