Sunday, September 25, 2011

Page Hill Trail Day Recap


What a day! The temps were great, bugs were worse in the parking lot than they were on the trails and we had a good sized crew to work our way through some burly terrain.  Our new trail 'The Dude Abides' is no joke.  Good amount of vert and a good amount of technical features as well.  Today we built a span across a wet area / washout, a ladder bridge up and over a boulder as well as some serious rock work up on the ridge.

We don't mess around. Not even a little bit.

Luckily we have the means to get some heavier tools in number back to the work area.  We weren't kidding when we said Page Hill was big.

Matt, Scott and I got to work on a little bridge project just off the power lines in the morning to get us over and past a little washout / wet area.  Took us a few hours but we are pretty pleased with the outcome.  Slight camber to it, should be fun to ride.

 Matt making artisinal chainsaw cuts

 Scott analyzing camber angles


Matt scouring the boards for a bit of traction

I forgot to get any pictures of Matt and my second project, the ladder bridge up and over a large boulder.  Went in faster than expected and is already nice and solid.  And a few of the oak slat's we used were harder than our nails so it should be good to go for at least awhile.  I lost count of how many nails gave up as we tried to pound them in.

We finished off the day with a collected effort to get a large 1 ton (at least) boulder into place up on the ridge.  I can't speak personally to all the work that went in up there but I walked that section of the trail in the afternoon and I was blown away by the amount of rock work that went in.  Nice work guys...maybe someone can chime in on this post for a true account of the toil.

 BIG

 HEAVY


 but nothing two rocks bars and a tub of elbow grease can't handle

in its new home

We got a lot of help and expertise from Ryan O. of Pinnacle fame.  You know you are in good shape if you have the Trail Boss from one of the most respected MTB spots in New England on hand.  We didn't quite make it down to Page Bypass but we are close.  Close enough to probably finish it off with some impromptu work here and there before the snow flies.

I just keep getting more and more excited about Page Hill the more singletrack we get cut in.  Such an excellent mix of terrain.  Its tough terrain to build in but it will be so worth it.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Mighty Chicken: A Tribute

Got a little creative this weekend and paid homage to one of our local crown jewels.  Enjoy, and get out and ride! I don't know about you but riding temps are getting just about perfect and one more cold snap and all those bugs will probably be dead!


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Page Hill Trail Day Sunday Sept 25th!

We need help finishing off and naming "Trail 4"!  We are closer to having our initially planned loop in place but Page Hill is huge and we need all the help we can get to get these last bits of singletrack in place before the snow flies.

Come to Page Hill on Sunday Sept 25th, Registration will be from 8-9am at the base of the driveway to the cabins on Murray Hill Rd. in Hill, NH. Paste these coordinates into Google Maps for directions: 43.533398,-71.768072

Parking will be on the driveway, in the new grass lot and along the road as needed.

A map to the work area will be left at the registration area after 9am in case you are running late and you need to find us.



Tools and water will be supplied (but bringing a rake and some loppers always helps!). Bring snacks and some work gloves.  You might also want to bring your bike to ride out to the work area, it is a ways off the road and would be accessed quickest by bike.  We hope to see you there!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Advanced Beginner Ride



We had our best turnout so far last Friday with 13 people showing up to ride. There were all riding levels including 3 couples and 2 kids who did a super job. Everyone had a great time with the faster riders waiting at the next trail junction chatting until the others got there. The trails are in great shape and we did a little trail work but you still need to be aware that there is debris in spots still and be a little more cautious. The lower trails are definitely surreal all covered in white mud and silt and it felt a little wintery. Chris

Friday, September 2, 2011

Group Ride at Franklin Falls



We rode at the dam Thursday night with a crew 10-strong, including a nice mix of regulars and new faces. We hit all the trails except Salmon Brook, which still would've required a snorkel. There are still a few small puddles on the lower trails, but everything was really in great shape.

Sniper is packing in very quickly. It already rides like a well established trail, even in the middle section that we left roughed-in, but not completed. We rode it both directions and both were equally fun.

Silt on the leaves from the flooding gave the the Old Bench Extension a fun, spooky feel.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Bees!

Just an FYI to local riders.  User 'jamishead' posted on the NEMBA forums that he was greeted by some yellow jackets while riding Rusty Bucket yesterday and was stung in the face...OUCH!

http://www.nemba.org/forums/showthread.php?27321-Yellow-Jackets-on-Rusty-Bucket

So ride real fast and don't stop to rest, or avoid the trail altogether if you are allergic. 

You'd think this would BEE an issue on BEE Trail...but you'd BEE wrong.  Thanks, I'll BEE here all week....BEE sure to tip your waitress.