One day this past June, Harlan Price gathered a group of riders before setting out for a day of backcountry riding in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in western Virginia.

“From this parking lot, we are about an hour and a half away from the nearest shock trauma hospital,” Harlan said. “An evacuation from the trails we are riding today—about half a day away.”

These sober words weren’t meant to scare riders Jali Fernando, Maddie West, and Trae Shelton, but rather to set expectations and provide a reality check to these newcomers to remote, unsupported, adventure mountain biking.

Riders who are new to backcountry excursions are part of a growing demographic of clients for Harlan and Phoebe Price’s Take Aim Cycling, a company that provides guiding, coaching, and shuttling services in and around Shenandoah Valley. This trend mirrors a larger explosion of visitation to public lands for outdoor recreation that spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained steady.

After a safety briefing in the parking lot, bikes were loaded up on the Take Aim shuttle van so Phoebe could drive the group up the 3,000-foot climb to the summit of Reddish Knob, the second tallest peak in Virginia. Phoebe and Harlan know that many casual mountain bikers don’t have the time to fully develop a baseline of fitness that allows for regular long days in the saddle, so they frequently use shuttles to give riders a leg up at the beginning of bigger backcountry days. Take Aim’s mission for its backcountry arm is to make this style of riding more accessible to those that have an interest and some basic fitness and skills. Information is provided to ensure attendees are armed with the knowledge they need to have a good day, from advice on bike prep to emergency supplies to have on hand to fitness and skill requirements.

At the top of Reddish Knob, Phoebe shared bits of information about the area and pointed out some other local mountain bike hotspots such as the Massanutten Bike Park. Harlan checked in with the riders and made sure that fixes he’d recommended earlier when meeting everyone had been taken care of—West was sent to check on a couple bolts. Shelton was told to slightly up his tire pressure. Fernando now had extra fruit snacks. Despite a lifetime of lessons in the woods, Harlan doesn’t assume that everyone carries the same intrinsic bicycle knowledge that he does.