Thanks, Emily, for saying what i feel when i try more advanced trails. My problem is that i don't mtb enough to get good at it! I'm a cautious road rider to begin with, but road riding feels pretty effortless to me at this point. I think one of the problems is that besides being scared to death half the time I am on a trail (:eek) ,it just takes so much concentration (look this way, get back on the saddle, hold your line, etc) that I end up sticking to the same easier trails where I enjoy being out in the woods and i don't feel so stressed. But secretly, i want to conquer this. It's mostly fear, but I am not really great with balance or technical skills in anything, so it takes me a long time to "get it." I would love to go to a camp next summer. There is one in Vermont; all the rest seem to be out west. I don't mind falling or getting dirty, but I have a lot of trouble with steep climbs, with curves, that are sandy. I am a good climber on the road, so strength isn't a problem. Well, I guess I will keep trying. I tend to mtb more in the fall, so I am looking forward to that.