I was sixteen years old racing a DRZ400e in the Expert (A) class of the PNWMA series in Western Canada, and this weekend I travelled to the town of Castlegar with my family to race the annual Tree Hugger Hare Scramble.

I woke up at six a.m. in the Chilliwack mall parking lot. After vigorously rubbing my eyes open, I turn the key to start my big red van, and the diesel motor rumbles to life. Ozzy Osbourne’s “Over the Mountain” comes from the door speakers, with the distinctive shutter the blown passenger side has had for the last two years.