I first started riding trails in 1998, but not very seriously.  I was in college and needed something to burn up all the free time I had.  Around 2003, riding (mountain and road) became a passion for me and will be for the rest of my life. 

Like everyone else, it seems like every mountain biker I've met is fun to hang out with and ride with.  One ride with that person and it seems like you've known them for years.  I've met some of the nicest and most genuine people on the trails and look forward to meeting many more.

Other than the people, the main reason I ride is pretty simple.  It is FUN.  Someone called mountain biking "dirt surfing" in one of the magazines, I think that is a pretty accurate description.  If finding the flow on a trail and bombing down a dirt path at 25 mph can't get your blood flowing, then someone needs to go ahead and put your ass in a casket.

To answer Daniel's question- mountain biking will be fun on whatever bike you have.  But as you gain more experience and riding becomes your passion (or obsession?), you will definitely feel the need to upgrade.  Having a reasonably light bike that is reliable, pedals good, floats on the downhills, turns on a dime, and stops with power will unquestionably increase the fun factor.  

I was really into to fitness, lifting weights and running.  Also hunted, because I really like to be in the woods.  In early 04 I developed a problem in my Achilles tendon in my right foot while running.  Went to the foot doctor numerous times with no resolution.

 I participated in a fitness orientated forum, similar to this one except its main focus was fitness. The guy that ran the forum was a mountain biker.  He had a sub forum for mountain bikers.  I visited it a couple times out of curiosity.  When the foot problems side lined me from running one of the first things I started thinking about was biking.  I did a spin class or two at the gym and figured out that did not bother my foot.  The foot doctor was telling me that the next step was to put a cast on my foot for six weeks (i didn't like that for obvious reasons) So I started looking for alternatives.  Before buying a mountain bike I checked to see if there where trails in the LKY area.  Sure enough KYMBA came up in my Google search and I discovered there where 5 trail systems with in the immediate Louisville area.  I went out and bought a $500 mountain bike, it was a Raleigh m-80. 

I took the bike out for a spin at Waverly in October 2004 for the first time. I absolutely had a blast.  I felt really good, although I quickly realized that I had lost a lot of fitness and even worse realized I really never had real fitness, I'm sure most on here know what I mean by that. On my first ride I went over the handle bars and ended up in the immediate care center with a broken foot and ankle.  My ankle was broke on both sides and I had a jones fracture, all in my problem right foot.  I had to wear a cast for 8 weeks,then spent another 4 weeks doing rehabilitation.   The whole time I couldn’t wait to get back on the mountain bike.

 Mountain biking was kind of like the entry level drug for me, since 04 I have picked up rock climbing, back packing and snow boarding. I have even done some down hilling at snow shoe.

 The funny thing about the whole ordeal is that wearing that cast for 8 weeks did not do my Achilles tendon any good, safe to say I am glad that I didn’t voluntarily take the foot doctors advice on wearing the cast. :)