A recent headline said wives can help reverse the trend of declining male friendship.
That was old news for my wife and two of her friends. Months ago, they planned a guys weekend in Mammoth for me and my longtime friends and riding buddies James and Mike.
We had done a similar trip years ago and talked often about scheduling another one. Not surprisingly, it took wifely initiative and organization to make it happen. They coordinated our calendars for a four-day weekend, booked a condo and then surprised us with the news.
We made the most of it, spending two days fishing, two days mountain biking and every day eating.
Rolling out of Santa Clarita at sunrise on a Friday morning, we arrived in Mammoth by late morning. We dropped our gear at the condo and then hit The Warming Hut for a hearty lunch to fuel our afternoon of hiking and fishing at Arrowhead Lake.
Armed with local intel and lures from Troutfitter, we made the short, steep hike from the parking lot near Coldwater Campground with purpose and optimism. There were many bites (Not on my line.), but only one recorded catch between us. No matter: It was nice to simply be in the mountains and enjoy the cool air and alpine scenery.
Our day ended at Distant Brewing, where we sipped locally-made beer and sampled a giant pretzel and chorizo nachos on the patio.
The next morning also started early; this time to secure a convenient parking spot near the gondola at Mammoth Mountain Bike Park. Our plan worked. So well in fact, that we were the first riders on the gondola.
That meant we had the trails to ourselves for the initial ride of what would turn out to be a crowded Saturday. We dropped into Off the Top and zig-zagged down the bald, rocky face of the mountain's backside under a bluebird sky. Below the tree line, Beach Cruiser turned flowy, curving around pines and leading us back to the gondola.
We spent the rest of the day going where others weren't. That's the beauty of biking Mammoth. The mountain absorbs a large volume of riders thanks to its multiple lifts and extensive trail network, offering varying degrees of difficulty. With minimal exploration, it's easy to find long stretches of single-track to call your own.
Another Mammoth exploration priority is food. Mike had been talking up the duck burrito served at Roberto's Cafe, so that was our consensus choice for dinner. After a long day of riding, it was exactly what we hoped for - tasty and filling.
We must have been lagging the next morning. We were the second group to board the gondola.
But we put in another full day's work on the bikes, which earned another big dinner. Someone mentioned steak, so we headed to The Mogul for ribeyes. As fantastic as they were, I would go back just for the spinach artichoke dip appetizer.
We didn't slow down on our last day in Mammoth. We had lines in the water at lower Twin Lakes before sun-up. With fishing, early doesn't always mean lucky, however. We caught a beautiful mountain sunrise, but no fish.
We made one last stop before departing on the drive home. The Stove is a Mammoth breakfast favorite. That means waiting for a table, but the chicken fried steak and eggs were worth it.
Appreciation and anticipation naturally follow such a great trip. The three of us were very thankful for our wives' willingness to let us go - and to plan our trip.
And that got us looking forward to the next one - which we should plan for our wives so they can enjoy their own well-deserved weekend away.
Eric Harnish lives, rides and eats in Castaic.

LET'S GO!
The Warming Hut
thewarminghutmammoth.com
Distant Brewing
distantbeer.com
Mammoth Bike Park
insidescv.com/mammothbikepark
Roberto's Cafe
robertoscafe.com
The Mogul
themogul.com
The Stove
thestoverestaurantmammoth.com