Another Way to Summit Pilot Butte

A while back this blog featured a story about people carrying a six foot log to the top of the Butte, now there is someone getting up there yet another way:

Photo by John Alexander of Alexander's Photography (click photo for larger view)

This is Bart Wills on his mountain unicycle (also known as a "muni").  He says he lives about a mile
from the Butte and likes to ride over to challenge himself with the ride to the top.  His goal is to make it to the top without stopping and, even though he makes it to the top each time, it will probably take a while to reach his goal.  So keep an eye out for him and make sure you cheer him along.

I met him on the base trail about a week ago and I talked with him by phone today.  Turns out that muni's can usually go on trails that are off limits to bikes.  The reason is they are much slower and they rarely cause problems with hikers.  Bart says he almost always jumps off if he encounters a hiker and he doesn't ride on any popular hiking trails.  He says there is a small group of muni enthusiasts in town and they are all very respectful of hikers.  Btw, when he rides down, it's not much faster than when he goes up.  Unlike a bike, he can't coast.  His legs have to be moving and doing something to maintain balance.  So what he is actually doing on the way down is using his legs to slow the muni down via the peddles.

CLICK HERE for a story about this somewhat new form of outdoor recreation.