The Story of an Evergreen Member Finding Purpose through Mountain Biking
This week, as we continue our end-of-year fundraiser Fund the Adventure, we want to share an inspiring story from one of our Evergreen Members, Mary.
Jeff Brownell was active duty, career military and served first as a Medic, Nurse, the PA-C (Physician’s Assistant Certified) in the Army in the smaller clinics around Joint Base Lewis McChord in Tacoma, WA. He was well liked by all, was very good at his job, and loved riding his bike around the base. With his wife Mary, he raised two strong, independent daughters in Olympia. The oldest, Emme, is now earning her Master’s degree at the University of Washington, and Kate, the younger of the two (a splitting image of her dad), is studying ecology conservation at Montana State University, while volunteering with the Hyalite Fire Department in Bozeman.
He had deployed to the Gulf War, and once home, unfortunately began a second battle with Gulf War Syndrome. Beginning in 2000, rheumatoid arthritis and blood disorders wracked his body, sending him to the hospital for stints of up to 6 weeks and eventually introducing him to experimental chemo treatments, with Mary there every step of the way. On February 27th, 2020 a blockage in his heart sent him once again to the hospital, but this time without Mary. He was rushed into emergency surgery - tragically this episode ended with the heart rate monitor sounding a single, flat tone.
Mary buried herself in her kids and work for the next few years, managing her and her family’s grief, and working hard to ensure the kids remained on their education trajectories. Once they left their home for college she found herself alone and needing to rediscover herself in her new life. She tried anti-depressants, then committed to her gym community, and then she started riding bikes.
I met Mary for the first time at the Tiger Passport ride in August sitting in the Evergreen tent. Liz L. introduced me to her as someone who was riding solo for her sixth time ever on her bike. “Everything was so new and I didn’t know what I was doing. I just knew I had to keep trying.” Mary explained.
Over the course of a couple of rides and conversations, she shared what mountain biking has meant to her. She started riding Jeff’s bike at first; he had ridden it all over the base while he was working there. She struggled with the fit (he was much taller), and eventually went to the local shop and got her own.
“I just had to keep moving in a direction of purpose,” she shared in a matter-of-fact voice. “It’s not always easy, and I’m not doing it to escape or stay distracted. It actually gives me something to focus on.”
While doing a quick lap on a blue flow trail, she was already riding like someone with years of experience, and with some encouragement we dropped into a trail locally famous for being “spicy blue”. There were a couple of fern inspections, but she was nothing but smiles and laughs. Since then Mary has raced at Port Angeles, coming in third in her age group at the Dirty Downhill. Arriving solo, she camped by herself and recalled how completely welcoming and encouraging the community was to her and how she never felt alone.
“The old Mary is not there anymore. I look forward to the next event, getting on the bike, and just going. The mountain biking community is very special. Everyone is fun and welcoming and I didn’t realize how many women were doing it. It’s given me a lot to look forward to and I enjoy it more than I thought. It totally caught me by surprise that I wanted to do downhill!”
Riding for me was a way to find my neighborhood friends growing up, find my independence as a teen, and now an activity to share with my partner and family in our beautiful places. For many others, riding bikes has been a vital part of a process of rediscovery and healing. Look for Mary around the local trails of the South Sound, and at the next race.
As Evergreen continues to build, maintain, and advocate for trails, we remember that facilitating these life-changing experiences is one of the most important functions of our work. Thanks to the support of our community, we’re able to help make these experiences possible.