Bark Eater Trail Alliance BETA!

Jess got home late, we're heading up for tomorrow into Sunday.  I'll take some shots of course

Chris wrote

What time does Hardy Hour usually get going and end?

Sat I want to check out Dewey, gonna cave and buy the new maps. Been rocking the BETA new shirt as much as possible

Hardy Hour starts @ 6 but some of us get an early lap in @ 5:30.  We ride the west side first and then the east side and then some of us ride the west side again.  lots of opportunity to bail along the way.  beers in the parking lot and this past Friday we brought over a BBQ!

Cave and buy the new maps??  They are awesome and only 10 bucks!  All money goes back into trail work/promotion....  

Working @ Craigwood tonight...  

toured three new friends from the north about this Friday/Sat.  Hardy trails on Friday and then a wake and bike on PMD Saturday morning.  They loved it.  Said they are coming back w/ ten of their friends and staying in Wilmington this time!

them candians love great mtn bike trails!  Grinning ear2ear the whole time!  I love that!  

 

two weeks ago we toured a contributing writter for Dirt Rag around Wilmington.  He loved it! And rearranged his schedule so he can come back in August for three days.  woot woot!  Dirt Rag is cool.


 

Sat we hit Deweybfor the first time...  Down low was wet, walked around the bad stuff to avoid rutting it up. Didn't stay long because of conditions. Seems like in dry weather it'd some great fast riding.

Did a few laps at pisgah also on sat. great loop!  I've been itching to hit those berms. Lots of potential over there for even more trails. Also rode up trail lookers right of the mtn- we kinda lost the trail so we headed down to lodge then rode to top of the mtn.

Sunday AM  rode at Henry's. we got engaged at the upper lookout last year . First time we've been back.  I love the fast riding up there.

Have yet to hit loggers this year. Next time were up I wanna ride to craigwood trails via logger/lussi.

We did get the maps, was happy to see that everyone is sold out in placid.

Sorry Harv- no pics...

Oh yeh... tbatt wussed out!

nice showing SL some love!  Dewey and Pisgah are very fun and once built out will be worth a trip on their own.  Dewey down low is super wet due to 3X the normal amount of rain in May/June.

Craigwood down low is also wet due to above mentioned...

Things are drying out very fast.  LP is riding great except for lumberyard and Wilmington is nearly bone dry except for (PMD) section along science center road and the last low section just before north pole campground easement. To avoid impacts to snowmobile trail we are riding science center road and droping in at the hiking trail to hook back onto PMD.

Thanks for coming up and thanks for purchasing our maps!  

Hope to see you guys out there some time soon!

Chris wrote

Oh yeh... tbatt wussed out!

True story. The dots just weren't aligning for the logistics. If I had my gear before heading North rather than having to drive South to Home then back North to LP, it would have been much easier. Dang. Next time.

Scotty

Where can we get the maps? Placid Planet is sold out.

My son is getting into mt biking so last night we rode the Hardy Road trails.  The coniferous trail is perfect for him.  I wish it was longer.  The "easy" trail on the other side of the road is pretty darn hard for a ten year old.  I liked it.

How hard are the moderate and hard trails in comparison

How do the Flume trails compare? What would suggest to try for a kid

First run of maps completely sold out.  In record time!  Second run should hit the same locations early next week.

Mtn Biking is perfect summer time sport for skiers/riders.  Mtn Biking is pretty much skiing on dirt!!  Keep your son riding and he'll crush it come race season!

Some good beginner loops:

LP
Craigwood - start from the club house building to avoid demanding climb up Jack rabbit trail.  You leave the parking lot behind club house and ride down the old driving range area.  On rider’s left, towards the bottom of the slope, you will see bushwhack trail (short one) to main trail.  Go right and climb gradual to the height of land and then return.  We built a lollipop loop on Monday and you may want to avoid that.  It has some tenchical features on it and returns via a steep burst climb to height of land. On the way down, you can feel comfortable passing the bushwhack and continuing right at an intersetion onto an awesome bermed section that flows for a short distance to a main junction where you will go left for the short climb back to golf course.

Lussi Property - Cinderella Story, Heron's Loop and Twisted Sister are best for beginners.  Very winey single track that is relatively devoid of too many rocks and roots.  Some short burst climbs.  Be sure you have the maps as these trails  can be confusing.  Lot of intersections.

LP:  Peninsula Trails out behind HOJOs are really kid friendly and lead to Lake Placid outlet.  

Wilmington:  Hardy – Coniferous and then go up All In for short distance till you hit intersection and bail right.  Will bring you back to Hardy Road.  Or you could reverse course and retrace your tracks back to trailhead.  

On West side (across from trailhead parking) , Double Time to second intersection of Make Believe or Double Time to the boardwalks and reverse back to Make Believe.  Upper Twisted Pine is great tread w/ some moderate climbing.  Twisted Pine in the descend direction is also great tread w/ fun switchbacks.  The lower section of Twisted Pine is super beginner friendly again in the descend direction.

Safe Bet is more technical and Good Luck is a demanding technical climb/descend with lots of opportunity to bash yourself.

All IN is a 760+ vertical switchbacked climb that leads to an awesome view of WF and a most excellent patch of blueberries to recharge the engine.  The trail lollipops out on top. This is the one!  People love it despite the grueling climb.  The descend is a powder day quality ride that results in the permaGrin ear2ear face....

FLUME:  Delta and Erratic are very beginner friendly as well as the Upper and Lower Connector trail.   Lower Connector runs right along Ausable River.  Bluff trail is sweet but has a couple tough spots for a ten year old.  Be sure to hit up new deck on Hungry Trout post ride!

Saranac Lake:  Still kinda demanding for 10 year old but there is a kids ride that the Friends of Dewey Mtn organize.  Look up that crew.  Some very good riders participate.

Thanks Scotty

My son is going to a week long dry land camp for racers later this summer at Stowe.  Mt biking is a big part of there camp along with roller blading thru gates.

Are old farts like me welcome on your group rides?

Scotty, what the heck do you mean by lollipop.....in the early stages, but I think a few of us may try and get up there late summerish for a day or 2 of riding.

We did Hardy Road (west side) on Saturday morning in pouring rain. Rode Make Believe, Twisted Pine, Good Luck and Safe Bet before the rain got to be too much. Wanted to go back on Sunday, but we went kayaking instead. Awesome time, though. Barkeater Trails are so nicely built.

Lollipop is a trail that would look like a lollipop from above or does look like a lollipop on a map.  or for another visual think of a golf ball sitting on a tee...

let us know when you come up so we can be sure to put out some serious redneck hospitality!  

Hardy Hour is a fun ride.  Everyone is welcome.  We always let the last person catch their breath before taking off again.

glad you had a good time.  Sounds like it may have rainned harder in Wilmington than LP on Sat.  

We started around 11 in LP and got caught in a few showers but nothing bad.  By mid day it cleared and by late afternoon it was perfect riding weather!

bunch of trees came down Friday during Hardy Hour.  One huge whitepine at the west side entrance.  Needed the chainsaw Saturday morning to clear that one!

ScottyJack wrote

Lollipop is a trail that would look like a lollipop from above or does look like a lollipop on a map.  or for another visual think of a golf ball sitting on a tee...

let us know when you come up so we can be sure to put out some serious redneck hospitality!

Gotcha......I'll be in touch....prolly be staying in that same camp, that place was right up our alley.

fun stuff up there for sure - hoping to get back this year!

Wednesday night "booze crusie" fun.  Ty's Ties trail - Loggers loop zone.

IMG_2056.MOV

Side shot for perspective on Ty's ties drop -