Not surprised at the turn of events at Kingdom Trails

The buzz in the Northeast (US) mountain biking community right now is how the Kingdom Trails riding area just got decapitated by three land owners who have pulled out of the land use collective.  The areas in the map below indicate the properties that are NO LONGER open to mountain bikes. 

Those are some of the best trails on Darling Hill that just got closed off because of mountain bikers  being disrespectful to other users. While it's a sad day for mountain biking in the Northeast it's not surprising. It seems that there is a total lack of respect in the mountain biking community towards other users and land owners that allow us to ride on their property. 

You might not realize this but the State of Connecticut is a big land owner in which many, many miles of mountain bike trails traverse. What would happen if the State decided that mountain biking was no longer allowed in our state parks and forests? Connecticut mountain bikers would go nuts! Just because its public land and you pay taxes doesn't give you the right to build illegal trails. In fact when that happens, it hinders others that are trying to get more legal trails built on State lands from doing so. 

Being respectful to the land owners and those that build the trails also goes for knowing when not to ride the trails.  Case in point, two weeks ago, on Friday and Saturday (12/13 & 12/14), the area got 3 to 4 inches of rain. On Sunday, no one should have been riding trails in this area. If you really needed to ride, should have tried one of the local rail trails or a more sensible thing to do would be to go out and do a little trail maintenance. That's what I did last Sunday. It seems, however, that people elected to ride Upper Paugussett, given all the ruts that I found on the trails during the snow/ice storm we had the following Tuesday. 

Weather patterns have changed significantly in Northeast and it's now pretty common to see milder temperatures in November and December and with the freeze/thaw cycle, accompanied by a rain means you need to stay off the trails longer right now than you normally would have to in the Summer. 

The trails at Upper Paugussett used to drain well, that is until someone kept leaf blowing trails in the fall for a few years ago and took away that protective barrier that helped drain the trails quickly. It seems like that person is no longer doing that but unfortunately the proverbial damage has been done.  Now there are muddy sections where there were none which are leading to trail braids because no one wants to fix the problems they created.

Making changes to the trail, or closing off sections that you don't agree with, is also not being respectful to the land owner or the people who built the trail. I wonder how many people that go in to do work actually have permission to do so? If I am planning a major work day I always let the land manager know of the event. I have seen some recent re-routes that I know no permission was sought. In fact, one of the re-routes closed off a fun technical section. If you can't ride it or it slows your time on a Strava segment, don't take away another person's challenge. This change along with the removal of a few up and overs is evidence of dumbing down taking place. Improve your skills and don't change the trail!  

Don't let what happened at Kingdom Trails happen here in Connecticut! Folks are working hard to get more access and expand trail systems.  Illegal trail building makes it harder to convince land owners that we are respectful to their property and grant us permission to build more legitimate trails. Not riding after a rain or during a thaw further tarnishes our our credibility and makes us look like a bunch of self entitled pricks with no respect for the land.

Don't be that guy!

2013 NEMBAFest at Kingdom Trails

My second NEMBAFest and I stayed once again at the workers campsite.  It was touch and go on whether we would be camping here again or have to camp at the main site.  If the Cutter Inn ever get's renovated then this could be it.  Besides being separated from the main area and having indoor bathrooms and showers, the best thing about camping here is being on a flat surface!  There was just one drawback, the pool wasn't working this year.

I learned a lot from last year which made camping out this year much more pleasant, like don't bring a ton of food and bring a great tent!  The family tent got upgraded this year to an LL Bean King Pine Dome 6.  The key thing about this tent compared to most of the other tents you see out on the market that sleep 6 or more people is the full fly!  You have to have a full fly if you are going to camp out with any potential for rain.  The last tent we had did not and when ever it rained we were miserable.  It did rain at NEMBAFest but this tent performed superbly.

Bacon, eggs, and coffee was my standard breakfast fare.  I made hot dogs the first night on the charcoal grill but it took so long to heat up when I finally got the coals going (that took awhile) I was lamenting not getting a gas grill.  Definitely going on the list for next time.

When I got to NEMBAFest on Friday, after pitching the tent, which only took me 25 minutes I had to run back to Burke Mountain Lodge to work the NEMBAFest Tent for my first shift so I never got to ride again Friday.  I made up for that on Saturday.

 

 I met up with Peter Finch, a CT NEMBA board member who works security at the venue and we hit the trails really early and it was awesome because there was practically no one else on the trails.  It's like we had the whole place to ourselves.

We rode the south side of Darling hill, mostly along the river with the intent of hooking around to the Chapel and ride the trails around Sidewinder.  Those trails were in phenomenal shape despite all the wet weather Vermont had been having.  

We rode up to the Chapel just as the caretaker showed up to open the place up.  It's a magnificent piece of architecture.  We were able to go inside and cool off a bit and refill our water bottles.  From there we rode down Old Webs to Sidewinder, back up on West Bench and then back towards the center of Darling Hill on Fox Run.  Peter had to head back so I went on to ride Toady's Tour, back up River Walk (awesome climb) and back down Troll Stroll.

Rather than ride back up River Walk again, I headed the other direction and rode Eager Beaver, and more along the river but then split off from the main trail and rode Charlotte's Outback to the big rest and eating area just west of the Chapel.  Had some noodle salad and banana for lunch.  

Riding back on Vast and then Bill Magill, I wanted to finish the ride with a good rip down Kitchel and great rip indeed it was!  That is of course it kind of went to crap when I wiped out on Hasp and got a nice gash on my leg.  

When I got to East Burke the shuttle had just left and since I would have to ride back to where I was staying anyway I just rode up Shellburne Falls Road.  I was surprised not to find any Strava Segements on this climb but it was worth doing it.  I finished the ride at 25 miles!  After working my shift, having dinner at the Tamarack Grill, I went to the main camping area where I met up with some friends at a wedding reception.  A couple from West Hartford got married at NEMBAFest!

 

Thou shall ride Single Speed!

Lord, my God, Thank You for Your Blessed Creation, these mountains and open skies.  I am Your creature and I am grateful to be able to enjoy and experience Your goodness found all around me as I ride my single speed through this land. 

 Bless me as I travel these paths.  Keep me safe from danger.  Even in recreation, help be to be close to You.  Help me to know that every good thing comes from You.

Fill my life with Your mercy, hope, faith and love and may I use all that is around me with care.  Lord, bless my journey today and every day.

Amen

Down hilling tip: Don't ride rigid, even on a fat bike!

Keith Coughlin took this Carver, Ti O'Beast fat bike for demo ride but I don't recall what he said about it or whether he liked it.  That prompted me to give it a whirl.

Now, I don't know much about what a fat bike should weigh but this O'Beast was light!  Rolling on Surly Bud and Lou, 4.8" wide tires, and it felt like the John Deere tractor my great grandfather had back in Wisconsin that went anywhere and everywhere!

One major drawback is that the O'Beast doesn't fit on the rim hooks for the chairlift so I had to carry the bike in my lap.  Thankfully, it was light enough that it was really no trouble to hold onto the bike.  My first ever down hill ride, on the fat bike was on the Rolly Grail trail.  Not terribly challenging but a good warm up for something harder.

Harder, and even more fun was Jester.  Riding the fat bike, downhill, was intense and thrilling.  Reminded me of riding in a M-60 tank where the suspension smoothed out the ride while the gun barrel smoothly tracked it's target.  Overall it was a great ride and would like to try it again with some snow on the ground.  Riding this way is not a replacement for full suspension because the following day I was very sore!

Kingdom Trails: Eager Beaver

Trippy version

Kingdom Trails: Tap and Die

Kingdom Trails: Left to my own devices on Sunday

 

Sunday, decided to ride by myself because I had to be on the road by noon in order to get back to Connecticut before 5 PM to be with my sons.  Plan was to climb Darling Hill again, this time On the Spot, then hit Pastore Point, take rip down Troll Stroll and then head over to the Sugarhouse Run and take some pics of the old building and finally finish it off with a run down Kitchel with helmet cam running.

As I was riding towards Darling Hill Tim Post and his sons passed me in the their truck and I waved them over and asked if I could bum a ride up the hill but then a sense of foreboding overcame me and I had a feeling that I forgot to lock my car.  They said they would wait while I went to go make sure the car was locked.  Only took two minutes and then I threw my bike on back of the truck and held onto to it through the window. 

I made a few wrong turns before finally getting to Pastore Point and the lookout over the river which cost me some time and I missed some trails that I wanted to ride because I took a wrong turn down Cup Cake when I should have stayed on Loop and headed over to West Darling Hill Road to ride Harp.  Oh well, there is always next year.

I still can't get over how dreamy the spot rides!

   


Very inviting, reminds me of the places I used to camp at in California when I was a kid

Much hotter on Sunday!

After climbing up Coronary, I ran into Tim again and he took me over to Troll Stroll (click for the two different versions) because everyone at the camp was raving about this trail.  I think I shot some good helmet cam on this trail but once again it's a little shaky because of the mounting on the camera.  I really need a full susser and mount it to the bike!  At the bottom, you have to climb back out.  The easy way is to head south to more trails that I had ridden the day before, like Eager Beaver and River Run but I was running out of time and the run to the Sugar House didn't look like it was in the cards this time around.  Instead, we took the hard way and climbed up River Walk.  I had to walk for the first time.

Grades on this trail ranged from 7% to 23% and both Tim and I walked the steepest section but his son, ahh to be young again, climbed everything thing.  Of course I probably could have climbed this section, too, with Granny's help but the Spot doesn't have a Granny.  Kingdom Trails should rename this trail to Heartbreak Hill!

 
We cut across the fields back to The Inn at Mountain View Farm and headed down to Kitchel.

We parted company at the bridge and after packing up the bike and my gear headed over to the shower so I could be clean for the ride home, which only took four and half hours!  

Getting back home I have already started thinking about next year's visit.  For one thing, the Burke Chamber of Commerce definitely wants to have NEMBAFest again and they have already set the dates for June 21 through 23, 2013!  I think I am going to either buy or rent a pop-up camper and stay closer to the event to take advantage of the bike demos and other things going on while still sleeping/camping in a more orderly fashion!  I have come to realize that while it's kind of fun, I hate tent camping!  I think I will also plan on getting there earlier and bring the Monster Cross to do some gravel grinder riding the first day, too!  Might be fun to take the Monster Crosser on the trails, too!

Kingdom Trails: Troll Stroll, Take 2

A little Thrash Metal version featuring Exodus

Kingdom Trails: Troll Stroll, Take 1

YouTube version.
Tim Post featured here riding a Salsa El Mariachi 29er, Steel

Kingdom Trails: Sidewinder

Glenn is in the lead

Single Speeding Darling Hill at Kingdom Trails

Rode the Kona Unit 29er with Paula and Glenn on Saturday at Darling Hill

We didn't feel like waiting around for a shuttle from Burke Mountain, so we rode down the hill to East Burke and then up Darling Hill to the trail head.  It was fun on the singlespeed.

 

Took a long break on Eager Beaver and ran into some
fellow NEMBA members on the trail

 

 

Found this lunch spot at the top of Sidewinder

 

Paula and Glenn enjoy a nice break

The Chapel

Burke Mountain

Jesus does ride a mountain bike!

Goin' to the Chapel and we're gonna get ... 

Looking towards Stowe and Burlington

I don't need a bike blessing, I ride a Singlespeed 29er!

 

At the end of Violet's Outback

Post Ride Ice Cream at Chappy's

 

Bike Raggers

Maine's Muddy Boots Ice Cream