In college, my roommate and I went to Red River Gorge to do some mountain biking. He was from eastern Kentucky and had spent countless hours playing around in “The Gorge.” I had also been to this amazing natural resource, so we felt more than equipped to handle the day trip.

The biking wasn’t all that technical, which was good for a novice like me. While I’m not afraid of some action, I’m not exactly an adrenaline junky either. Some gentle sloping switchbacks and occasional accelerated de...