As is tradition at Freehub, our final issue of each year centers around the theme of “adventure.” It’s often our toughest edition to produce.

Sifting through thousands of images and tens of thousands of words—all of them portraying the most drool-worthy destinations imaginable—has a way of reminding you that you’re just drooling at a desk. But it also serves as a powerful compass to guide future travel, ideas, and curiosities while conjuring the best memories of our own escapades on two wheels.

While reading Freehub Editor in Chief Brice Minnigh’s intimate profile of Canadian mountain bike legend Matt Hunter, it struck me that I was 15 years old when the film “Roam” was released. There on screen, in Hunter’s indelible riding, I first came to realize mountain biking could transcend the bash-and-smash realm and exist as something more fluid, more natural, more cool. In his decades-long career, Hunter has only honed his ability to blend a casual attitude with less-than-casual skill for an ever-increasing number of devotees in every corner of the world. His edits always showcase interesting places, but it’s the warm, honest connection he finds with local riders and trailbuilders that leaves us, the audience, wanting more.

Many of the contributors to this issue unearthed deeply personal themes in recounting their adventures. In his ghostly, black-and-white multiple-exposure images, Spanish photographer Carlos Blanchard set out to document four close friends on a backcountry ride in the Ötztal Alps near the border of Austria and Italy. The group wanted to push themselves deep in the mountains, but they also aimed to explore the tight connection forged by encountering hardship with others. “We don’t have to pretend when we are together,” observed rider Eva Danner during her trip.

Even the most challenging human adventures, though, can seem small when viewed through the vast lens of our planet’s history. In his ode to New England, mountain bike advocate and geologist Dillon Osleger delves into the profound connection between tectonic events millions of years ago and the revered singletrack that graces the northeastern region of the United States.

Taken together, these stories, like so many adventure tales, paint a picture of people overcoming obstacles and pushing themselves to new physical and psychological heights. But they also share another insight: True adventure will come to any mountain biker who seeks to better understand why they love this sport.