New England Mountain Bike Association, Central CT Chapter: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

TA Report: Upper Paugussett State Forest

A little tree blocking the Jeep trail

Date: 2010-10-31
Condition of the trail: Crunchy

Observations: The Upper Gussy trail at Upper Paugussett State Forest is barely discernable with all the leaves down. I have been meaning to blaze the trail but just haven't gotten around to it but now that it's an official state trail, well it's always been official but it now shows up on the official State map, I think I better get work on that. On the way in I came across a small tree blocking the Jeep Road and thought that it might make a good deterrent should an ATV get into this side of the forest so I piled up more branches and opened it up on the side. See how long it lasts.

Further up the trail I found that someone moved the log that Paula cut so you don't have to do the log as an up and over and rather you can ride around it. That's really no big deal because eventually I am going to move the logs and make skinnies out of them. I also enhanced a minor up-and-over with a new rock that now rolls much sweeter, now.

But here is something that I don't understand. Someone moved one of the logs at this up-and-over. It was moved into a spot that forms a choke point that then sets you up perfectly to roll the obstacle but who ever did this, I don't think it was their intention. I think they were trying to make the up-and-over easier. This appears to be the first case of dumbing down the trail that I have seen. I enhanced the choke point a little more which lines you up perfectly for the up-and-over. I will have to keep an eye an out for any additional dumbing down along the trail.

Date of Activity: October 31, 2010

Location: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

Condition of Trail(s): Leaf covered and dry

Observations: I received permission from the LM to re-blaze all the trails in Weber Woods because most are very faded and several poorly placed; contacted Paula Burton and Alex Sokolow for guidance on painting blazes and also found a great guide on line; I parked in the east lot with one other truck, filled the map box, and headed out on the green trail with my tools to the upper yellow; I have never done this before, so I wanted to start small and get a feel for proper technique before I tackled the other trails; took one camera shot before my batteries died, then used my phone for the after; I learned that careful spot prep is key, that my lexan stencil was really only good for drawing a nice outline and not for the actual painting, and that I needed a larger carrier to better organize my stuff; completed the work in both directions, and hiked back enjoying the weather and scenery; a gorgeous Halloween day.

Trail Ambassador Name: Don Hazuka

TA Report: Upper Gussy

Date of Activity: 10/31/2010
Trail Ambassador: Rick Brodsky
Trail Conditions: Excellent Fall Conditions.
Observations: 54 degrees at about 1:30. With the wind it felt more like 40 degrees. The trails were fairly dry but everything is pretty well covered by leaves. Took the Polly Brody fire road up to the Upper Gussy trailhead. All the fun features are in good shape. Didn't see any other riders. There were several hikers leaving from the lot. Two of them had dogs off leashes. Gave directions to 2 people. There was some debris on the doubletrack leading out to the Scenic Road. I was just about to clear it when I realized some of the limbs had been cut cleanly by a saw. I left it figuring someone had put it there purposely. Maybe to block the quads.

TA Report: Millers Pond

Date of Activity: 10/31/10
Condition of Trails(s): Dry
Trail Ambassador Name: David Francefort
Observations: Got a great tour of Millers from Jon Peterson (Pukemaster), who took a small group of around to see all the goodies. We did have to stop and repair one log ride. Apparently a hiker has been destroying all the stuntery and Jon is in the process to catch him in the act.

The Creature from Millers Pond Ride this Sunday 10/31.

The Creature from Millers Pond Ride this Sunday 10/31.

Don't miss the awesomest ride of the autumn this Sunday Halloween morning. Costumes optional but come ready for a challenging ride. The pictures give an idea of what Millers Pond has to offer. Trails are built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers and intended as an intermediate to advanced riding area. There are lots of steep rock faces, log skinnies and drop ins to that require guts and skill.

There will be a 2 ½ to 3 hour advanced ride that will cover the entire red trail. The pace will be intermediate with opportunity to retry interesting sections. There will also be a shorter intermediate ride on the xc-oriented section of the red trail.

Meet in the parking lot on Foothills road at 9 AM. Rides will start shortly thereafter, giving everyone a chance to get home for Halloween.

Directions: From route 9 take exit 11, route 155/Randolph Rd. Left at end of ramp (from north or south). Left at stop light onto Millbrook Rd. At the fork bear left onto Foothills Rd, follow up the hill, through the stop sign, and to the parking lot on right.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

TA Report: Rocky Neck State Park

Date of Activity: October 28, 2010

Location: Rocky Neck State Park

Condition of Trail(s): heavy leaf coverage

Observations: Sun popped out around 1:30 here so I decided to hit the trail for a quick spin. Rain knocked a good bit of the leaves down and there was still a moist coating making for a slipper ride. Kinda stayed on the fire roads after not being able to stop a few times. Cruised the campsite once again and the access roads and got some good "leaf peeping" in...

Trail Ambassador Name: Thom Lamourine

TA Report: Roosevelt Forest

Date of Activity: 10/26/10
Location: Roosevelt Forest
Condition of Trails(s): Beautiful, a bit damp, leaf covered
Observations: Great day for a ride, warm, comfortable temps, enjoyable day
Trail Ambassador Name: Ed Perten

TA Report: Rocky Neck State Park

Date of Activity: October 25, 2010

Location: Rocky Neck State Park

Condition of Trail(s): Great with nice leaf color

Observations: I was heading up on a business trip to MA after my TM work earlier in the afternoon and wanted to take a ride at Rocky Neck; I rode this parcel last week for the first time and really enjoyed it; fast flowing trails with lots of natural features, nothing too technical, tight forest and all with a constant lung full of ocean breeze; especially liked the white that had tunnel like stretches and rode along the marsh with great views; passed a couple of joggers doing their thing; a very enjoyable stop in the afternoon.

Trail Ambassador Name: Don Hazuka

Date of Activity: October 24th & 25th, 2010

Location: Cockaponset SF / Weber Woods

Condition of Trail(s): Great shape and loads of color

Observations: I was contacted by a member of the Lower CT River Valley Horse Club (LCRVHC) about some downed trees blocking trails that needed to be cleaned up for their annual Hunter Pace event next weekend; I scouted out the two areas (off the Quinimay and yellow) on Sunday (lots of hikers with dogs), filled the map box, and got an idea of the tools required; actually competed the tasks on Monday where substantial chainsaw work was necessary and was spread out over a pretty good distance; trails are now cleared and look great; I hope they have good weather and a successful event; CT NEMBA TA’s are always here to serve.

TM report: West Rock Ridge State Park

Date of Activity: Oct. 24, 2010
Location:
Condition of Trails(s): Good
Observations: Despite the recent rains, West Rock continues to show signs of how truly dry it has become as a result of this summer's lack of rain. About one-third of a mile north of Lake Wintergreen on the White Trail is a section of armoring and drainage work that I did. The section consists of a two-foot wide section of armoring on the right side of the trail as you are heading north with a channel to drain off water from the trail. The lower area to the left of the armoring is traditionally muddy year-round, but still remains dry. Other seasonal watercourses, such as at the junction of the White and Purple Trails that can have a steady six-inch deep water flow are also dry. Puddles have started to appear along the White Trail where users have created by-passes, indicating that some water is starting to accumulate again. The White and Red Trails were generally dry.
The state has published an updated trails map on the website, which reflects much of the blazing and reblazing I did over the past three years. The new map makes it clear that mountain bikes are limited to the Red and White Trails. Although Purple and Yellow (in particular) are traditionally popular with mountain bikers, they are officially closed to bikes. Biking on these and other hiking-only trails can only serve to mar the reputation of mountain bikers. The map may be downloaded at http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/stateparks/maps/westrock.pdf.
The phone number for the park office (based at Sleeping Giant State Park) has changed. The new number is 203-287-5658.
In speaking with Lori Lindquist, the park supervisor, regarding crime at West Rock, she said there were several smash and grabs at the South Overlook parking lot and at the main entrance near the Rt. 15 overpass. She said there were no incidents at Lake Wintergreen, so plan your parking accordingly.
I have a blog on West Rock that provides a great deal of trail information. The blog may be read at http://westrocktrails.blogspot.com/

We came, we re-routed, and we benched! CT NEMBA and REI joined up to do trail work at Penwood State Park on crisp, cool, windy fall Saturday. The entire CT NEMBA board was present along with volunteers from REI's West Hartford store employees and even some customers came out. We set out to do two projects: (1) a re-route on the Yellow trail (map above) and (2) rock armoring on an unmarked trail in the back of park. Paula led the rerouting efforts which most of the volunteers helped out with, while Ryan and Art led the armoring project.