The dusty road paralleling WY22 was engulfed with a colorful pallet of wildflowers. Arriving to the Mail Cabin trailhead, Chris Brule started gearing up while chatting on the phone with a big smile.  "That was my dad", he said laughing after catching up with his father. He didn't even try to explain the backcountry ride he was about to embark on, immersed in alpine flora on a trail that would showcase Mountain Bike the Tetons work, but he was still excited to squeeze in a quick chat before going to ride a local favorite.

Lathering on the last bit of sun screen, and grabbing his Sentinel, he dropped off the lot, passing a stripped fir tree and plowed through a babbling stream. "The old bridge got washed out in a storm and wasn't up to Forest Service code. We'll use that fir up there and work with the Forest Service to build a new bridge" he said, rolling along the creek leading up the Mail Cabin canyon. 

At the base of towering ridges he came to a Y. "These trails were originally used for moving livestock, so in a lot of places they once went straight up the mountains." he said pointing at the direct route and then at the mellow ribbon of trail they had cut a few years ago. "We were tasked to bench cut this to give folks a more enjoyable route to gain the ridge". Following the switchbacks stacked like layer cake, he emerged from the valley floor to some views of Teton pass and a small glimpse of the Grand Teton. "Man, this feels good not having to climb up here with a chainsaw on my back," he said with a chuckle, explaining that before becoming the executive director in January 2023, he was the trails director for 5 years. 99% of the trails are on forest service land, some are non-motorized while some are motorized. Mail Cabin is non motorized, so, even for trail work, you cant use an ebike.