About 2 miles short of the summit, though, we came into a marvelous old growth forest, and EVERYTHING after this was not just rideable, but a major full-on rip.

Like Devil's Gulch and the other really great trails, Mt. Constitution has a distinct personality, combining a bit of the west side of the Cascades (gnarly roots, mossy glades, big trees) with a bit of the east side (more open forest floor, sunshine, and a "piney" appearance due to the presence of lodgepole pine).

The trails on Constitution tend to be quite wide with a mellow, soft surface of conifer needles. I loved to watch the rider in front of me cut his lines through the turns because the lines scribed in the duffy trail like a wax crayon. With the exception of a bucket full of very sharp switchbacks, I didn't encounter any terribly technical sections on Constitution, or any stunts of the sort that one sees all over Galbraith. Of course, if you want more technical riding, you just have to ride it faster.

After four plus hours in the saddle, we took a brief break for dinner before getting back on our bikes after dark for a circuit of Mountain Lake with lights. This was a pretty easy jaunt (660 verts in 50 minutes), but I enjoyed it tremendously because it was my first night ride. My new Nite Rider Digital Pro 6 handle bar light performed flawlessly, although it did take a little getting used to.

The power of the little halide lights is impressive, but so too is the power of the darkness. Under heavy forest at night, the dark rules. If you turn off your light, you better be on your bike because if not you probably won't be able to find it again without help, even if you're just a foot away. Better yet, keep your finger on the switch because you might not be able to find that again in the dark either, even if you're sitting on your bike.

I found that when I jumped in the air coming off water bars, etc., my light rose up with me and the trail below was plunged into darkness! Gotta get those landings figured out before you leave the ground. It also became apparent that the twistier the trail, the more trouble you had seeing the trail ahead. One solution is to mount one light on the bars and one light on your helmet, so that the light always follows your eyes.

Approximately 5300 verts.

This is my first 40,000-plus vert month at 40,031 vertical feet climbed. It also puts me over 100,00 verts for the year at 104,079 vertical feet climbed.

Vert Quest chronicles "The Man Known As Mongo's" pursuit of the World Record for climbing on a mountain bike, 404,000 vertical feet, or the vertical equivalent of 13 sea-level-to-summit ascents of Mt. Everest during a 12 month period. Mongo's mountain bike climbing tricks are distilled in Mongo's Over-the-top Guide to Climbing.