[DaveVt]

The East Side trails seeing lots of action. I don't think anyone really knows all the routes.

Pony Express continues down below the VAST trail through a weird, but flowy intersection/Jug handle.

The Pot/Raspberry trail is a right off of Kingston rd as you climb back up. Where this trail hits the VAST again, go RIGHT. Climb VAST to the top of the next hill...Blood Root goes in on the left and brings you up, over, down, and around the Field. You'll need your trail senses on high alert for this last piece. Less of a trial than the idea of a trail. GL. It's beautiful land to ride through.

Then it's Phil's back up tp the Ridge, which criss-crosses Pony Express in 2 spots.

It's an hour to Kingston rd from the Shaw Center lot. Then another hour to get back via Pot/Ras, Blood Root, Phil's, Ridge, Pond, Orange. Last night's ride for me. Black flies out like Holy $#!T.

 

[DaveVt]

2 hour tour yesterday.

PMT up to the Saddle, Pony Express down to Kingston, Pot/Raspberry up to Blood Root, over to Phil's and back up to the Saddle to rip down PMT to Slate ave, including newer upper sections. Perfect conditions by any metric.

Slate Ave trail has a new finish that needs traffic. After the trail goes through the Slate Quarry and over the large slab of slate, it goes side-hill right and a few pedal strokes are needed to get to the next fast section. As the trail starts to roll again it makes a HARD left onto an old road bed and hauls ass down the rest of the way. This section of trail is fast AF, but kind of boring. It fed into a right/left S turn that we added a berm and drainage to a couple years ago. The trail was starting to disintegrate in the braking zone above this S turn.

Now, at the hard LEFT after the little pedal section .... go STRAIGHT up hill for 5 pedal strokes, the trail goes in on the left. It drops down and through another old quarry with some fun high speed sweepers and one cool rock feature. It feeds back into lower Slate Ave. It's very raw, unraked fun. Ride it in!
Star Flowers new on the scene...

 

[DaveVt]

New-to-me trail today 20 minutes from the house. 2 hours of steep, old school, sometime ghetto trails through very interesting and challenging terrain. Fun ****. Yes, I drove.
Fantastic conditions in CVT.

 

[RideVT]

New-to-me trail today 20 minutes from the house. 2 hours of steep, old school, sometime ghetto trails through very interesting and challenging terrain. Fun ****. Yes, I drove.
Fantastic conditions in CVT.

A white guy in Vermont using the word 'ghetto" to describe a mountain bike trail is pretty much on-brand for 2020.

 

[DaveVt]

A white guy in Vermont using the word 'ghetto" to describe a mountain bike trail is pretty much on-brand for 2020.

Ghettos are not only full of Non-white folks.

Notice, I described the trail as "Ghetto", meaning of inferior quality...as part of the list of things I liked about it. I love some ghetto trail...it's the opposite of gentrified trail aka "Green Circle Brown Sidewalk."

I want all the trail I create to have that Ghetto quality. The look of well used, tarnished, real, gritty riding. Features that look shoddy, but are solid and stable and never overbuilt.

Love me some well-done ghetto trail building. That's how **** get's done. Like the bridge in the photo. It's just like the original bridge on Rastaman. Who remembers that classic?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV_NaXUnbT4
I would go on to say that I consider the bridge in the photo folk art. Some person created that as part of the landscape as an expression of the themselves, for no other reason....certainly not for $. Self-expression is the requirement. This whole tiny network oozes with personality. I feel like I know the creator more as a person after riding here and sharing his experience. The place is a kinetic interactive work that, like comedy, and marital arts, can not be fully created without others. A dance, with a partner that is an extension of another passionate rider that led the way with their eye, and hand sometime before you even aware this sculpture was there, coming to life, growing, evolving to the moment you showed up and started riding up. I would estimate 2 riders a week hit these trails. They couldn't handle 20. So steep, so loamy. Invisible at times. Dark Flow.
$.02

 

[River19]

Ghettos are not only full of Non-white folks, it is interesting that ghettos are for non-whites in your view.

Notice, I described the trail as "Ghetto", meaning of inferior quality...as part of the list of things I liked about it. I love some ghetto trail...it's the opposite of gentrified trail aka "Green Circle Brown Sidewalk."

I want all the trail I create to have that Ghetto quality. The look of well used, tarnished, real, gritty riding. Features that look shoddy, but are solid and stable and never overbuilt.

Love me some well-done ghetto trail building. That's how **** get's done. Like the bridge in the photo. It's just like the original bridge on Rastaman. Who remembers that classic?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV_NaXUnbT4
I would go on to say that I consider the bridge in the photo folk art. Some person created that as part of the landscape as an expression of the themselves, for no other reason....certainly not for $. Self-expression is the requirement. This whole tiny network oozes with personality. I feel like I know the creator more as a person after riding here and sharing his experience. The place is a kinetic interactive work that, like comedy, and marital arts, can not be fully created without others. A dance, with a partner that is an extension of another passionate rider that led the way with their eye, and hand sometime before you even aware this sculpture was there, coming to life, growing, evolving to the moment you showed up and started riding up. I would estimate 2 riders a week hit these trails. They couldn't handle 20. So steep, so loamy. Invisible at times. Dark Flow.
$.02

Ironically the original ghettos were mostly filled with pale people but we digress.

Anywho, I also fully appreciate that ghetto, raked not "built" quality. From what I have seen much of the original "North Shore" stuff in PNW fit that relatively ghetto style, they used what they had near the feature to build it.....downed trees, etc. looked a bit "ghetto" but seemed like it was solid until rot set in......

Since my wife and I personally are kinda locked out of VT from a recreation standpoint and the usual 100-150 days we are there is dwindling this year, we have't been on the dirt sidewalks as much as in past years and I am loving the return to literally decades old rake and ride that is well worn in through years of use but not overuse. Still plenty of ducking for low new growth limbs, but you come to a stream crossing and realize the rocks were well placed for a smooth well engineered but kinda old school ghetto crossing.

I need to get out for a ride in the next 48hrs. The 12-14hr work days are appreciated but still cut into life.

What I can say from our trips up to maintain our property in VT, I have never seen my yard so dry in the summer.....even in August......seriously it is a desert.

 

[RideVT]

Ghettos are not only full of Non-white folks, it is interesting that ghettos are for non-whites in your view.

Notice, I described the trail as "Ghetto", meaning of inferior quality...as part of the list of things I liked about it. I love some ghetto trail...it's the opposite of gentrified trail aka "Green Circle Brown Sidewalk."

I want all the trail I create to have that Ghetto quality. The look of well used, tarnished, real, gritty riding. Features that look shoddy, but are solid and stable and never overbuilt.

Love me some well-done ghetto trail building. That's how **** get's done. Like the bridge in the photo. It's just like the original bridge on Rastaman. Who remembers that classic?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV_NaXUnbT4
I would go on to say that I consider the bridge in the photo folk art. Some person created that as part of the landscape as an expression of the themselves, for no other reason....certainly not for $. Self-expression is the requirement. This whole tiny network oozes with personality. I feel like I know the creator more as a person after riding here and sharing his experience. The place is a kinetic interactive work that, like comedy, and marital arts, can not be fully created without others. A dance, with a partner that is an extension of another passionate rider that led the way with their eye, and hand sometime before you even aware this sculpture was there, coming to life, growing, evolving to the moment you showed up and started riding up. I would estimate 2 riders a week hit these trails. They couldn't handle 20. So steep, so loamy. Invisible at times. Dark Flow.
$.02

Ran face-first into the point; still missed it.

 

[stovepipe]

So Anyway. One Positive aspect of the current situation. A LOT of Trail work is getting done by many folks. Really cool to see. Every time I go out -Oh Cool Awesome Bridge.Nice Someone did some serious work in this section. A few Hrs. myself in this endeavor. Really Great to see all that is being done by Many!! JC

 

[DaveVt]

So Anyway. One Positive aspect of the current situation. A LOT of Trail work is getting done by many folks. Really cool to see. Every time I go out -Oh Cool Awesome Bridge.Nice Someone did some serious work in this section. A few Hrs. myself in this endeavor. Really Great to see all that is being done by Many!! JC

As well, every house in town is getting buffed out. Town has never looked so nice. Plus a spring in Northfield without Norwich means less random violence and destruction in general. The lack of traffic is a real life-changer for someone who lives in town.

Ordered a hand truck that will work nicely for a rock cart. There's a project lurking with large slabs that need transport. Been on the list for maybe 5 years. It will be a reroute to an over steep section of trail I've never liked. One more small reroute out on the ridge to get around some sugaring that went in...then this thing will probably take the rest of the summer.

 

[DaveVt]

Slightly OT...
https://vtdigger.org/2020/06/04/34-...ting/?is_wppwa=true&wpappninja_cache=friendly
The woman I saw here weeks ago, during the lock-down.... is from Winooski...she then went to New Hampshire to MTB vacation.

I will be absolutely gutted with LOLs if she ends up being associated. We call her the Covid Queen around the house.



Sweat-fest to the Summit today. Gave someone a tour of the East Side from the Summit trail. Fun to share that "First time" experience with folks. Sent him on to the Shaw Center via the Ridge trail with directions back to Slate Ave. Other familiar faces out today too. Really feeling like summer. Trails are fast and grippy. Epic weather looks to continue.

 

[DaveVt]

Raked in a new half mile. At the end of Pot/Raspberry go right on VAST and climb to the very top...in on left. Takes you back over to the bottom of Pony Express where you can get on Phil's back up to the Saddle. There is more Blood Root on this trail than I have seen in any other spot, so we'll call it that.

Red Eft emergence. Tread with care.

 

[VTSession]

I gotta give a shout out to DaveVT after riding the newly raked stuff at Northfield yesterday. We rode the new trails from the map that was (briefly) posted. What a ride - 13 miles and 3k of climbing, highlight was the huge rock roll/ridge before the top of Postal.

I did a big ride in Stowe late last week then a big Northfield ride. What a difference riding narrow, loamy, natural trails vs. Stowe's wide and machine built trails that a now feel underwhelming.

 

[DaveVt]

What a ride - 13 miles and 3k of climbing, highlight was the huge rock roll/ridge before the top of Postal.

I did a big ride in Stowe late last week then a big Northfield ride. What a difference riding narrow, loamy, natural trails vs. Stowe's wide and machine built trails that a now feel underwhelming.

Hey, fun to hear. Sounds like you rode almost everything worth riding. What was your route?

Now the the loop is done down on the East side, I have to get up to Dr.Wag trail and work around those sap lines.

Mamba has plans to greatly improve the climb from Berlin Pond up to the tower on the North end of the massif. Hopefully this summer. Getting this interconnection solidified is the priority for the rest of the year. I may approach the private land owner with 2500 acres on the East side north of the summit about some work as well.

The connection immediately doubles the network mileage and maybe triples the terrain involved. Getting the old roads and maybe some single track in on the old poor farm would keep me busy for a couple more years.

The Irish hill stuff has it's own genius built in. The technical climbing over there is so fun. Totally different feel then what I do. Climbing up through that stuff....working your way down here and mostly descending single track on this end really does have it all.

 

[VTSession]

Hey, fun to hear. Sounds like you rode almost everything worth riding. What was your route?

Now the the loop is done down on the East side, I have to get up to Dr.Wag trail and work around those sap lines.

Mamba has plans to greatly improve the climb from Berlin Pond up to the tower on the North end of the massif. Hopefully this summer. Getting this interconnection solidified is the priority for the rest of the year. I may approach the private land owner with 2500 acres on the East side north of the summit about some work as well.

The connection immediately doubles the network mileage and maybe triples the terrain involved. Getting the old roads and maybe some single track in on the old poor farm would keep me busy for a couple more years.

The Irish hill stuff has it's own genius built in. The technical climbing over there is so fun. Totally different feel then what I do. Climbing up through that stuff....working your way down here and mostly descending single track on this end really does have it all.

We started by climbing up to the summit, went down the whole Pony Express, climbed up the VAST to Blood Root, climbed back up, then traversed back to pick up Phil's trail then ended with Postal. We made a quick detour to link up with the car battery but got a little turned around and bailed.

The potential for connecting to Irish Hill would be remarkable. So many opportunities for huge rides over a vast area of wilderness. Looking forward to seeing more access around there.

 

[DaveVt]

We started by climbing up to the summit, went down the whole Pony Express, climbed up the VAST to Blood Root, climbed back up, then traversed back to pick up Phil's trail then ended with Postal. We made a quick detour to link up with the car battery but got a little turned around and bailed.

The potential for connecting to Irish Hill would be remarkable. So many opportunities for huge rides over a vast area of wilderness. Looking forward to seeing more access around there.

So the postal trail is called Slate Ave. FWIW.

Wow, I'm surprised at the numbers on that ride.

My route suggestions for a full pull are climb Slate Ave tr, join PMT to the summit. Down PE to Kingston...back up via P/R, Blood Root/Phil's. Ridge trail out to Orange. Over to the Cheney Field trailhead and up PMT from the bottom Climb up to the next Peak North (Kati's Hill) for the out and back on DrWag...down through Slate ave including new bits.

This would add maybe 1200+ verts and 5+ miles? A total of 18+ and 4000+ verts. Haven't done it yet. A nice warm up for the first Irish to Nrthfld run. I've gotten a lot of riding in this spring. Still get hurt by the climbing here.

 

[DaveVt]

Rode your route yesterday with a friend at a conversational pace. Holy Crap it was 3 hours. At the bottom of Slate we contemplated climb back up to the saddle to pick up Ridge/Pond/Orange tr to the Shaw Center for the trifecta. Felt like we could, but would not be enjoying much of it and headed home to eat burgers, which were easy to enjoy.

To get out to the car battery....headed for the Summit, after the "Rock Garden" aka River of Rock section of the climb ...aka...loose, rocky 4 wheeler trail that sucks every time section...the trail turns sharp to the right. It lunges up 1 or two more short pitches and flattens out slightly before really turning up, to the ridge. In that short recovery zone, there is a small pile of rocks on the left by a mature hardwood. George's trail goes in on the left here.

After some climbing for maybe 5-10 minutes, the trail starts to go down fast, but don't get sucked in. Right when you start going so fast you can't see anything you'll find the trail on the right that takes you over to the car battery and DrWag/Mamba trail.

Water Data: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=vt&w=map

It was clear we were heading to early drought potential in April. Fish could be very sad soon. Beware the Moon Dust! Super dry is worse than Super wet on steep trails. Consider impact if things start to get super dusty and blow apart.

 

[DaveVt]

A couple tenths of an inch yesterday really did it's magic. Green things are bright and popping, tightening up the line, dirt's dark, moist, and tacky...roots and rocks a touch slick, as the summer slime starts to grow under the shade of the new foliage. Fast and Loose.

Pheasant Backs are everywhere. Found a few eaters, but they were full of worms. Might have missed the window.

Honey Suckles are so fragrant right now out in the meadows, and riding back through town after grabbing a 4 rack I was drunk on the smell of Lilacs. Love this time of year. Olfactory stimulation is something I miss more than color by then end of winter. Wood smoke is only so romantic.

 

[BerkBill]

Took a spin yesterday afternoon at Perry Hill. Probably 25 cars in the lot. On a Friday.
Nobody here in VT? I beg to differ - its busy!

 

[River19]

Rode local yesterday (which means NH). While VT is still "locked down" in theory we are obeying their restrictions despite paying a hefty sum in VT property taxes......since the first week of March we have spent ~36 hrs in VT maintaining our place......probably heading up this weekend to do some work, open it up and mow the lawn. Probably ride NH though......using our VT place as a home base.

Trails around here are running amazing, still very dry, could use some more rain.

 

[DaveVt]

Sun and heat on the horizon. The opposite of what we need, but the riding will be nice.
https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=vt&w=map
****'s gonna be moon dust soon. Steep trail is the most fragile trails if we really see droughts and a lot of dusty conditions.

As a side note, the benefits of leaving organic material on the trail (leaves, loam) can be pretty dramatic when we're riding in drought conditions at high traffic areas. Can be interesting to observe how much material will move when the rains finally come. If we go from a week of drought to heavy downpours and thunderstorms raked/blown, and especially excavated trails can see months of erosion happen in an hour.