Date of activity: September 7, 2010
Condition of trail(s): Dry and fast
Encounters and Observations: Continued my goal of a new ride location every couple of weeks and Millers Pond was on the agenda for today; arrived with only one other car in the lot; set off on the red trail off the lot in a westerly direction and soon found out I was in for some good, challenging riding; I ran across several features that I was not comfortable with at my skill level which is exactly what I wanted in order to progress as a rider; the rest of the trail put me to good use and tested my mettle allowing me to practice new skills; noticed an almost complete lack of trail braiding and a sign near a jump (see photo) explained why.
I really like this straight forward approach; at about three miles in I noticed my GPS missing from my wrist band which led me to backtrack in search of it. I found it a half mile back near a small tree I bounced off of earlier; headed back in my original direction with acorns dropping from the oaks all around due to the fairly strong wind; I continued across the blue to the lower section of the red which in hindsight was a mistake.
This was no longer XC territory but rather a playground for those with full suspension and lots of travel; my ratio of on bike/off bike dropped dramatically (but the hiking was nice); my hat is off to those who play out there and utilize all the features; grabbed the red/white north to the blue/white and enjoyed great views of the pond and ran across one guy taking a walk on my way out; overall the trails were in great shape and clean, with incredible variety using natural structures; I reached my car drenched in sweat and with a whole new outlook on what bike skills I have yet to master.
Trail Ambassador Name: Don Hazuka
Email: donald.hazuka@covidien.com
Town: Durham/Haddam
Location: Millers Pond State Park
Trail(s) ridden: Red/red-white/blue-white/white
How did you use the trail?: Mountain bike
What was the time of day?: Mid morning
Duration (hours): 2.5
Distance (miles): 8+
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